Our man in Ogden, Utah, Mark Peterson, is working on stories for us about the rides in and around his beautiful part of the world and his first installment is about a section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I wasn’t familiar with the exact location and what the whole trail was about so I did a little Interwebs digging and found this from the bonnevilleshoreline.org website:
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) will one day stretch from the Idaho border to Nephi, more than 280 miles. Currently just over 100 miles of the route is officially designated as part of the BST…The route attempts to follow the Bonneville Bench that was formed by the ancient lake.
All words and pix below are from Mark. Give him a shout if you are in the area. I bet he’ll go for a ride! Oh, BTW, I am peppering some of the pix he sent throughout the article but they may not be the exact section described. Go check it out yourself!
Bonneville Shoreline Trail – North Ogden section 1
½ a mile up from the base of North Ogden Divide there is a relatively new trail head accessing the North Ogden section of the Bonneville shoreline Trail. The day I rode this trail there was partial snow coverage and beautiful temperatures in the mid 40’s that had me smiling like a kid with a Beard.
Right from the beginning the trail climbs steeply offering spectacular views balanced on a fairly exposed section of trail. The trail winds along a cross hill leading to the shoulders of the bench. As you climb up the higher flats the trail transforms into a roller coaster style flow peppered with occasional steeper sections as you ascend to the upper section shadowed by Ben Lomond Peak.
After climbing for about a mile you start to see some of the really cool features of this ride. Flow driven switchbacks that usually come in pairs make the climb delightful in their beauty and break up the at times restless climb. On the descent these sections are some of the funnest elements on a Fat Bike. If you trust your tires, you can really lay the bike over in these turns.
After you have negotiated the “toilet bowl switchbacks” the trail rears up with a steep, loose shale section that is about ½ a mile long, bringing you to another crest on the benches.
Here the trail changes personality again into a gentle meandering single track that skirts the bench draws you near to the mouth of the looming mountain. The climbing is not done yet, as you are tested with another steep loose technical section with more of the “toilet bowl switchbacks” preceding the crossroads where several trails intersect. It takes about 1-1/2 hr ride up and the best is yet to come. The descent is roughly 25 min. and would would be a fitting attraction at an amusement park. Amazing fast rolling decent with plenty of places to push turns and catch as much air as you dare. Just before you drop back to the trail head you are treated to a park bench placed at a perfect vista spot where you can look out over Ogden and digest the fantastic trail you just ate up. Bon appetite!
Thanks for the report, Mark! We look forward to learning more about the rides in your area.
Do you have a trail that is especially fat-bike friendly? Maybe you just have a great ride report. We’d like to hear about it! Send pix and words to greg@fat-bike.com and let us know about your adventures.
Thank you Fat-Bike.com for letting me share some of the world class trails here in Ogden Utah. There is many more Adventures and trials to come. Cheers my friends!
Great description Mark! I am always amazed and envious when I see the pictures that you post. This description is great and leaves me even more so. I have never encountered someone more passionate about biking than you and your love of fat-biking and your joy at sharing that with every one is exciting and commendable. Ride on!!!