Weber County offers a lot of outdoor fun

OGDEN — Within the boundaries of Weber County there is a big city, along with a couple of rivers, a reservoir, an island, a restored old fort, three ski resorts and a valley getaway.

Most people likely are well-aware of those. What they may not know is the extent of the recreational opportunities each has to offer.

What they know

Take, for example, the rivers — the Ogden and the Weber. There is on the Weber the state's only kayak rodeo park — a playground for kayakers, canoers and tubers.

Located at Exchange Road and 24th Street, the section of river has been designed for water-sport enthusiasts. In one section of the river, large boulders were strategically placed to create channels, drops and pools.

Kayakers are able to play in the pools, doing cartwheels, bow stalls, flat-water loops and stern stalls. Below the constructed course is still water where those new to the sport can paddle and practice. Tubers can float from the mouth of Weber Canyon for several miles, down to and past the park.

The Ogden and Weber rivers also offer some of the state's best stream fishing.

Near the river is Fort Buenaventura, 2450 A Ave., once a state park but now run by the city of Ogden. The fort was the first permanent Anglo settlement in the Great Basin, back in the 1840s. The reconstructed fort includes a stockade, replicas of old cabins, camping areas and a pond.

A few years back the city of Roy opened its Aquatic Center, with two water slides, one a high-speed slide that is nearly vertical, and a padded wading pool with water features for kids.

Pineview Reservoir is east of Ogden and has become a center for summer water sports, including wakeboarding, water skiing, boating and swimming.

What few may realize is this is one of the few places in the state were anglers can try for the large tiger musky. The record, taken from the lake in 2001, is 31 pounds 4 ounces.

Because of its location, at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, the county has become well-known for activities like mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding.

The north-south-running Bonneville Shoreline Trail is the main jumping-off point for a number of trails that lead into higher country. The trail follows the shoreline of the ancient lake.