Alternate Ogden-Riverdale trail complete

OGDEN — Jay Lowder says he remembers thinking it was a big waste of resources to start a trail system in Ogden.

He was there near Rainbow Gardens in 1992 and made the first scratch in the dirt with some heavy equipment for the start of the river trail from the mouth of Ogden Canyon to Washington Boulevard.

Eighteen years later, Lowder, the city's public services director, has a smile on his face as he remembers how he felt when the trail was started.

Ogden's portion of the trail that will eventually connect to Weber Canyon is done.

Thursday, Ogden officials cut the ribbon on the final section of 9.6 miles of river trail that allows trail users to go from Ogden Canyon to Riverdale without traveling on a major road.

The final section features underpasses under three railroad bridges that cyclists and walkers used to have to cross.

The trail received some funding from Weber RAMP tax — a special sales tax for recreation, arts, museums and parks in the county — and the final section cost $550,000, Lowder said.

And it's those cyclists, walkers and runners Lowder has to thank for helping him see the value of a trail system.

"The citizens really love it," he said.

The 13-mile trail follows the Ogden River to the Weber River and travels south to just near Riverdale City Hall, where it continues for another mile.

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey said the world-class trail is another symbol of his city's commitment to being a high-adventure recreation mecca.

"This is one more significant piece of that vision," he said, adding that though the river trail is complete, "we're not done."

The next step will be to work on an expansive network of mountain trails with the U.S. Forest Service.

"Projects like this happen because of great partnerships," he said.

The trail can be accessed from various points. For a map, visit recmap.ogdencity.com.

e-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com

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