COLUMN: Hiking a shoreline that’s not on the beach
Cool sweat beads drip down my forehead in the early afternoon cloud cover. I stagger my way up the rock-burdened slope of Strongs Canyon in the mountains behind Mount Ogden Park in Ogden City.
There is a freshwater stream to my right, flowing smoothly through the gigantic yellow and green maple leaves that cover either side of the trail. As we — my grandmother, my mother and myself — reach the end of the rocky path, we can either keep heading east toward Waterfall Canyon, or turn left or right to begin the Bonneville Shoreline Trail that stretches from North Ogden all the way down to South Ogden, stretching a good 10 miles one way.
We turned left, hiking uphill a little further, until we came to a plateau. Stopping at the top, the view landscaped the entire Ogden area — busy with moms and dads running their seven-year-olds to soccer games, and others walking and driving up and down the roads.
The Union Station down on historic 25th Street was viewable in its yellow-bricked beauty, along with the interstate vehicles rushing north and south. The view trickled all the way to the other side of the valley where the western mountainside stood, just before the crossing into Nevada.
Right now is a perfect time to commit to this hike, even though we are in Logan and the hike is in Ogden. A 45-minute drive seems to be quite a way to drive to get down to do this hike, but if you start at the north end and go all the way down to the south end, it will definitely be worth your time and money for the view.
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is where the actual shoreline of the ancient Lake Bonneville water lapped against our beautiful mountain slopes. The complete trail is said to run from Juab County all the way to the Idaho border — more than 150 miles.
There is a section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Logan that connects the city with the Idaho border. I have not done this specific part of the trail, but it begins at the mouth of Logan Canyon on Canyon Road and goes through Green Canyon, Hyde Park Canyon, Smithfield-Dry Canyon, Richmond, Cherry Creek, High Creek and ends on the Idaho Border Trailhead, a total of 24 miles one way.
The part of the trail that I did starts at the south end of Mount Ogden Park on Taylor Avenue — in Ogden, not Logan — next to all of the soccer fields. It follows around the south end of the golf course and crosses over a utility road.
There is currently a bit of construction on part of the trail, which may be a little confusing, but if you follow the signs, they should lead you to the correct place. I actually got a bit lost in my adventures, but eventually found my way to Strongs Canyon, which lead me to the Shoreline Trail.
This isn’t as difficult of a trail as the Crimson Hike in Logan Canyon. I ended up wearing my TOMS shoes for this hike, and I was completely comfortable. I do suggest dressing warm if you’re going to do this hike in the morning.
We left for the hike around 11 a.m., and I had three layers on. It wasn’t until about an hour and a half later when I took off my outer jacket, because the sun finally decided it was going to shine.
When I did the south part of this specific trail a couple of years ago, I went in May and there was still snow and ice on the ground. Depending on how far you want to go and where you want to start, I would be smart about water and food.
If you want to start at the northern end of the Ogden part and work your way south, I would say bring at least a gallon; bring more if there are two people going.
I would, once again, highly suggest checking out this trail for your own eyes. The view that you see at the top is absolutely amazing. Plus, it would be a great place to sit and collect your thoughts four weeks before the semester is over.
– Allyn Bernkopf is a senior majoring in English with an emphasis in creative writing. She writes, reads and hangs out with Mother Nature. She can be reached at ally.bernkopf@aggiemail.usu.edu.