Ogden’s trail system seeing extensive use across the city
Jared Lloyd, Standard-Examiner
Ogden City representatives (from left) Mayor Ben Nadolski and Monte Stewart, Parks and Cemetery Division Manager, talk to the editorial board at the Standard-Examiner in Ogden on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of three stories following a Standard-Examiner editorial board interview with Ogden City Parks and Cemetery Division Manager Monte Stewart and Ogden City’s PGA Golf Professional Todd Brenkman on a broad range of topics including Gib’s Loop Trail, a resurgence in the popularity of golf, getting more youths trail use and golf and coming projects. Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski also joined the interview.
OGDEN — One of the biggest strong suits of Ogden’s outdoor recreation culture has long been its abundant trail system.
Overseeing that system is Ogden City Parks and Cemetery Division Manager Monte Stewart, who said that it is one of the city’s greatest strengths.
“Ogden’s got a wonderful system of trails,” he said. “We’ve got paved trails … with the Ogden River Parkway linked to the Weber River Parkway around the 21st Street Pond. There’s like 75 miles of soft-surface trails along the benches, and in some other spots throughout town, but mostly on the East Bench. Great access — there’s 25 different trailhead points to access trails at. It’s just a really great thing in Ogden that links us, not just within our city, but it links us to the neighboring towns and cities. You can jump on a trail and end up on the other side of a mountain if you choose to.”
He said a boom time for trails, much like golf in the area, came in the form of a global pandemic.
“COVID was just like a springboard, and it’s been steady,” he said. “It dropped off a little bit and then it’s been a steady climb. It’s a need and a want of our citizenry for sure.”
Stewart said one of the largest areas of growth has been in youth mountain bikers using the trail.
“Utah has the largest high school mountain bike association in the nation,” he said. “That’s where we’ve seen our biggest increase. And if you grew up in Roy and you want to ride a mountain bike, where’re you going? You’re going to come to Ogden.”
He said that the city is looking at ways to further improve the system.
“Around the golf course, one of the things that popped up with the surveys is we really want to make a push for some congruent signage,” he said. “That’s one of the things, over the years, where I feel like we’ve fallen behind.”
He said there are also sections along the Weber Parkway Trail that will be repaved and flooding-damaged sections near Miles Goodyear Park that will also be taken care of in the near future.
And there will be some resources to work with. Stewart said he also got word recently that the Trails Foundation of Northern Utah has matched a $30,000 grant — totaling $60,000 — and that the city will be making trail improvements with this money in the coming months. This is on top of another $100,000 that was approved for trail improvement.
“I think we’re in an exciting time in Ogden,” he said. “We’re providing opportunities for people to stay busy and find some enjoyment and fulfillment in their life.”
