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A Mount Ogden Golf Course maintenance cart drives past signs restricting access to the course off of Gib's Loop Trail west of the course in Ogden on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner

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An unidentified man jogs down Gib's Loop Trail alongside a fence between the trail and Mount Ogden Golf Course in Ogden on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner

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A fence and warning sign limit access to an unofficial path off of Gib's Loop Trail near the 29th Street Trailhead in Ogden on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner

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A downed fence is seen off of Gib's Loop Trail immediately west of Mount Ogden Golf Course north of 33rd Street in Ogden on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner

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From the right, Gib's Loop Trail runs alongside an access road and a fence outside Mount Ogden Golf Course in Ogden on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner

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A look at Gib's Loop Trail and signs limiting non-golfing access to Mount Ogden Golf Course west of the course in Ogden on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner

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An opening in a fence on the eastern perimeter of Mount Ogden Golf Course in Ogden is pictured Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner

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OGDEN — Nearly a week of public concern about trail developments in the city came to a head Tuesday night.

Last week, Ogden City announced several changes that would be implemented to Gib’s Loop Trail to keep people from wandering onto the adjacent Mount Ogden Golf Course. This will include closing off access to so-called “social trails” that people had created over time overlapping the golf course.

However, during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, several residents spoke out in opposition of the changes.

One resident said he’s utilized the trail system — along with the golf course — for nearly 40 years and hasn’t personally noticed anyone having issues with people crossing portions of the property.

“I truly, in the 40 years the course has been open, I’ve never had anybody say, ‘Those dang runners are crossing the course,'” he said. “I’m an avid runner as well and I realize the responsibility of stopping at the fairway and looking and making sure it’s clear and crossing. The signage would probably do a big service for it. If golfers are patient and runners are respectful of the golfers — I have just never had anybody complain. They complain about the bushes, they complain about the uneven tee boxes. They never complain about the runners.”

Another resident said they had started an online petition that had garnered over 2,000 signatures in opposition of the changes.

“I’ve personally spoken with trail users, golfers and city officials, and the overwhelming response from the community is clear,” the man said. “This closure is unnecessary and the reasoning behind it does not hold up.”

In a statement from the city sent to the Standard-Examiner earlier this week, officials said they were acting on liability concerns that have been raised.

“In spring 2025, during a routine citywide audit, representatives from the city’s risk manager, Utah Risk Management Agency (URMA), visited the Mount Ogden Golf Course and personally observed trail users entering and moving throughout the course in multiple locations, often in conflict with golfers,” the statement said. “During that visit, a trail user told URMA staff that they had previously been struck by a golf ball while on the course. This direct observation and testimony elevated URMA’s concern, prompting an immediate verbal warning to the city about the legal exposure these conditions presented. After receiving that warning, Ogden City asked URMA for a formal written legal assessment outlining the risks and recommendations.

“On March 26, Ogden City received formal written notice from URMA outlining the severity of the risk, urging the city to immediately eliminate unauthorized public access across the golf course or face extreme liability — potentially leaving the city uninsurable and unlimited in its financial liability.”

Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski said at Tuesday’s meeting that he would like to find a path forward.

“I think that there could be room for a solution here,” he said. “I think that the discussions that we’ve had together have been so constructive and the input so strong and constructive. I want you guys to know I am on board for a solution. I also want you to know that I don’t know what it is by myself. I want you to know that I am willing to commit our staff and our team and our resources to help find it. And I want you to know that I am willing to do it collaboratively and collectively.”