Things To Do In Ogden: Waterfall Canyon

We decided to stay in town for the Memorial Day weekend. We wanted to do something fun with the kids so we decided to go hiking. My wife and I had not hiked up to Waterfall Canyon since before we had children and we thought it would be a fun hike since its just on the edge of town.


Kim had Esther in the backpack and I kept Sophie on my shoulders most of the way up.



The trail to Waterfall Canyon is just a detour off the normal Bonneville Shoreline trail system. You can start at the 29th Street trailhead at the top of 29th Street (I highly recommend this) or you can start at 36th Street or 27th Street like we did. Waterfall Canyon is between the 29th St. and 36th St. trailheads. (Note: The turn up Waterfall Canyon is unmarked so keep your eyes peeled for where the trail jack-knifes east and turns rocky in a hurry.) We learned that the 27th Street leg is not very kid friendly. There is a steep brush-choked section of the trail that is adjacent to a private residence with dogs that love to bark. Here I am looking down the trail wondering what our next move was.


We pushed on...with minor lacerations.


The kids were having a fun time. Once you turn to head up Waterfall Canyon, the trail gets more rocky and steeper the further you go. There are some old concrete irrigation ducts that signal that you are on the right path. The final obstacle is the makeshift bridge that you can see above. Below you can see our first view of the waterfall. It was an amazing place to visit. There was a brisk 20mph wind coming off the waterfall. The temperature was probably 20-25 degrees cooler as well. I didn't mind but the kids complained about wanting hot chocolate.

The waterfall site has a very surreal feeling about it. The waterfall itself keeps you looking up, and its so tall and mesmerizing that you start to forget you are standing on a 45 degree slope of loose dirt and rock. The site has an ampetheater type feel as you are enshouded on three sides by very rough and beautifully chaotic rock strata.
The trip was great until the kids realized they were tired. I will definitely take the kids up again, however. Next time I will park at 29th Street though and make sure the kids have all had potty breaks before we walk out the door. Otherwise, its a worthwhile trip and I recommend that you go. Finally, we were rewarded with a picturesque scene of Ogden and Ben Lommond on the way back.