This place might be the most underrated visitor center in all of Ogden. Located on 12th Street and pretty much right next to I-15 you most likely have passed it once or twenty times. Upon entering you feel like your miles away from the city! Parking is free and admission is $5 per adult. The visitor center is a charming little building with a quaint little gift shop filled with local products and a Discovery room that showcases various reptiles. The staff member gives you a rundown of the trails and hands you a nifty little map. And off you go to explore! There are plenty of things to see including but not limited to: Birds of Prey area, Observation Towers, picnic areas, ponds, etc. So it's much more than just brush and trees. Bring a pair of binoculars and you might see some native wildlife. Soak in the sunshine and enjoy the bird calls and sounds if wildlife! In late March the trees are still bare this year so I can only imagine what it looks like when all the foliage comes in. Definitely a great way to spend a warm, sunny morning on a solo walk or with friends and famiy. And on the cheap. read more

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The Ogden Nature Center is a 152 acre nature preserve and education center located in Ogden, Utah off of 12th street. Although it is located within eyeshot of the freeway in some spots, you actually forget you are in the middle of town and I am consistently impressed by the gorgeous views of our mountains surrounding Ogden. The nature center is a fabulous year round retreat that we can spend an hour, or a whole day exploring. The only complaint I have about the nature center is the hours, it closes at 5pm - which is truly too early for my family, my son gets off school at 3:00; by the time we make it to the center and park- its 3:20 and we are left with only 90 minutes or so to explore and walk around. Saturdays are 9-4, Sundays they are closed altogether. I understand closing early in the winter but I would like to see longer summer hours- however I also know its volunteer run, so longer hours may be out of the question. Our first stop when we visit the nature center, after walking the short birdhouse trail to the visitor center, is to sign in and visit the animals in the visitor center. Gizmo the owl is a huge hit with our family. Right outside are the birds of prey; and this is our favorite part of the nature center. From Chitters the great horned owl to a funny and brilliant raven, a giant golden eagle and an injured bald eagle; there are amazing birds here to learn from. The birds here are well cared for by volunteers and all are there having been nursed back to health but for one reason or another were not able to be released back into the wild. While walking around the nature center we have seen quite a few beautiful animals, we always see deer and it's not a good visit without peeking out the bird blinds and trying to find some tadpoles or frogs. Our favorite place to play is the treehouse in the northwest corner. The kids love running up and down and peeking out from the top, it is also a great place to stop and have lunch or a snack. Created in 1975, it was Utah's first nature center. The center includes live animal exhibits, walking trails, ponds, bird blinds, observation towers, tree houses, gardens featuring drought resistant plants, and protected areas for wildlife. It offers nature-based classes and activities for children and adults. It is fun year round, we have visited while it was snowing, and while it was 100 degrees- it was fun either way and the shaded areas make it a nice place to hang out in the summer. With memberships starting at $30 for an individual and $45 for a family, it is worth every penny to me to have a safe and fun place for my kids to explore, run, walk, and enjoy the beauty of our town. There are student discounts, you can certainly make larger contributions, and volunteer opportunities. My favorite thing about the nature center is that I almost always see someone out working on something, whether it's tending to the birds, cleaning up a trail, or maintaining a pond- people are actively working to keep this beautiful reserve pristine for years to come. The Nature Center even offers summer camps, ranging from week-long camps to day camps for kids of all ages. read more

Ogden Nature Center - Parks Near Me - Ogden, Utah

This was a great stop! There's lots of trails you can do which we did not because we were tired after traveling all day. We did go through the gift shop though which was wonderful and we did get to see the birds of prey. All the cages are labeled with the bird's names and how they got there. It's nice to know they're in a safe environment now because they cannot be out in the wild. read more

Nice place. Clean bathroom and a cute gift shop. I have to say it's a little boring. There was only 1 pond that had water and they had the is look out tower that was sketchy. The railing going up was falling over. At the top of the lookout tower I didn't trust the railing to be leaned on . I didn't take pictures of the place but they did have some good covered areas for shade. Had picnic tables but the huge problem is once u head out on the trail there are NO TOILETS. It was over 90° when we went & really had to not drink a bunch of water in fear that I would need to go. They need a few Porta potties. Ya ya I know it would cost money to have them but kids and pregnant women can't always hold it. They had some eagles and some other birds. My kids loved the honey bees. They have a fountain to refill water bottles. For me it's a once a few years. read more

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Great little nature trek ! Maybe about a 1.5 mile easy walk. I went last week in April... Was lucky to see a few different animal prints in the dried mud. The bird reserve was clean, staff seemed to really care about the animals and the land, and the birds did not look distraught. read more

You can get to all of this from then ogden trail North, and I have found a old mine from 1845 while hiking . pretty cool

I took my three children to the Ogden Nature Center on a weekday. We used our Eccles Dinosaur Park Pass to get free admission. I was dubious pulling in because it is located in a somewhat industrial part of town. Once you are in the preserve it feels like you are completely immersed in nature. They have miles of trails that are flat and well maintained. I'd imagine you could easily take a stroller on them. My kids had fun exploring their several ponds, grasslands, and forests and we saw quite a bit of wildlife and were able to spend a couple of hours in nature. The reason this is not a five star review: the bathroom situation. I will admit before going anywhere in public with my children I have to get a huge Diet Coke to get me through it. This day I was feeling generous and bought my daughter a Sprite. With all this soda pop, nature enjoying, walking, and running water I'm sure anyone could imagine we eventually needed a bathroom. I would expect the visitor center to have public restrooms because this is an educational facility and I imagine that with hundreds of children visiting on field trips this would be a no-brainer. No. The closest bathroom is nearly a mile from the visitor center. My four year old and I made the journey .... barely. We were both dying but if anyone has ever had to endure twenty minutes with a four year old who needs a potty it is pure Hell. Plus - my kids are basically sedentary so the walk nearly killed her. Once we got to this desolate bathroom location we found the bathrooms were locked until summer. 1) who is this employee who sent us all the way to the other end of the Earth to use a locked bathroom? 2) why aren't there bathroom facilities closer to the educational buildings? Use the potty before you go and you'll love it! I think the Ogden Nature Center is more geared for those who would have a hard time going on a moderate to strenuous hike (i.e. children, elderly people) It is beautiful, well cared for, and I was impressed at how much there was to explore and how it felt like you were truly outside the city. read more

The Ogden Nature Center offers a wide variety of educational opportunities that include environmental lectures, tours, and workshops. The ONC has several miles of unpaved trails that take people through open grasslands, around ponds, and into wetlands. Dress appropriately for the weather and make sure you carry water. There is a education center, a gift shop, and many different animals that have been rescued and are used for educational purposes. read more

I love the nature center. I have been there at field trips for school and they are so nice to the kids. They help you exercise and have fun at the same time. They have lots of fun activities. read more