 | Northern Skyline Trail The Northern Skyline Trail is a great hill-climb with awesome ridgetop views over Ogden and the Great Salt Lake. The trail is intermediate technical but very strenuous aerobic. From the southern end (North Ogden Divide trailhead), it climbs 2600 vertical feet over 6.7 miles. From the northern trailhead, the climb is 3000 feet over 6.4 miles. (This does NOT include the side-trip to Ben Lomond Peak, an almost-impossible brute climb.) The trail is 13.1 miles in length, with several different riding options. |
| Option 1: South half out-and-back. Ride north from the North Ogden Divide trailhead to the Ben Lomond intersection, then turn back for 13.5 miles, 2600 vertical. Option 2: North half out-and-back. Head west from the North Park Trailhead for 12.8 miles, 3000 vertical. Option 3: Point-to-point. From either trailhead, ride the entire 13.1 miles, using a shuttle to return. Option 4: 20-mile loop. (If you're riding clockwise from North Ogden Pass, you'll have to fight up 1000 vertical feet of paved road at the end of your loop.) |
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| From the southern end, at 6.7 miles you reach the intersection with the
Ben Lomond Peak
trail, and the Skyline Trail's highest point. From here, you can turn
around, try your luck at Ben Lomond, or turn east for a steady descent
to
the North Park trailhead at mile 13.1. The trail is easy to navigate --
except for the junction with Ben Lomond, there are no intersections. Crazy-biker Option: The 1.5 mile trail to the peak of Ben Lomond rises 1000 feet over multiple sharp switchbacks. Average grade is 15%, and the surface is loose and rocky. If you decide to take your bike to the summit, expect to pack it much of the way. |
 | Getting there:
From the Ogden 12th Street exit, drive
east (towards the mountains). At 400 East (Washington), turn left (north)
and drive 5 miles. After the street narrows, veers slightly east, and
enters a residential area, turn right (east) at 3100 North. Drive 4.1
miles to the parking area on your right, at the highest spot of the North
Ogden Divide. The trail begins right across the road from the turn-in
to
the parking area. Alternate: Drive straight into Ogden Canyon from the 12th Street exit. At Pineview Reservoir, turn left across the dam. At the stop sign in Eden (shopping center and gas station), turn left. Turn left again at the stop sign in Liberty, then go straight west until the road begins climbing up to the Divide. Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc
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