Trails Foundation of Northern Utah launches summer trail events in Ogden

Ogden’s trail season now has a ready-made calendar: a National Trails Day gathering, a summer-long Peak Challenge and a pair of patio meetups designed to pull hikers, runners and mountain bikers into the same local network. Trails Foundation of Northern Utah is using the stretch from early June into late October to turn trail stewardship into an on-ramp for exploring the peaks around town.

TFNU, a donor-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit previously known as Weber Pathways, marked National Trails Day with a Saturday event at the Ogden Farmers Market on Historic 25th Street. The celebration ran from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the market site near the intersection of 25th Street and Grant Avenue in Ogden, putting trail supporters in the middle of one of the city’s busiest public spaces.

The bigger draw for summer recreation is the return of the 2026 Peak Challenge, a self-paced trail challenge that runs from June 6 through October 23. TFNU says the goal is simple: bag four iconic local peaks in a single season. The list includes Malan’s Peak at 6,980 feet, Lewis Peak, Mount Ogden Peak and Ben Lomond Peak at 9,711 feet, giving participants a range of outings that can be tackled over multiple weekends rather than in one push.

That structure makes the challenge useful far beyond a single event day. It gives locals and travelers a fixed reason to branch out from familiar trailheads, learn the terrain around Ogden and compare notes with other users who are working through the same list. For TFNU, each summit is also a chance to reinforce a basic trail message: access may be free, but maintenance is not, and public support keeps routes open, usable and better marked.

The foundation added another social stop during National Trails Day week with Pints on the Patio at Ogden Beer Co. on June 2 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. TFNU used that gathering to introduce two new Peak Challenge pint glasses for Lewis Peak and Mount Ogden Peak, joining existing Malan’s Peak and Ben Lomond Peak designs. It is the kind of small detail that turns a trail list into a community ritual, especially for people who like their recreation calendars to come with a little local identity.

TFNU’s own numbers show how quickly the challenge has become part of that rhythm. In 2024, the Peak Challenge drew 238 human registrants and 25 dogs, and Alison Schenk became the first person to report completing all four Ogden peaks. With National Trails Day setting the tone and the Peak Challenge running through October, Ogden’s summer trail season already has its route plan.