Buildings & Features

Located at the northwest end of the parking lot, the U.S. Forest Service Kiosk is situated to offer beautiful views of Ben Lomond Peak and the Wasatch front. The kiosk is part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Watchable Wildlife tour. It provides tips for viewing wildlife and teaches us how humans can impact natural ecosystems.

The Dumke Picnic Grove encompasses a unique gathering space for visitors, summer campers and birders. The Picnic Grove is also available as a rental space for special events. The Grove includes two large-scale treehouses, three accessible restrooms, a galley catering kitchen, a fire pit/log bench seating area, hammock garden and connecting trails. The inventive landscaping design makes this special grove more magical and natural feeling.  If you have scheduled a private party at Picnic Grove, please send your guests these driving directions to Picnic Grove.

Walk or roll up the handicap accessible ramp that winds around the large treehouse for a great view of the Wasatch Mountains. Stairs take you to the top floor and to the new observation platform, affectionately referred to as ‘The Nest.’ High-powered binoculars give you a closer view of the fields and woods of the Nature Center. Constructed from Douglas fir poles reclaimed from Union Pacific’s Lucin Cutoff trestle over the Great Salt Lake, and boards made from wood and recycled plastic, the treehouse is a great place to have lunch. Kids love to play here. Both treehouses double as bird-blinds and spotting decks. The large treehouse mimics the experience of being in the middle of a tree and the upper deck is a fun roost for picnics and wildlife watching. The small treehouse produces an entirely different experience, mimicking a thicket or childhood fort that creates a unique hiding place.

A large pavilion provides a shaded venue for group gatherings. With picnic table seating for up to 100 people, the pavilion offers a unique setting for business meetings, birthday parties and large events.

Rocky Mountain Power installed a bird nesting platform on a vacated power pole just west of the Dumke Picnic Grove.

Rental Information: Please contact the Nature Center’s front desk at 801-621-7595.

This area is a natural playground featuring several climbing structures, a tunnel, a water pump and "river run," hopping stools, and a nature book sharing library.

Want to see where a bear might live? If you do, climb through the human-size Bear Den to experience what it must be like during hibernation. Bears don’t live at the Ogden Nature Center, but children and visitors enjoy this playful and educational experience. The Bear Den is located just south of the Nature Playscape and north of Tadpole Pond.

Visit our resident birds of prey up close! Meet hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, and corvids. These native Utah birds have been permanently injured or imprinted, meaning they cannot survive in the wild.  With special federal and state permits, these animals are part of the Nature Center’s education team, and travel to programs off-site and state-wide, helping us teach about Utah’s wildlife and ecosystems. 

The Amphitheater is located next to the birds of prey mews, and is a great spot for outdoor presentations, lectures, and events.

Get a treetop vantage point for viewing wildlife at Killdeer Pond as well as the Wasatch Front. Through the spotting scope you might see nesting Killdeer, Spotted Sandpipers, swallows, Canada Geese, Belted Kingfishers, or even a Red Fox hunting for mice and pheasants. The Observation Tower is .35 mi. from the Visitor Center.

This building houses two large education classrooms, the education and conservation staff, and is our volunteer headquarters. The building itself is constructed of several green features including straw bale walls, a heating/cooling tower, rapidly renewable substrates, “raw” materials and finishes, and 199 solar panels which provide enough energy to power our entire campus. Make sure to visit the education classrooms to visit our animal ambassadors and to see a unique collaborative art installation from Weber State University, Ogden Nature Center, and Shadow Valley Elementary, aimed at reducing bird window-strikes.

Constructed using environmentally friendly building practices, the Visitor Center combines reclaimed trestle wood from the Great Salt Lake’s Lucin Cutoff, a living sod roof to reduce heat absorption and minimize impact on the microclimate and human/wildlife habitat. Inside you’ll see a multitude of “green” materials like carpet made from recycled plastics and paints, stains and glues that do not emit toxic fumes. The Visitor Center houses our administrative offices, the Nest Gift Shop, and a multi-purpose Discovery Room, with seasonal exhibits and a few live, Utah-native animals.

The Farmhouse, located on the south side of the property, is a historical marker. The house was home to the farmers that utilized this land long before the Ogden Nature Center was founded. Once the preserve was established, the farmhouse served as the first Visitor Center and offices. Today the farmhouse is a private residence that houses our education and conservation staff.