Ogden River Scenic Byway
Ogden River Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway in Utah. Within Utah it covers roughly 60 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Ogden River Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Utah's Ogden River Scenic Byway follows State Route 39 for 40 miles from Ogden through Ogden Canyon, climbing to nearly 9,000 feet at Monte Cristo Summit. Both the canyon and river take their name from Peter Skene Ogden, a 19th-century Canadian fur trader; pioneers Lorin Farr and Isaac Goodale built the first road through the canyon, which operated as a private toll road from 1860 until becoming a public road in 1882. The drive enters the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and narrows through a quartzite gorge before opening into a high alpine valley, passing Pineview Reservoir and the lift-served mountain biking at Snowbasin Resort along the way. Utah designated it a State Scenic Byway and the Forest Service a Forest Byway in 1991. Some of northern Utah's finest mountain meadows and forest line the upper stretches, a sharp contrast to the urban start at Ogden's historic downtown.
- Ogden Canyon
- Monte Cristo Summit
- 40 miles
- Pineview Reservoir
- Snowbasin Resort
- Peter Skene Ogden
- 1991 designation
Plan a drive on Ogden River Scenic Byway →
What is a National Forest Scenic Byway?
National Forest Scenic Byways are routes designated by the U.S. Forest Service that thread through the mountains, canyons and old growth of America's national forests and grasslands.
Where to Stay along Ogden River Scenic Byway
14 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Ogden River Scenic Byway.
Campsite, lodging, RV rental and membership links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.