North Fork River Trail

North Fork Park

Welcome to the trail!

It’s fall in North Fork! If you’re looking for a spot where the colors are already changing (and quite spectacularly, I must add) look no further than North Fork Park. We love the River Trail for its wide dirt path, colorful leaves and views, and easy water access (in the form of ponds and streams and puddles) along the way. Come check it out!

How to get there

From Valley Market in Eden, drive northwest on Highway 162 for about 2.5 miles where you merge onto 3500 E and continue about a half mile to the three-way stop near Liberty Park. Turn left on 4100 N then right on 3300 E and continue driving north for about 1.5 miles until you take a slight left onto North Fork Road. You’ll stay on North Fork Road for 2.7 miles, driving past both the South and Middle Gates, and turning left on North Gate Road (the sign calls it Cutler Flats Gate). In about a half mile you’ll get to a T intersection; turn right and follow the road around for another 0.4 miles until you’re at the far north edge of the Cutler Flats group campsite.

There is no official parking lot here, just a dirt road on the far edge of the fields. (There are usually trucks with horse trailers parked along the edge, so that will give you a clue where to go.) Park on the side of the road. The trail begins at the red gate crossing the dirt road at the bottom of the hill to the west.

Trail at a glance

Distance: ~ 0.5 miles one way (1 mile round trip out and back) (the road goes on and on past this, but we usually don’t make it much further - you can hike as far as you like!)

Elevation gain: ~100 feet

Destination: where the trail/road crosses the North Arm of the Ogden River

Tyke perks: river, pond, leaves, rocks, mud, puddles

Notable flora: maple, aspen, mountain ash (look for the bright orange berries hanging from this one in the fall!), chokecherry, Oregon grape, cattail, fern, woolly mullein, thimbleberry, goldenrod

Fascinating fauna: squirrels, birds (and I’m sure bigger animals like deer, moose, bears, mountain lions could be possible, too)

Watch out for: horses, horse droppings, wasps (we had an unfortunate stinging incident on our last hike here, but I assume they didn’t like having rocks thrown at them/their nest - so leave them alone and you should be just fine), bikes, mud, puddles

While you’re hiking

From your car, face west and make your way down the dirt road toward the red gate at the bottom of the hill. The road is accessible to hikers, bikers and horses, so just carefully walk around (or under or over) the gate, and your hike begins by crossing over Cutler Creek (it flows through a culvert under the road, so no need to get feet wet!).

Just around a bend you’ll come to a little pond on the left. It used to cover the road during wet seasons, but I think some work has been done to improve drainage so it doesn’t pool up as much anymore. The kids love to stop here and splash rocks.

Continue on as the trail starts to climb gradually back to the east. Along here you’ll see ferns and chokecherries and mountain ash, and will likely see or hear a squirrel or two. At the top of the hill, the trail turns again to the north as you enter a shady maple section. At the quarter mile mark you’ll see a couple of trail signs: one to the left marks the Bicentennial Trail (another fun one to explore, but also more popular with the cyclists), and the other a bit further on the main River Trail road.

This time we’ll stick to the main road and hike as it climbs up and down a few small hills through the trees. (There is usually a spot or two where water is flowing across the road making little rivulets and puddles, which are endlessly entertaining for the kiddos to toss rocks in or try to jump over.) In another 0.25ish miles the North Fork of the Ogden River will cross under the road. This is where we often turn around (after splashing more rocks, of course - just watch out that you don’t make any wasps mad) and head back to the car. You can, of course, continue on this road as long as your little legs will carry you. It’s a lovely part of the world to explore and enjoy some quiet nature time!

Happy hikers

(We always have to stop at the pond on the way back, too!) This will be my last trail post of the year, but I have lots more I can’t wait to share next year, so don’t go anywhere. Thanks for hiking with me! Till next time, happy trails!