Fort Buenaventura

Description:

• With a replica of an 1846 fort and trading post, and exhibits depicting the local mountain men and fur trade of the 1820s, this park shows what life was like back in the day. Built in 1846 by fur trapper and horse trader Miles Goodyear, the fort was the first permanent Anglo settlement in the Great Basin. The Mormons bought the fort when they arrived in 1847, and Ogden grew up around it.

  Rangers lead tours of the reconstructed fort (included in the admission fee), and the park has ponds, canoes for rent ($5 per hr.), a picnic area, and a pleasant campground ($15 per night). A 2-mile hiking trail meanders around the park, and fishing in the Weber River is permitted with a license. The park also has a kids' fishing pond, open only to children 12 and younger, no license required. The visitor center has exhibits of American Indian artifacts typical of the area. Allow at least 1 hour.

  Fort Buenaventura hosts several traditional mountain-man rendezvous each year, with music, Dutch-oven food, and a variety of contests that typically include a tomahawk throw, a canoe race, a shooting competition, and foot races, with all competitors in pre-1840s dress. The rendezvous are usually scheduled on Easter (with a nondenominational sunrise service and egg hunt) and Labor Day weekends. A Pioneer Skills Festival takes place on July 24. Mountain-man supplies are available in a shop at the fort every Saturday.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010