Mission & History

The Ogden Nature Center is a 152-acre nature preserve and education center. Our mission is to unite people with nature and nurture appreciation and stewardship of the environment.

Since it was founded in 1975 as Utah's first nature center, the Ogden Nature Center has provided a place where people can go to enjoy and learn about the natural world.

The 152-acre preserve is our foundation, but education is our focus. Each year the Ogden Nature Center brings more than 27,000 children, teachers, and adults together with nature through hands-on field classes. Participants in our education programs, both for school groups and for the community, observe and learn about plants and animals up-close, discovering the pleasure of being in nature and realizing their own connection to the environment.

The center is open to the public for discovery and exploration.  Visitors enjoy meeting bird of prey, snakes, tortoises, salamanders and other native animal species.  Outside there are picnic areas, treehouses, bird blinds, a spotting tower and 1.5 miles of walking trails.  The Nature Center boasts two of Utah’s greenest buildings, with hands-on nature exhibits and a unique gift store.

The Ogden Nature Center offers a wide variety of community programs for all ages including art, photography, birding, wildlife in Utah, outdoor recreation, conservation, sustainable practices and more.  During the summer, week-long nature camps are taught by our team of teacher/naturalists.  Several community events are held each year including an Earth Day Celebration and Creatures of the Night at Halloween.