Ogden Hole
Explore & Experience
A.K.A. Huntsville, Eden, and Liberty
Ogden Hole was the original 1825 name given to this valley paradise in honor of Peter Skene Ogden, British trapper and explorer. Ogden was the first European to enter, map and describe the incredible place that would eventually become Utah’s best kept adventure secret.
Breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, year round outdoor recreation & fine dining.
Experience the greatest snow on earth as you descend the slopes at any of three world-class resorts – Snow Basin, Powder Mountain, Nordic Valley. Catch air wakeboarding at Pineview reservoir. Horseback ride, mountain bike or hike miles of pristine mountain trails. Play 18 holes at legendary Wolf Creek golf course.
A short history
of Ogden Hole
Caption: Looking across the valley at Huntsville. This is the valley known as Ogden’s Hole, where the fur trappers held their rendezvous. From Art Work of Utah. (1896)
Peter Skene Ogden and his troop of trappers and Indian scouts entered the valley in May of 1825, trapped nearly 600 beaver and described the valley as totally awesome! Stumbling across rival American trappers on the Weber River who claimed he was trespassing, Ogden soon found his circumstances uncertain, if not precarious. Threatening to take possession of his booty and promising higher pay to his men, rebellion and skirmish ensued. Suddenly relieved of his pelts and men, Mr. Ogden, obliged to make a hasty retreat, inadvertently staged Ogden Valley’s first (and spontaneous) race on an out-and-back course, narrowly escaping with his life! So unfolded the unprecedented debut of outdoor adventure in Ogden Valley! Ogden never returned again, leaving behind only the legacy of his name – Ogden’s Hole.
Some 30 years following the discovery of Ogden Valley, Mormon settlers founded three mountain towns, still proudly flourishing today – Huntsville, Eden and Liberty. Denoted simply by the acronym HEL, the irreverent irony of a place so heavenly is comically fitting to the original misadventure Mr. Ogden and his Hudson Bay Co. trappers.
Historic image credits: Marriott Library Digital Collection & the Utah State Historical Society
More Resources
Read all about Ogden Valley’s discovery by British fur trappers on May 16th thru 25th, 1825!