The swim

I didn’t realize that this was such an adventure-seekers mecca. Driving out of town into canyon, I could see why: waterfalls spilled down red rock hundreds of feet on one side of me, while a group of climbers guided themselves up the other. Silty trails disappeared into thick oak forests and crossing the spillway of Pineview Reservoir, I saw paddle-boarders, fisherman and wetsuit-clad swimmers co-habitating the waters off "windsurfers beach." The guy at the bike shop said Ogden is a really affordable place to live, making it possible to live the outdoorsy life. "The trails are 500 feet from my house and I ride them everyday. When I get bored, I ride them at night."