When you picture Utah, many envision the red-rock crags and canyons of the south, but the north, with its cattail marshes and pasture lands framed by the gray cliffs and towering conifers of the Wellsville Mountains and the Bear River Range, has its own kind of beauty—without the throngs of tourists you'll encounter in the south.

Here the Shoshones (Sacagawea's tribe) made their summer camps, living on roots, berries, and the plentiful game of the lowlands. In the 1820s and ’30s mountain men came to trap beavers, foxes, and muskrats, taking time out for their annual rendezvous on the shores of Bear Lake. Some, like the famous Jim Bridger, married Native Americans and settled here; to this day, Cache, Rich, and Box Elder counties are collectively known as "Bridgerland." In the 1850s Mormon pioneers were sent by Brigham Young to settle here, and their descendants still populate this rugged land. In 1869 an event occurred here that would change the face of the West, and indeed the nation, forever: the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad was celebrated officially at Promontory Summit.

The region is characterized by alternating mountain ranges and valleys, typical of the Basin and Range geologic province that extends westward into Nevada and California. Much of the landscape has remained unspoiled, thankfully preserved as part of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, and offers a range of outdoor activities for all seasons: hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, snowmobiling, and birding among them. In more recent years, as Ogden has reimagined its historic downtown, the area has begun to attract more artists, foodies, and hipsters who appreciate the high quality of life and strong sense of community. With a large student population, Logan also has a burgeoning arts and maker scene. Overall, northern Utah enjoys an increasingly strong—if still slightly underrated—balance of natural and human-made attractions.