A Missionary Family's Weekend in Provo Before the MTC

Faith & Community October 20, 2026 9 min read ✓ Updated October 20, 2026

JoAnn Giordano Editor-in-Chief, Provo.com How we make Provo.com

This page is for the family bringing a new missionary to the Provo Missionary Training Center: the parents who have booked the flights, the grandparents who want to come along, and the younger siblings who will remember this weekend. The mechanics of the MTC itself (packages, letters, how long missionaries stay) are in our Provo MTC visitor guide, and the farewell talk and the homecoming traditions are in missionary farewells and homecomings. Here is the plan for the days you will spend in Utah Valley.

Everything about the drop-off below comes from the MTC's own arrival page, checked in October 2026. Drive times are OpenStreetMap routing estimates (OSRM) without traffic.

The rules that shape the whole trip

Read these before you invite anyone.

One vehicle per missionary family may enter the MTC grounds. It carries the missionary, the luggage and "a few members of your immediate family." Other family members and friends cannot drive in or walk onto the campus.
Arrival is in the early afternoon. The MTC says arrival times generally fall between 1 and 2 p.m., with specific times posted a week before. Come at the scheduled time.
The farewell happens before you get there. The MTC asks families to have farewell activities "prior to your arrival" and to keep the curbside goodbye short.
No RVs or other tall vehicles in the drop-off area.
Flying in: a missionary who must fly in early may arrive the day before. Missionaries assigned a Tuesday arrival should arrive no later than Tuesday evening. Coming by airport shuttle? Come straight from the flight.
The address is 2005 North 900 East, Provo, which is different from the MTC mailing address. The MTC suggests I-15 exit 269 from the north and exit 263 from the south. The information desk answers 24 hours a day at 385-384-2900.

That first rule is the one that changes plans. If grandparents, aunts and cousins are coming, the real goodbye is the one you schedule for them, not the curb.

Two days before: arrive and let the missionary breathe

Arrive with a day to spare if you can. Flights get delayed, and a missionary who walks into the MTC rested is better off than one who landed at midnight. Salt Lake City's airport is about 50 miles and an hour from the MTC by OSRM estimate; Provo's airport, PVU, is about 6 miles and 14 minutes from campus but has fewer routes (see flying from Provo airport).

Keep this day light: groceries, a walk, an early dinner. If the missionary will study at BYU after the mission, walking campus together is a quiet way to spend an afternoon; the BYU campus visitor guide has the museums and the Creamery, and the MTC sits just north of campus, about 4 minutes away.

The day before: the temple, the tour, the photo

The temple. The Provo City Center Temple downtown is the temple to plan around in Provo. The older Provo Utah Temple near Rock Canyon closed on February 24, 2024 for reconstruction and will reopen as the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. For grounds, parking and the current status of both, see visiting Provo's temples. Check the temple's own schedule and appointment requirements before you build a day around a session.

The MTC tour, for the younger siblings. The MTC offers on-site tours for families and the general public: a three-quarter-mile walk around campus lasting about 60 to 75 minutes, led by a returned missionary tour guide, with sign-up on the MTC's website. For a nine-year-old who is about to watch a big brother or sister disappear through those doors, seeing the campus first can help. If you cannot get an on-site slot, the MTC also runs live virtual tours.

The family photo. Take it the day before, in good light, with everyone who came. Temple grounds are a common choice; which ones are open is in the temple grounds guide. The curb tomorrow will move too fast for a group shot.

The extended family goodbye. This is the event the grandparents and cousins came for. Hold it today or tomorrow morning: a long lunch, a pavilion at a city park, dinner at someone's house. Our group-friendly restaurants page lists places that can seat a crowd.

Drop-off day, hour by hour

Morning: a slow breakfast, final packing, weighing bags. Nothing scheduled.
Late morning: the last family meal, close to the MTC, finishing with time to spare. This is where the goodbyes are said that the curb will not have time for.
About 30 minutes before the scheduled time: load one car. Decide in advance who rides in it; the MTC says a few members of the immediate family. Everyone else says goodbye at the restaurant or the hotel.
The scheduled time (generally 1 to 2 p.m.): drive onto the grounds, unload, hug, and let the missionary go. The MTC's request is plain: keep it short, because a large number of missionaries arrive in a short window.

The afternoon after

The curb takes minutes, and then the afternoon is empty. Have it planned.

Provo Canyon: Bridal Veil Falls is about 14 minutes from the MTC; the trail starts at the main parking lot, and Utah State Parks lists no fee. Sundance is about 25 minutes. See the Provo Canyon guide.
Quiet indoors: the Springville Museum of Art, about 16 minutes away, is free and open until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (8 p.m. on Wednesday).
The drive home: many families start it right away. The Salt Lake airport is about an hour away by OSRM estimate.

If a Sunday falls in the middle

Families who arrive on a weekend can attend sacrament meeting in a local ward; what to expect is in visiting a church in Provo. Plan meals ahead, because some popular Utah County restaurants close on Sunday; Sunday brunch in Utah Valley lists the ones that open.

For the parents, later

The first letter, the first P-day email, what you can and cannot send: all of that is in the Provo MTC visitor guide. When the two years (or eighteen months) are up and it is time to plan the other end, the post-mission guide picks up the story.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time do missionaries arrive at the Provo MTC?

The MTC says arrival times generally fall between 1 and 2 p.m. local time, and that more specific times are posted a week before on-site arrival. It asks missionaries to come at their scheduled time. Missionaries assigned to arrive on a Tuesday should arrive no later than Tuesday evening.

Can the whole family go to the MTC drop-off?

No. The MTC allows one vehicle per missionary family onto the grounds, carrying the missionary, the luggage and a few members of the immediate family. Other family members and friends cannot drive in or walk onto the campus, so plan the wider goodbye somewhere else beforehand.

Where should extended family say goodbye before the MTC?

Somewhere you can stay as long as you like, earlier that day or the day before: a lunch, a city park, or a temple grounds walk for a group photo. The MTC asks families to have their farewell activities before arriving and to keep the curbside farewell short.

Can our family tour the Provo MTC?

The MTC offers on-site tours for youth groups, families and the general public: a three-quarter-mile walk around campus of about 60 to 75 minutes, led by a returned missionary, with sign-up through the MTC's website. It also offers live virtual tours and a video tour on the Church's Newsroom.

Can we drive an RV to the MTC drop-off?

No. The MTC says tall vehicles such as RVs cannot enter the drop-off area. Bring the missionary in a regular car and leave the RV elsewhere.

What if our missionary has to fly in?

The MTC says a missionary who must fly in early to make the arrival time may arrive the day before. Anyone coming by airport shuttle should come straight from the flight rather than waiting for the scheduled time. By OpenStreetMap routing estimates, Salt Lake City's airport is about 50 miles and an hour's drive from the MTC without traffic.

Which temple can the family attend in Provo before drop-off?

The Provo City Center Temple downtown. The Provo Utah Temple near the mouth of Rock Canyon closed on February 24, 2024 for reconstruction and will reopen as the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. Check temple schedules and appointment requirements on the Church's temple pages before you plan around a session.

What should the family do after drop-off?

Have the next two hours planned. Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon is about 14 minutes from the MTC by OSRM estimate, the Springville Museum of Art about 16, and the Salt Lake airport about an hour. Many families simply start the drive home.

Sources

The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.

Bridal Veil Falls State Monument, Utah State Parks. Checked October 20, 2026.
Springville Museum of Art: Plan Your Visit, Springville Museum of Art. Checked October 20, 2026.
Arrival Information, Provo Missionary Training Center. Checked October 20, 2026.
Provo Missionary Training Center: Tours, Provo Missionary Training Center. Checked October 20, 2026.
Provo Missionary Training Center home, Provo Missionary Training Center. Checked October 20, 2026.
The Provo Temple Will Reopen as the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Newsroom. Checked October 20, 2026.
OSRM driving route estimates from downtown Provo, Project OSRM / OpenStreetMap. Checked October 20, 2026.

JoAnn Giordano

Editor-in-Chief

JoAnn Giordano is the editor-in-chief of Provo.com. Having lived in and around Utah Valley for years, she leads the site's editorial direction with a focus on the comprehensive, honest local coverage that helps residents, students, and newcomers feel at home. When she's not shaping Provo.com's restaurant and neighborhood coverage, she's exploring the valley's trails and tracking down the best new spots on Center Street.

A Weekend in Utah Valley for a Missionary Family: The Days Before the Provo MTC, the Curb, and the Afternoon After