North Park is small, four and a half acres, but it may be the most historic ground in Provo. After flooding drove the settlers out of Fort Utah on the river bottoms, they rebuilt here in 1850, and the town grew outward from this block.
At a glance
- Address: 500 N 500 W, Provo (map)
- Size: 4.4 acres
- Parking: 25 spaces
- Pavilion: first come (power, lights)
- Restrooms: seasonal
What's here
Play
- Playground
Picnics
- Barbecue grills
- Pavilion
Facilities
- Restrooms
- Drinking fountain
- Dog waste station
The fort, the field and the village
A 1941 monument in the park marks the second fort, built just east of it in April 1850. A newer marker remembers Craghead Field, the youth ballpark that once filled this ground: named for Jack Craghead, the plumber who coached and ran its leagues, it hosted the Western Boys Baseball Association's Little League World Series in 1961 and stayed in use until Provo opened a youth baseball fourplex at Fort Utah Park in 1994.
At the park's edge on 500 West, the Sons of Utah Pioneers run the Provo Pioneer Village, which began in 1931 when David Loveless gave them the John Turner cabin, its outbuildings and his collection of pioneer tools; the city supplied the land. The Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum sits beside it. Both are free, and both keep short hours, so check the city's page before you go.
Using the park
The park has a playground, grills, restrooms and a first-come pavilion; the city does not take reservations here. Provo's Pioneer Day celebration comes here in July. The Provo Recreation Center next door stands on the site of the city's old baseball park, where Provo and the Works Progress Administration opened a community ice rink in the late 1930s.
On Provo.com
- North Park neighborhood
- Pioneer Day, explained: what July 24 means and how Provo marks it
- A short history of Provo: from Fort Utah to the city
- The Provo Recreation Center guide
Parks nearby
Sources: Provo City park data, 2026-09-30; HMDB: Craghead Field; HMDB: Provo's Mormon Pioneers; HMDB: George A. Smith Provo Pioneer Village; Provo City: Pioneer Museum and Village; Wikipedia: Fort Utah. Hours and rules: the parks hub.