Our free things to do in Provo page has the city's long list: BYU's museums, Y Mountain, Rock Canyon, the river parkway and downtown. This page is the rest of the county. Everything below is outside Provo city limits, was checked against the organization that runs it in October 2026, and is listed with the hours you need, since several of these keep odd ones. Where something free comes with a fee attached (parking, a trailhead pass, a state park gate), it says so.
The short version: for a rainy day, Springville's art museum and UVU's glass wall. For an after-dinner outing on a weeknight, the Orem Heritage Museum (until 7 p.m.) or Springville on a Monday or Wednesday night. For outdoors, Battle Creek Falls and the Murdock Canal Trail. On a Sunday, it is trails, parks and the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork.
The list, north to south
1. Murdock Canal Trail
The paved trail on top of the old Murdock canal, which water districts enclosed in a 21-mile pipeline running from the mouth of Provo Canyon to the Point of the Mountain; KUER reported the project's completion in April 2013, with the trail above it set to open that May. Because it follows the canal along the bench between Provo Canyon and the Point of the Mountain, it is a long, car-free walk or ride that passes through the north county's cities. Cost: free. When: year-round. Trailheads, mileposts and where to park are in our Murdock Canal Trail guide.
2. Utah Lake Shoreline Trail segments
The Utah Lake Commission is working toward a continuous trail around the lake, proposed at 98.2 miles and linking 14 cities. About 17.7 miles are built so far, in segments in Saratoga Springs, Lehi, Vineyard, Orem and Provo. The Vineyard and Orem pieces put you on flat lakeshore with the whole Wasatch in front of you at sunset. Cost: free. When: year-round; summer algal blooms affect the water, not the trail. For conditions on the lake itself, see Utah Lake's algal-bloom season, explained.
3. Battle Creek Falls
The Forest Service's Battle Creek Trail climbs from Pleasant Grove up the west face of Mount Timpanogos, past a popular waterfall and smaller cascades. The trail is 2.4 miles long, with the Curly Springs Trail junction at 1.3 miles; most families stop at the falls. The Forest Service warns that the tread above and below the falls is exposed and narrow, and that the trail is heavily used. Cost: the Forest Service trail page lists no fee. When: best spring through fall. Full trail notes are in our Battle Creek Falls hike guide.
4. Roots of Knowledge at Utah Valley University
A stained-glass wall in the Bingham Gallery on the first floor of UVU's Fulton Library in Orem: 154 feet long, 80 windows and more than 40,000 pieces of glass, which UVU describes as Holdman Studios' interpretation of literature and the arts. Cost: admission is free; parking is not, unless you time it. UVU lists paid visitor parking west of the library and in the garage southeast of it, payable through the Passport app, and says permits are not required in employee or student stalls on weekdays after 5 p.m. When: docents are on hand Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., except campus closures and special events. Free public tours run Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2 p.m., and on the last Wednesday of the month a themed tour adds free popcorn. UVU's own tip: come at least an hour before sunset.
5. Orem Heritage Museum
A local-history museum at the SCERA Center, 777 South State Street in Orem; SCERA bills it as offering free tours. Its Google listing shows hours of 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed weekends, which makes it one of the few free museums in the county you can visit after work. Cost: free tours. When: weekday afternoons and early evenings. More Orem in things to do in Orem.
6. All-Together Playground
Utah County's first all-abilities playground, which Orem says more than 4,100 volunteers built in six and a half days in fall 2016, supervised by professionals from Leathers and Associates. The restrooms were built for wheelchairs and include adult-size changing tables. Getting there: the playground's listing puts it at 200 East 100 North in Orem. Cost: free. When: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on its Google listing. The full story is on our All-Together Playground page.
7. Orem Summer Concert Series
Orem calls it "completely FREE": live music on Wednesday nights alongside the Orem Farmers Market. The 2026 series ran from July 1 to August 19, with every concert at 7 p.m. Cost: free. When: Wednesday nights in July and August; watch Orem's concert page in spring for the next lineup. Other cities run their own series, collected in free summer concerts in Utah County.
8. Temple grounds across the valley
Utah County's temples run from Saratoga Springs and Lehi in the north and west to Payson and Spanish Fork in the south, and walking the grounds is a common family evening outing. Which grounds are open, which temples are closed for construction, and what to expect are in our temple grounds guide. Cost: free.
9. Springville Museum of Art
Springville's art museum, at 126 East 400 South. "Admission is Free, Donations are Appreciated," the museum says. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday until 8 p.m., and Monday night 6 to 8 p.m.; closed Sundays and holidays. Free parking is in the lot directly east of the building, with more on 100 East west of the museum. The entrance is on the east side, and the building is fully accessible, with an elevator to the upper and lower levels. Getting there: from I-15 southbound, exit 260, then east about 2 miles on 400 South. The Monday-night hours make it a family home evening option; see free library and museum nights for FHE.
10. Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple, Spanish Fork
The Krishna temple at 311 West 8500 South in Spanish Fork lists hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, which makes it one of the few places on this list open on Sunday. When: daily. The history, the grounds and what visitors should know are on our Krishna temple page.
11. Salem Pond
A pond park in Salem at 259 West Salem Lake Drive. Its Google listing shows it open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Cost: free to visit; fishing requires a Utah fishing license. When: year-round.
12. Peteetneet Museum
Payson's museum, in the Peteetneet Academy building at 10 North 600 East, tells the town's story room by room, including a Freedom Room of patriotic artifacts such as a three-foot carved American eagle. When: Payson City lists public tours Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; call 801-465-9427 to arrange a tour outside those hours. The city's page lists no admission charge. More of Payson in things to do in Payson.
When "free" is not quite free
The most common surprise in Utah County is not an admission fee. It is a gate, a parking meter or a trailhead pass.
- Forest Service trailheads. Many canyon trailheads and day-use sites in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest are fee sites. The forest sells a $10 pass for three consecutive days, $20 for seven and $60 for twelve months, and honors America the Beautiful passes. The Three Forks trailhead in Diamond Fork, the start of the Fifth Water Hot Springs hike, is one of them; the Forest Service asks that the pass be displayed while parked. Our hot springs near Provo page covers that hike, and the American Fork Canyon guide covers that canyon's fees and Timpanogos Cave tickets.
- Utah Lake State Park. The lake is free to look at; the park is not. It lists $20 per vehicle from April through October and $10 from November through March. The free shores are elsewhere: see Sandy Beach and Utah Lake's quiet shores and Lincoln Beach.
- Campus parking. UVU charges for visitor parking during the day. Time Roots of Knowledge for a weekday evening after 5 p.m., when UVU says permits are not needed in employee and student stalls.
- Fishing. Every pond and lake on this list is free to walk around and requires a license to fish.
Free, by the day you have
| Day | Indoors | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|
| Monday evening | Springville Museum of Art (6 to 8 p.m.), Orem Heritage Museum (to 7 p.m.) | Murdock Canal, All-Together Playground |
| Tuesday to Friday | All four museums | Battle Creek, the shoreline trail |
| Saturday | Springville (10 to 5), Roots of Knowledge (11 to 5), Peteetneet (10 to 1) | Everything outdoors |
| Sunday | The Krishna temple (10 to 8) | Trails, parks, temple grounds |
For free things that come from your city rather than an attraction (trees, compost, cleanups, water rebates), see the free things your city gives you. For museum free days and library passes elsewhere on the Wasatch Front, see free museum and attraction days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best free museums in Utah County outside Provo?
Is the Springville Museum of Art free?
Is Roots of Knowledge at UVU free?
What free things are open on Sunday in Utah Valley?
Do I have to pay to hike in the canyons around Utah Valley?
Is Utah Lake free?
Are there free summer concerts in Utah County?
How is this page different from the free things to do in Provo page?
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.
- Payson City: Peteetneet, Payson City. Checked October 20, 2026.
- All-Together Playground, City of Orem. Checked October 20, 2026.
- 98.2 mile Utah Lake Shoreline Trail, Utah Lake Commission. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Battle Creek Trail #050, USDA Forest Service. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Orem Summer Concert Series, City of Orem. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest: Passes, USDA Forest Service. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Three Forks Trailhead, USDA Forest Service. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park: Park Fees, Utah State Parks. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Springville Museum of Art: Plan Your Visit, Springville Museum of Art. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Roots of Knowledge: Visit the Gallery, Utah Valley University. Checked October 20, 2026.
- About Roots of Knowledge, Utah Valley University. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Orem Heritage Museum | Free Tours, SCERA Center for the Arts. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Radha Krishna Temple in Utah (Spanish Fork temple hours), Radha Krishna Temple. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Provo Reservoir Canal Enclosure and Trail Completed (April 5, 2013), KUER. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Google Places listings (addresses, hours), Google. Checked October 20, 2026.
