Easy Hikes Near Provo

Bridal Veil Falls · Provo Canyon

~0.5 mi round trip  ·  Essentially flat  ·  15-30 min  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

A 607-foot two-tier waterfall reachable on flat pavement, which is why it is the most-visited natural feature in the county. Access has been free and staying free was an explicit argument for making it a state monument rather than a state park.

What that number describes: The paved Provo River Parkway walk from the falls-side parking area to the viewing area at the base. The steep dirt scramble above the pool is a different, harder proposition and is not what these numbers describe.

Season: The falls freeze into columns in a cold winter; Provo Canyon holds the highest concentration of ice climbing in the Salt Lake and Utah County area.

Grotto Falls · Payson Canyon

~0.5-0.7 mi round trip  ·  Minimal  ·  30-45 min  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: rules vary by segment

The shortest real payoff in Utah County -- a waterfall dropping through a cobbled alcove, with stream crossings on plank bridges that small children treat as the point of the outing. There are two trails at the pullout and people start up the wrong one.

What that number describes: Summer access, driving to the trailhead roughly seven miles up Payson Canyon. The winter version is a different hike entirely -- see the note.

Where sources disagree: When the Nebo Loop gate closes for the season you park at the gate and walk the road in, commonly reported at around 1.3 miles each way, turning a half-mile stroll into roughly a 3.5-mile outing with real elevation added. The closure is snow-dependent at both ends and the dates move year to year.

Season: Nebo Loop closes for winter. The Pole Creek Fire in 2018 burned a large area on this side of the loop and standing dead timber is still visible.

Cascade Springs · American Fork Canyon

~0.7 mi of boardwalk loops  ·  Minimal  ·  20-45 min  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: rules vary by segment

Spring water surfacing through terraced pools, on boardwalk the whole way. The easiest genuinely scenic outing in the county for anyone who cannot manage uneven ground.

What that number describes: The interconnected boardwalk loops at the springs themselves, not the 6.5-mile drive in from the Alpine Loop turnoff.

Season: Reached via the Alpine Loop, which closes for winter. Sits around 6,300 ft, so it runs cooler than the valley floor.

Silver Lake Flat Reservoir · American Fork Canyon

~1 mi loop around the water  ·  Essentially none  ·  45-60 min  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: on leash

A drive-to reservoir with a flat loop around it, good for a stroller-aged family or a paddleboard. Moose are common in the surrounding meadows.

What that number describes: The flat walking loop around the drive-to reservoir. This is NOT Silver Lake, the alpine lake above it, which is a separate and much harder entry in this directory.

Where sources disagree: Four different lakes share versions of this name: Silver Lake Flat Reservoir (drive-to), Silver Lake (alpine, above it), Silver Glance Lake (higher again), and an unrelated Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon an hour north, which is what most search results are actually about.

Season: Alpine Loop access closes for winter. The Forest Service lists 4x4 as recommended for the washboarded dirt road in.

Provo River Parkway · Provo Canyon & Orem

Up to ~15 mi, walk any part  ·  Flat  ·  1-4 hrs  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

The paved spine of the valley's trail network, running from Utah Lake up through Provo Canyon. It is the reason Bridal Veil Falls can be reached by bike without a car.

What that number describes: The full paved parkway end to end. Nobody walks all of it in one go; the number is there so the trail sorts with the long flat routes rather than the short ones.

Season: Plowed and usable in winter on the lower sections.

Murdock Canal Trail · Orem to Lehi

~17 mi, walk any part  ·  Flat, paved  ·  Any  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

A paved trail on top of a buried aqueduct, running the length of the north valley with no climbing at all. The default long, flat, wheels-friendly route in Utah County.

What that number describes: The Mountainland Association of Governments description: 17 miles from 800 North in Orem to Timpanogos Highway in Lehi.

Where sources disagree: Published as 17, 18, 18.3, 20 and 20.8 miles by sources of comparable authority. The disagreement has a cause: the buried Provo River Aqueduct runs roughly 21 miles to the Point of the Mountain, and the trail sits on top of it for about 17 and stops in Lehi.

Season: Paved and flat the whole way.