Waterfall Hikes in Utah Valley

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  ·  Ticketed  ·  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 about eight 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.

Donut Falls · Big Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake County

1.4 mi RT from the upper lot; 3.3 mi from the lower  ·  About 240-460 ft by lot  ·  1-2 hrs  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: not allowed

The waterfall that drops through a hole in the rock, famous enough that parking is the hardest part. Wide dirt tracks along the creek, then a slippery finish our guide suggests treating as a viewpoint for young children. Watershed rules: no dogs, no wading in the pool.

What that number describes: From the smaller upper (summer) trailhead, as our Cottonwood family hikes guide publishes it from AllTrails. When that lot is gated the walk starts at the larger lot on the canyon road: 3.3 mi and about 460 ft.

Where sources disagree: Two trailheads, two sets of figures for the same falls: 1.4 mi and 240 ft from the upper lot, 3.3 mi and 460 ft from the lower one.

Season: The upper lot may be gated in winter, which lengthens the walk. The last stretch is wet, slick rock beside the creek.

Battle Creek Falls · Pleasant Grove

~1.4 mi round trip  ·  ~450 ft  ·  45-60 min  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

The most-hiked short waterfall in the county, and the trail more people in this valley have stood at the bottom of than any other. Narrow tread past the halfway point, shared with horses and bikes.

What that number describes: Kiwanis Park trailhead to the falls and back. Going further up the canyon past the falls is a longer and steeper trip.

Where sources disagree: This trail carries two legitimate difficulty ratings and the guide explains why both are right. Filed under moderate here because the sustained grade catches out people who arrive expecting a stroll.

Season: Winter is the version most people never see. Microspikes from roughly November through March.

Stewart Falls · Aspen Grove / Sundance

~3.2-3.8 mi round trip  ·  ~650-780 ft  ·  1.5-2 hrs  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: on leash

The valley's best short waterfall hike, and one of its most heavily used trailheads -- the lot fills on summer Saturdays. Dogs are allowed on leash here, which is not true everywhere on this mountain.

What that number describes: The Aspen Grove trailhead out and back. The Sundance chairlift is an entirely different way in with different numbers.

Where sources disagree: Every source gives a different distance for this hike, and the guide opens by explaining why. The signs at the trailhead are the single most useful thing on that page -- the neighboring path is the twelve-mile Aspen Grove route up Timpanogos, and people start up it by mistake.

Season: Reached via UT-92 past the fee station. The Alpine Loop closes for winter.

Bells Canyon (lower falls) · Lone Peak Wilderness, Sandy, Salt Lake County

About 4.5 mi round trip to the lower falls  ·  Roughly 1,500 ft  ·  2.5-4 hrs  ·  Ticketed  ·  Dogs: not allowed

A canyon into the Lone Peak Wilderness straight off Wasatch Boulevard in Sandy, with a reservoir near the bottom and a waterfall about two and a quarter miles up. Sandy City watershed rules, which the Forest Service says are strictly enforced: no dogs and no fires.

What that number describes: From the trailheads on Wasatch Boulevard to the lower falls and back, as the Bells Canyon entry in our Sandy guide publishes it. The lower reservoir is a short walk from the same start. Our guide gives no difficulty; moderate is read from the published distance and climb.

Season: Our guide publishes no season; editorial estimate, not a live condition.

Big Baldy via Battle Creek · Pleasant Grove

9.9 mi round trip  ·  About 3,520 ft  ·  6.5-7.5 hrs  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

The quiet way up Big Baldy: past the county's most-hiked short waterfall in the first mile, then far fewer people, on a climb AllTrails calls relentlessly uphill. With a ride arranged, up Battle Creek and down Dry Canyon makes a point-to-point day; the two trailheads are about 12 minutes apart by car.

What that number describes: The longer approach from the Battle Creek trailhead at Kiwanis Park, past Battle Creek Falls and up to meet the Dry Canyon trail north of the Big Baldy saddle, as the section 'The Battle Creek approach' in our Big Baldy guide publishes it from AllTrails. SAME SUMMIT as the Big Baldy row, by the other trailhead.

Season: Same seasonal limits as the Dry Canyon route. Our guide relays AllTrails reviewers' reports of overgrown sections and stinging plants above the falls.

Timpanogos Traverse (Timpooneke to Aspen Grove) · Mount Timpanogos Wilderness

14.3 mi point to point over the summit  ·  About 4,370 ft  ·  9-12 hrs  ·  Ticketed  ·  Dogs: on leash

Timpanogos as one crossing instead of an out-and-back: up the gentler Giant Staircase from Timpooneke, down past the Aspen Grove waterfalls. Our guide's point is that it is not shorter than either out-and-back; it is new ground the whole way. Only the car left at Timpooneke needs the weekend timed-entry ticket.

What that number describes: Point to point over the summit, Timpooneke up and Aspen Grove down, as our traverse guide publishes it from AllTrails. Our guide also gives about 11 miles for the crossing via Emerald Lake without the summit, built from a Forest Service and an AllTrails figure, which this row does not sort on. A ONE-WAY TRIP NEEDING TWO CARS; it shares its summit with the Timpooneke, Aspen Grove and Summit Trail rows.

Season: AllTrails lists June through September; the Forest Service warns snow covers the Timpooneke and summit trails until mid-summer. The Alpine Loop closes for winter, which ends the shuttle.

Mount Timpanogos · American Fork Canyon / Aspen Grove

~14-16.7 mi round trip  ·  ~4,400-5,600 ft  ·  8-12 hrs  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: on leash

The valley's defining objective and the one people most often underestimate. Timpooneke is gradual and basin-to-basin and usually busier; Aspen Grove is steeper and passes the waterfalls and Emerald Lake.

What that number describes: Timpooneke from a ~7,360 ft trailhead: ~14-15 miles and ~4,400-4,700 ft. Aspen Grove starts lower at ~6,900 ft and runs ~14-16.7 miles with ~4,900-5,600 ft, steeper, with waterfalls and the lake.

Where sources disagree: Two trailheads, two genuinely different mountains' worth of numbers, and the guide tabulates them side by side rather than averaging them into one misleading figure.

Season: A snow-free window that is shorter than most people assume, and the Alpine Loop closes for winter. Timpooneke parking requires a recreation pass every day, plus a Recreation.gov timed-entry ticket for arrivals between midnight and noon on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, July through October.

Mount Timpanogos via Aspen Grove · Aspen Grove, American Fork Canyon

~14-16.7 mi round trip  ·  ~4,800-5,600 ft  ·  8-12 hrs  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: on leash

The steeper, prettier route: long switchbacks up Primrose Cirque with waterfalls visible for much of the ascent, opening into Hidden Lakes and then Emerald Lake at roughly 10,380 feet. Shares a trailhead lot with Stewart Falls, which makes parking competitive.

What that number describes: The midpoint of the round-trip range our Timpanogos guide publishes for the Aspen Grove route, which the guide identifies as the Mount Timpanogos Trail #052. A midpoint is a sorting device, never a claim. THE SAME SUMMIT as the Timpooneke row, by the steeper trailhead.

Where sources disagree: Our own guide publishes both figures as ranges and names the reasons sources disagree.

How this one sorts: the figure used for ordering is the midpoint of the published range shown above, not a published number in its own right.

Season: Snow covers the trail until mid-summer; the snowfield at Emerald Lake is the recurring hazard. Alpine Loop closes for winter.

White Pine Hollow Trail #111 · Monument Trailhead to Tinney Flat

4.7 mi one way (trail length)  ·  Not published by the land manager  ·  Half day  ·  Ticketed  ·  Dogs: on leash

A descent from the high country to Tinney Flat: a steep drop into a narrow, scenic hollow of conifer and aspen, a growing stream past Sullivan Canyon, then a rugged last mile of stream crossings past layered rock walls and a waterfall visible on the west side. Good drinking water and shade at the campground, per the agency. Hikers and horses only. The Forest Service names no fee for this trailhead and our byway guide could not confirm a byway-wide structure, so the fee is unstated.

What that number describes: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from Privateer Mine Road, about 1.25 miles north of the Monument Trailhead, down to Tinney Flat Campground. The hard label is read from the agency's steep drop and 'fairly rugged' last mile with numerous stream crossings. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

Season: On the Nebo Loop byway, which closes for winter and opens on snowpack rather than a date. Editorial estimate of the season, not a live condition.

Fifth Water Hot Springs · Diamond Fork, Spanish Fork Canyon

~5 mi round trip from Three Forks  ·  ~600 ft (AllTrails)  ·  3-4 hrs  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: on leash

The most popular hot springs near Provo: a canyon walk with several creek crossings, ending at pools that step down a hillside beside a waterfall. The soak itself costs nothing, but the trailhead sits inside a fee area, which is the distinction people miss until they are parked.

What that number describes: The out-and-back from the Three Forks trailhead on Diamond Fork Road (Forest Road 029) to the pools, about 2.5 miles each way. AllTrails' crowd-measured gain is about 600 feet.

Where sources disagree: Our own guide carries both 4.6 miles and 'approximately 4.5' on the same page, the body and an FAQ disagreeing by a tenth of a mile. The filter sorts on 4.6 and the label prints both, because a tenth of a mile is not worth picking a winner over.

Season: Diamond Fork's road is gated seasonally and the closure moves with conditions rather than sitting on a fixed date. There is more than one gate on that road, and a winter attempt is a much longer trip on snow.

Dry Canyon Cutoff Trails #128 and #128A · Hobble Creek Canyon, Springville

5.54 mi one way (#128); #128A is 2.16 mi  ·  Not published by the land manager  ·  Half day  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

Two branches from a signed fork half a mile up the creek bed: #128A climbs through aspen and scrub oak onto a ridge and runs mostly downhill past a pond and a stream with several small waterfalls; #128 follows the streambed farther before dropping to Wardsworth. The Forest Service calls it a popular mountain biking trail.

What that number describes: Forest Service published trail length for #128, measured ONE WAY from the corrals trailhead about four miles past Cherry Campground to Wardsworth Canyon. The agency publishes #128A separately at 2.16 miles; both share the first 1.5 miles. This row sorts on #128. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

Season: Hobble Creek's Right Fork roads above the campgrounds are not maintained for winter travel, per our canyon guide; editorial estimate of the season, not a live condition.

Fifth Water Trail #015 (full trail) · Diamond Fork, Spanish Fork Canyon

9.62 mi one way to Strawberry Ridge (trail length)  ·  Not published by the land manager  ·  Full day  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: on leash

Past the hot springs, the Fifth Water trail keeps going: a jeep road a mile above the pools, Rays Valley Road, then little-used miles past old beaver dams and across the Center Trail to Strawberry Ridge. Starts at the Three Forks Trailhead, a Forest Service day-use fee site. Open to motorized use.

What that number describes: Forest Service published trail length for the whole trail, measured ONE WAY from the Three Forks Trailhead to Strawberry Ridge. The hot springs outing (about 2.5 miles each way) is a separate row, Fifth Water Hot Springs; this row is the full trail beyond it, whose upper 4.5 miles the agency says are used far less. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

Season: The Diamond Fork road is gated seasonally and the closure moves with conditions. Editorial estimate of the season, not a live condition.

Grove Creek Canyon · Pleasant Grove

Not published for this canyon alone  ·  Sustained canyon climb; no figure for this canyon alone  ·  Half day  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

Battle Creek's longer, harder sibling two canyons north: a trail climbing a narrow canyon on a ledge, with a waterfall partway up and a cliff-edge stretch that thrills older kids and unnerves some adults. It connects on top with Battle Creek for a loop locals treat as a half-day.

What that number describes: The ledge trail climbing from the Grove Creek Drive trailhead. Our Battle Creek guide publishes around eight miles and well over two thousand feet for the GROVE CREEK AND BATTLE CREEK LOOP, which is both canyons joined on top, not this one on its own. That figure is why the difficulty here reads hard, and it is deliberately not printed as this row's distance. Fee and leash are read from our Pleasant Grove guide, which records the trailhead as family- and dog-friendly; no posted rule on the upper trail was verified for this row.

Where these figures come from: this guide — the dedicated Grove Creek Canyon page does not publish them.

Season: A valley-floor front-range trailhead like Battle Creek's two canyons south, so it is reachable all year. Our coverage does not describe winter conditions on the ledge section, and a cliff-edge stretch under snow is a different proposition from the same stretch in June.