Year-Round 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.

Jordan River Parkway (Utah County section) · Saratoga Springs to Lehi

~10 mi in Utah County, walk any part  ·  Flat, paved  ·  Any  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

The third paved spine, and the one that turns a local network into a regional one: from the Murdock Trail's north end you can join it and keep going into Salt Lake County. Quieter than the other two, past wetlands and new subdivisions with a long view back to Timpanogos.

What that number describes: The Utah County portion only. Our paved-trails guide describes it as roughly the first ten miles, from Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs through Lehi and Thanksgiving Point. The whole trail runs well over forty miles to Davis County, which is a different number describing a different walk.

Season: Low, open and paved, with no canyon gate to close behind you.

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: Utah Lake State Park to Vivian Park in Provo Canyon, which Provo City's biking page and the Jordan River Commission both put at about 15 miles. Provo's trails page gives 30 miles for the whole parkway system, so the figure depends on what is counted. Nobody walks all of it in one go; the number is there so the trail sorts with the long flat routes.

Where sources disagree: Provo City publishes both figures: about 15 miles from Utah Lake to Vivian Park on its biking page, and 30 miles for the whole parkway on its trails page.

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.

Salem Pond · Salem

Short paved loop; no distance published  ·  Flat, paved  ·  30-45 min  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

A paved loop around the pond in the middle of Salem, with a fishing dock, a swim area and the city's park facilities on its edge. Our paved-trails guide calls it the south county's most pleasant short walk. Salem was originally Pond Town and the pond is still the middle of everything.

What that number describes: The paved walking loop around the pond. Two of our guides describe it, the paved-trails guide and the south-valley guide, and neither publishes a distance, so this row carries none.

Season: Valley floor in the middle of town, so nothing closes behind you.

Ensign Peak · The Avenues, Salt Lake City

1 mi round trip  ·  About 390 ft  ·  About 40 min  ·  Ticketed  ·  Dogs: on leash

A steep, short climb on an exposed hillside to the 1934 monument where Brigham Young and eight companions looked over the valley on July 26, 1847, about seven minutes from Temple Square. Views over the whole Salt Lake Valley and the Great Salt Lake. Parking is on the street; our guide names no fee.

What that number describes: From Ensign Peak Nature Park, 1002 Ensign Vista Drive, to the summit monument and back, as our Ensign Peak guide publishes it from AllTrails. The same section lists a 1.7-mile loop and a 6-mile route via Hell Canyon.

Season: AllTrails lists it as open year-round. Exposed and hot at summer midday; the steep section can ice after winter storms.

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.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail: Y Mountain to Rock Canyon · The bench above east Provo

5.1 mi out and back (about 2.5 mi one way)  ·  About 650 ft  ·  2-2.5 hrs  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

The gentle walk between Provo's two busiest trailheads: across the old Lake Bonneville bench above BYU instead of up, with the Y climb's views for a fraction of the effort. About 1.4 miles apart by street, so it loops back through the neighborhoods without a second car. Past the gate north of Rock Canyon the route crosses private land open at the owners' discretion.

What that number describes: The Bonneville Shoreline Trail segment between the Y Mountain and Rock Canyon trailheads, out and back, as the section 'The Y-to-Rock-Canyon traverse' in our Big Baldy guide publishes it from AllTrails. Includes a short stretch past Rock Canyon to the gate where the official trail ends. Our BST Utah County guide prints the same route at 5.1 mi and 652 ft with AllTrails' moderate rating. This is ONE SEGMENT of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail row, carried separately because it has its own heading and figures.

Season: Low on the open bench, so it sheds snow sooner than the canyons; shaded spots can stay icy after a storm.

Pipeline Trail (Millcreek Canyon) · Millcreek Canyon, Salt Lake County

4.0 mi RT, Rattlesnake Gulch to the overlook  ·  About 670 ft (Burch Hollow section: about 100 ft)  ·  2-3 hrs  ·  Forest Service fee area  ·  Dogs: rules vary by segment

A nearly level trail above the lower Millcreek Canyon road, on an old pipeline grade, which is why its long middle section rates easy. Millcreek's own canyon pass applies and other passes are not valid there; dogs follow the canyon's odd-and-even-date leash rule.

What that number describes: Rattlesnake Gulch to the Pipeline overlook and back, as our Millcreek front guide publishes it from AllTrails, rated moderate because of the climb up the gulch. The same section lists Burch Hollow to Church Fork at 3.1 mi round trip with about 100 ft, rated easy and kid-friendly; this row sorts on the Rattlesnake Gulch route.

Season: Our guide calls it the outing that still works on a late-fall afternoon when the summits are icy. Millcreek's upper road rebuild runs into 2027; confirm access.

The Living Room Lookout · Salt Lake City foothills

2.4 mi round trip  ·  About 990 ft  ·  1.5-2 hrs  ·  Ticketed  ·  Dogs: on leash

A climb in the Red Butte foothills to a viewpoint where hikers have arranged flat sandstone slabs into chairs and couches. The steepest per mile of our three Salt Lake foothill walks, with rutted, rocky footing and confusing side trails near the start. Better for teens and adults than small children.

What that number describes: From the trailhead Google Maps lists at 383 Colorow Road to the lookout and back, as our Salt Lake foothill walks guide publishes it from AllTrails. A 2.9-mile loop variant adds a little.

Season: Nearly treeless; early morning or evening. Our guide publishes no closure season.

Y Mountain Trail · Provo

~2.2-2.4 mi round trip  ·  ~1,100 ft  ·  1.5-2 hrs  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

The short, steep, relentless climb to the letter above campus -- 1,100 feet in about a mile. The small trailhead lot fills fast. Portable restroom at the trailhead, no water.

What that number describes: The trailhead at the end of E 820 N up to the Y and back. Continuing past the Y toward the ridge is a longer trip.

Where sources disagree: About 1.1 miles each way, but published round trips run 2.2 to 2.4 miles depending on whether the measurement stops at the base or the top of the Y.

Season: Exposed and hot in summer; go at sunrise. Usable in winter with traction.

Rock Canyon Trail · Provo

~5.7 mi round trip to the upper basin  ·  ~1,400-1,700 ft to the upper basin  ·  30 min to a half day  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: rules vary by segment

Provo's best canyon hike and its most flexible one -- a limestone gorge that narrows and earns its name half a mile in, with the crowds stopping well before the mid-canyon. Restroom and drinking fountain at the trailhead. Also the county's best-known climbing.

What that number describes: Trailhead at the end of N Temple Dr to the upper basin and back. The canyon works equally well as a thirty-minute walk to the narrows, which is what most visitors actually do.

Where sources disagree: The distance depends entirely on the segment, and the guide answers that honestly rather than picking one figure. Difficulty changes as you walk, and so do the rules -- leash law in the city park, Forest Service rules above it.

Season: Year-round. The trailhead was rebuilt and expanded in 2024. A Forest Service order bans camping and campfires in the canyon through June 2031.

Slate Canyon · South Provo

3.7 mi one way (7.4 mi out and back)  ·  ~3,300 ft for the full canyon  ·  Half day  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: on leash

The quiet one, mostly because it does not lead anywhere obvious -- no waterfall, no lake, no summit at a reasonable distance. A steady climb up an old road bed through oak, then pine, then aspen and meadow. Carries reliable springs, which is unusual on this side of the valley.

What that number describes: Slate Canyon Trail #061 out and back: the Forest Service describes it heading east for 2.7 miles then climbing north for another mile to meet Slide Canyon Trail #062.

Where sources disagree: Quoted at 3.7, 7.5, 7.7 and 9 miles depending on which endpoint and which direction is being measured. The dedicated guide covers all four figures and where each comes from.

Season: Starts from the valley floor, so it is reachable when the canyon roads are closed -- which is exactly why south-side locals use it for conditioning.

Grandeur Peak west face · Wasatch Boulevard, Salt Lake County

4.6 mi round trip  ·  About 3,310 ft  ·  3-5 hrs  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: rules vary by segment

The short, brutal way up Grandeur: more gain than the Church Fork route in less distance, with little shade. It starts outside Millcreek Canyon, so no canyon fee, but Cascade Way is resident permit parking only. The Pipeline Trail makes a flatter way down. Our guide states no dog rule for this trailhead.

What that number describes: From the Parleys Crossing area near 2900 South Wasatch Boulevard to the summit and back, as the section 'The west face' in our Millcreek front guide publishes it from AllTrails. SAME SUMMIT as the Church Fork row, by the shorter, steeper route.

Season: AllTrails lists it as open year-round and it is popular for snowshoeing; poles and traction earn their weight on the steep, gravelly footing.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail · The bench above Provo & Orem

Varies -- pick a segment  ·  Varies by segment  ·  1-3 hrs  ·  No fee  ·  Dogs: rules vary by segment

The best view-to-effort ratio in Utah Valley, on a bench that is a literal ancient beach. No shade to speak of -- plan around the sun, not around the distance. Land management changes underneath you as you walk.

Where sources disagree: It is not one trail. It is a set of fragments on the ancient lake bench, which is why published stats for it contradict each other. No single distance or gain is given here because none would be true; the guide covers the segments individually.

Season: Effectively year-round on the bench, which is unusual here. Mud in spring thaw, and there is a winter wildlife-area caveat on one section.

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.