Provo gets real snow: roughly 43 to 46 inches a year on the valley floor, by the figures in our Provo weather guide, and much more on the mountains directly east of town. The catch is that the valley floor is bad at keeping it. A storm can leave several inches overnight, and one sunny afternoon a few degrees above freezing can take most of it back, while the benches and canyons hold their cover far longer.
That makes a snow day in the city a timing problem more than a destination problem. This is the list for when it has snowed on Provo itself and you are not driving to a resort. For the resorts, the tubing hills and the groomed Nordic trails, see our winter activities guide. For school closures and snow days with kids, see our snow-day guide.
Planning for right now? The Things to Do Today planner takes the hours you have, who is coming, your budget and the live weather, and builds a plan from this list and the rest of our guides.
The first rule: the morning after
Go early. Storms here often follow a thaw, so new snow tends to sit on a glazed layer, and the soft snow of the morning can be an icy run by afternoon. On a sunny day the valley floor will also be losing cover by lunchtime.
Go up. The higher east side of the city, the benches below the mountains, holds snow longer than the neighborhoods near the lake, simply because it is higher.
And read the grass. Our sledding guide is blunt about thin cover: when grass shows through, a sled is hitting frozen ground and whatever the turf hides, and a marginal hill is a hill to leave, not a hill to ride carefully.
Getting around after a storm
Provo publishes its plow order. Arterial and collector roads come first, then secondary and residential streets, with cul-de-sacs and dead ends after major storms once conditions moderate. If your street is still white after the main roads are clear, it is waiting its turn rather than forgotten. Sidewalks are a separate matter: under city code they are the job of the property alongside them, as our snow-removal guide explains.
Plans by how much snow is on the ground
A dusting. Too thin to sled. It is the day for a walk on the Provo River Parkway with snow on the mountains, the free museums on BYU's campus, the library, or the short drive to the mouth of Provo Canyon to watch the river and the snow, which our snow-day guide calls a valley tradition that costs nothing but gas.
Enough to cover the grass. Sledding weather, on the benches and in the morning. Rock Canyon Park and Kiwanis Park are the Provo standards our snow-day guide names. Posted signs govern, and no sign is not the same as permission.
Still coming down. Go inside: the rink, the recreation center's pools, an indoor track, or the Bean Life Science Museum, which is free and open until 9 p.m. on weekdays.
Deep winter, after a cold spell. The trails are for microspikes, and just past the city limit Bridal Veil Falls freezes into ice columns.
Fifteen things to do in Provo in the snow
Every entry below is in the city or at its edge, and each points to our guide for it.
1. Sledding at Rock Canyon Park
The first name on our snow-day guide's list, and on the bench, where snow lasts longer. Morning, helmets, and nobody sleds toward a road. Our sledding guide
2. Sledding at Kiwanis Park
The other Provo standard, a neighborhood park near BYU with mature trees. Posted signs govern. Our parks guide
3. Rock Canyon with microspikes
The canyon's shade keeps snow on the trail, which makes it beautiful and uncrowded in winter and manageable with microspikes. Keep to the trail; snowshoes carry people onto avalanche terrain without announcing it. Our Rock Canyon guide
4. The Y Mountain Trail in winter
Doable with microspikes, but the south-facing slope can be icy and variable. Start early, when conditions are firmest. Our Y Mountain Trail guide
5. A snow walk on the Provo River Parkway
The paved trail along the river, walkable in winter, with the mountains white above it. Our parkway guide
6. Peaks Ice Arena
Indoor ice, whatever the weather is doing: public skating runs on the arena's daily calendar, and admission is $6 plus $4 for skate rental. Our guide
7. Provo Recreation Center
Indoor pools and a day pass of about $6.50 to $7 for an adult, open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Our guide
8. An indoor track
For runners whose routes are buried. Our indoor-tracks guide
9. The Quarry Indoor Climbing Center
Provo's dedicated climbing gym at 2494 North University Parkway, with more than 125 top-rope and lead routes and an upstairs bouldering floor, by the gym's own description. It gets crowded at peak times. Our climbing guide
10. BYU Bowling and Games Center
In the Wilkinson Student Center: 1 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the fall semester, with other hours in winter and summer, so check before you go; closed Sunday. You do not need to be a student. Our bowling guide
11. Bean Life Science Museum
Free, and open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Our guide
12. BYU Museum of Art
Free, and a warm afternoon when the snow is still falling. Closed Sunday. Our guide
13. Provo City Library at Academy Square
Open until 9 p.m. on weekdays, in the restored Brigham Young Academy building. Our guide
14. The drive to the mouth of Provo Canyon
The valley's cheapest snow-day tradition: the river, the snow on the canyon walls, and nothing to buy. Check canyon road conditions before you go. Our Provo Canyon guide
15. Frozen Bridal Veil Falls
Just past the city limit in Provo Canyon, and a deep-winter plan: after a cold spell the falls freeze into ice columns. The paved trail to the viewpoint is the winter route; the dirt path to the base can be icy. Our guide
Related Guides
- Winter Activities in Provo and Utah Valley
- Snow Days in Utah Valley: Schools, Sledding Hills and Plans by Age
- Sledding in Utah Valley: The Runout Is the Whole Problem
- Indoor Things to Do in Provo: Rain, Red Air and Winter
Frequently Asked Questions
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