Upper Falls in Provo Canyon

Upper Falls in Provo Canyon

What if I told you that we found a .6 mile roundtrip hike that ended in a 40 foot waterfall just a few miles up Provo Canyon? And the hike has full shade in the evening and there was not another soul along the way. Would you be interested? Well, Upper Falls is that hike.

Upper Falls is just a little farther up Provo Canyon from Bridal Veil Falls. The hike is steep and rocky, but very short. We held the hands of our 5 and under crowd on the way down, and they made it just fine.

The trail is very steep and rocky the entire way.

One thing we like about Provo Canyon is all the birds. This hike started out with us spotting some yellow warblers right in the parking lot. We also saw an American Dipper in the river and several robins. We even spotted a small snake on the path. We were glad we stopped to see him, because there were some pretty cool fossils in the rocks strewn along the trail.

The snake was fun to watch.

We saw fossils in a few rocks along the trail.

When you reach the falls, you can climb right up to the bottom (it would take ropes to climb above them). We stood in the freezing spray for awhile and took a bunch of pictures. There was no one else to contend with for pictures which is why we loved this hike.

The upside of this hike is that it is short, rewarding, and nearby. The drawback is that the trail is steep and rocky. Anyone in good health should be fine-- just hang on to little one's hands!

The hike was shady in the evening.

We loved that we were all alone on the trail and
that we could climb right up by the waterfall.

To access Upper Falls, head up Provo Canyon and take the turnoff to Nunn's Park and Bridal Veil Falls. Go straight past the first parking lot and continue up the road for a mile or two to Upper Falls Park. There is a parking lot with restrooms and a mildly frightening bridge across the river. Hike up the short scramble to the paved Provo River Trail. You'll see some old cement buildings. Go behind the buildings on the right, and take the trail directly behind them that heads straight up the hillside. The trail branches once to the left, but keep climbing straight up. You'll come to the waterfall in about 15 or 20 minutes.

This trail could use a little litter pickup. We wished we'd taken a bag like we sometimes do. If your inclined, pack a bag up and pick up garbage on the way down.

You cross the Provo River at the start of the hike. 

Watch for these buildings...the trail is behind them.

We climbed right up to the waterfall.
Our boys had to toss a few rocks in, of course.