Bridal Veil Falls

Because of all the rain we have gotten this year, I haven’t been able to get out and do much hiking yet. I also have a really hard time finding someone to go hiking with because I am a fast hiker and very few of my friends like to go hiking. I finally found a friend and a sunny day this past weekend though! I decided to let my friend choose the hike and they chose Bridal Veil Falls.

Location: Provo Canyon

Directions: Drive up Provo Canyon. Once you pass Nunn’s park (on the left side of the road) take the next right turn onto Provo River Parkway.

Length (round trip): about ¾ to 1 mile

Difficulty: Easy, great for those looking for a quick hike, great for kids.

Steepness: This hike is pretty steep, but if you stay on the actual trail, the switchbacks are pretty bearable and it doesn’t ascend too quickly or terribly.

Low Points: Many people try to hike up the falls by going up the rocky runoff area. Doing this is lots more work than it’s worth. The actual trail is just left (east) of the falls. As you head in that direction you will see some boulders by the walking path and a distinct trail cut through the shrubbery. If you follow this trail hike shouldn’t be too difficult.

- I thought the very bottom of the falls would be a fun place to take young kids to wade in the river, but I was wrong. The pool of water at the bottom is full of nasty green moss. If you walk farther up the falls where there are more rocks, it is a lot cleaner up there.

- The trail only takes you to the bottom falls. From what I could tell, there was no official trail up to the upper falls.

Highlights: The waterfall at the top was beautiful and the mist was so refreshing after a hot hike in the sun. Because it is so short, you can enjoy playing in the water without worrying about a long hike back afterward.

- Because there is no trail up to the upper falls, I think it’ll be fun to try to blaze my own trail and try to find a way up there someday.

Our Adventure:

My husband and I decided we wanted to get out and spend some time in the mountains during the fourth of July weekend. We both love to hike, but somehow haven’t ever been hiking together! Well we decided that bridal veil falls would be a good hike because it’s shorter and we could get out of the sweltering heat sooner.

Many people like to just hike up the runoff of the waterfall on all of the rocks. We decided to take the short side trail, and trust me. It was definitely easier than taking the rocks. (I’ve hiked down the rock face before.)

The mist at the top of the falls combined with the shade from the steep mountain cliff that the falls run off of was so wonderful in the July heat. We took our socks off and walked through the water a bit. It was super cold! We enjoyed this hike so much!

History: Bridal Veil Falls is a must see sight in Utah County. I will start by sharing the little personal history I know about it.

Years back when my parents were growing up in the 80’s and 90’s there was a restaurant at the very top of the falls above the upper falls. Apparently there was a tram you could ride up to the top. There was an avalanche one time and it caused some damage to the building. After that no insurance company wanted to insure the building so it closed. The building and tram have been torn down and I don’t see any evidence of them at Bridal Veil Falls. My grandma is a painter and painted a lovely picture of the upper falls for my birthday one year. I love this painting so much!

Now for some official history. If you don’t want to take the time to read these articles, you have to look at them just to see some really cool pictures!

Here is a website that talks about the Native American legend behind Bridal Veil Falls. https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/212

Here’s an interesting news article from 2008 I found about the building and why it closed. https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/author-hopes-to-rebuild-bridal-veil-tram-by-selling-books/article_7815be70-1bbc-51a3-a226-5ddee07e428b.html

Here’s an article from 2017 about tearing down the remaining restaurant structure. https://www.deseret.com/2017/4/13/20610366/bridal-veil-falls-area-temporarily-closed-as-old-tram-restaurant-removed-from-cliff#the-remains-of-an-old-tram-system-at-bridal-veil-falls-are-seen-in-provo-canyon-on-thursday-april-13-2017-recreation-in-the-area-will-be-closed-for-eight-weeks-to-allow-for-the-demolition-of-the-structures-at-the-top-and-bottom-of-the-waterfall

Okay, last link. This is an old postcard I found showing the Bridal Veil Falls restaurant. Man do I wish I could buy a copy of this card! https://www.cardcow.com/138346/provo-utah-sky-ride-bridal-veil-falls/

Mist coming off of the Lower Falls.

No matter who you are and how much you like or dislike hiking, I would highly recommend hiking to Bridal Veil Falls. If you do enjoy hiking I recommend hiking to Bridal Veil Falls and Lost Creek Falls on the same trip because of how short the Bridal Veil hike is. From Lost Creek Falls there is a cool view of Bridal Veil Falls from a distance. You can read more about hiking Lost Creek Falls by clicking on this link!

Can you see the small waterfall in the middle? Also I love the curvy folds in the rock layers that you can see. Utah geography is so cool!