Bicentennial Park in Provo is a beautiful hidden gem. It is only about 5 minutes from the 1-15, but you feel like you are tucked away in the mountains. We spent a full morning exploring this park before we got rained out. And my 3-year old didn’t want to leave even though it was raining! That makes this park a definite winner.
Bicentennial Park has a fun playground. There were some unique things to climb and explore, so it’s perfect for big and small children! Our youngest couldn’t climb on everything, and the sign specifies that the climbing structures are for ages 5-12, but he was able to climb on a lot of things. There were slides, an easy rock climbing wall, and two steering wheels. He was very excited about that. Since it was a school morning, there was no one else there, so we had the playground to ourselves.
Once you are done with the playground, there are some other aspects of Bicentennial Park that you will want to explore. First of all, there is a huge grassy field with lots of shade. We loved how many trees there were at this park, and it would be a great place to have a picnic. There is also a pavilion with tables if you wanted to sit or eat there. There is a Frisbee golf course around the grass, so bring along Frisbees to play frolf.
There is a duck pond with a bridge and there were a few ducks when we visited. We also spotted some fish in the pond and my son has to “fish” with a stick anytime we are near water. He loved that we could spot the orange fish in the water and also that if we sat really still near the edge of the pond, the ducks came very close, too. There is no sort of barricade around the water, so watch your little ones as they could easily fall right in.
We had a lot of fun exploring the boardwalk trail behind the pond. Just behind the big tree mentioned above, look for some garbage cans. These cans mark each end of the boardwalk trail. We started on the right side and the trail begins in a wetlands area. We saw a few more ducks and tiny fish, and really wanted to see a frog, but we didn’t. Later, we spotted frogs in the first pond area. There are some signs explaining about plants and animals that live in wetlands, and also some benches along this boardwalk. You could easily push a stroller around this walk, but you would have to push it over the grass to get here.
There is a little loop that walks through the wetlands area, and then you enter a forest environment. There were lots of trees and tons of shade, and towards the end of the trail you come to a natural spring. This spring is what feeds the wetlands area, and the family that owned this property built this barricade to hold the water, but it still drips. We found it fascinating to see the natural spring right there. Shortly after the spring, you will return to the grassy park. The trail was only about 1/4 mile long.
There is also a dog park at Bicentennial Park in Provo. It has a fenced area, and we saw several people coming and going at the dog park. They let their dogs run around, or played with them. We also saw a few people walk their dogs on leashes around the boardwalk. So if you have a dog, this would be a great park to visit.
We loved Bicentennial Park. My little boy kept saying, “We have to bring Dad and my brothers back here.” This would be a great park for the Summer when it’s hot because of all the shade, but we loved going in the Spring, too. It’s beautiful since it sits right next to the mountains, and it has plenty of fun places to explore. Put this one on your list to enjoy! Check out our list of other great parks in Utah County.
Location: Bicentennial Park is located at 1660 E 1440 S, Provo, UT. For pavilion reservations, visit Provo City’s website.
