Provo River Falls

On a recent trip up the Mirror Lake Highway we stopped at the Provo River Falls of the Upper Provo River. You can see the main portion by stopping at the parking lot (between mile marker 23 and 24) and taking the short walk down to the overlook. The falls are really nice. It reminded us of Yellowstone.

The Provo River is divided into 3 sections. The Upper Provo collects in the Uintah Mountains and runs from there down to Jordanelle Reservoir. The Middle Provo River stretches from Jordanelle down to Deer Creek Reservoir. The Lower Provo is the most well known and runs from Deer Creek down into Utah Lake. This waterfall is part of the Upper Provo River.

Provo River Falls has 3 different sections. The overlook is a short walk from the car, but there are stairs to get to the edge of the wall. This first section of the Provo River Falls is beautiful, and great for photos.

The other 2 sections of falls are less than 100 yards down river from the first. The path walks along the river, and was once paved, but is not well maintained. Walk to your left along the river and you’ll see the lower falls come into view. Keep a close hand on little ones as the fall into the river would be a doozy. Many people like to scramble down to the water to wade in and cool off.

The best picture opportunity is at the first section on the overlook. There is a nice retaining wall to keep kids back, too. The middle section has a nice photo opportunity as well if you are willing to edge out on the rocks. To get any kind of picture of the lowest section, you have to climb goat-style down the rocks into the center of the river. You can see the kids standing to the right in the photo.

If you travel along the Mirror Lake Highway, make sure to stop at the Provo River Falls. You can check out other things to do along the Mirror Lake Highway here.