Red Ledges Picnic Area

Who knew there were Red Rocks and an Arch in Utah County? We sure didn’t, but we heard about Red Ledges Picnic Area just east of Spanish Fork and went to check it out.

When you pull into the picnic area, you will feel like you stepped into Arches or Southern Utah. The rocks are red and there is sandy dirt all over. Because of this, there is not a lot of shade, so bring a hat and wear sunscreen. The picnic area has picnic tables, and a pit toilet, but you aren’t visiting for just a picnic.

After you eat your lunch, take time to explore the area. If you walk north from the pit toilet, you will see Diamond Fork Arch. This arch is thin, but tall. We were so excited to see an arch right here in Utah County.

There is a main trail heading west that walks deeper into the picnic area from the parking lot. If you follow this trail, you will walk up onto some slick rock and can explore around and take other trails back down, or further up.

We also walked behind the pit toilet and climbed up the rocks. There is a narrow opening that my boys climbed into, even though I was terrified they would get stuck. Our kids had so much fun exploring all over the rocks.

We walked less than a mile around the picnic area. If you just want to see the arch, it’s very close to the parking lot so you’ll only have to walk about 50 yards on a flat trail to view it. You can spend as much time or as little exploring the Red Ledges Picnic Area, and be as daring or reserved as you want.

The one concern we had about this adventure is that there are drop offs and it involves climbing. We were constantly reminding our boys to stay away from the edge and be careful. So make sure you assess where you children stand on listening and how adept they are at climbing before you go.

Directions

To find the Red Ledges Picnic Area, take US- 6 east through Spanish Fork and into the canyon for 10.5 miles. Then turn left at the sign that says Diamond Fork. Once you are on this road, follow for about 6 miles until you see the Red Ledges Picnic Area on the left.