Timpanogos Falls

We love waterfall hikes, so today we took the boys on a brand new adventure to Timpanogos Falls. These falls are best to see in the Spring when the water is really coming down off the mountains, and in early May, the falls were gorgeous. There are actually two waterfalls here: Upper and Lower Falls. We will give you all the info you need to hike to one, or both, of Timpanogos Falls.

The trail to these falls lies along the Mount Timpanogos Trail that begins at Aspen Grove. That means that if you’ve ever hiked Timp, from the Provo side, you’ve passed right by these waterfalls, which are just trickles in September.

To access this trail, drive up Provo Canyon to the Sundance junction. Turn left toward American Fork Canyon and drive to the gate. It costs $6 to go past the gate, so some people prefer to park before the gate and walk in, but we feel like $6 is well spent on our National Forests. There are two trailheads at the parking lot for Timp. The one on the left is Stewart Falls, and the one on the right is Mount Timpanogos.

The trail climbs fairly steeply, but after a couple hundred yards it actually becomes paved and easy to follow. There are a few switchbacks as the trail climbs toward lower falls, but the scenery is beautiful, and the path is well-traveled. Our 3 year-old hiked all the way to lower falls, which is almost exactly 1 mile (2 RT).

You will begin to see and hear the lower falls which helps keep everyone excited to see the waterfall. We caught glimpses of the waterfall slightly past the halfway mark. When you arrive at the waterfall, there are a few places to walk down and get closer. In May, it was still covered with snow, and we decided not to walk any closer, but I’m guessing that in the summer you would be able to get pretty close to the base of the falls. Leave a comment below if you go when there’s no snow and let us know what the waterfall was like and how close you were able to get.

You can see the upper falls from the lower falls, but you should definitely hike the extra quarter mile to see upper falls, especially in the Spring. It is an additional quarter mile, bringing the grand total to see both falls to around 2.5 miles RT. There was a lot of snow at the upper falls, but it never hinders you along the trail, at least when we were there.

Dad wanted to see the falls up close and specifically, how thick the snowpack was that was lying in the ravine at the bottom of the cascade. It turns out the snow was about 15 feet thick, which made it safe to walk on as long as you stayed away from the edges. If there is snow when you arrive, please be careful. It may not be safe to walk on, and you could end up with a dangerous, frigid plunge.

The waterfalls are really rushing, though! Check out the video and do this hike before the snow all melts off Timpanogos. We actually saw 5 different waterfalls higher up as the water comes down as runoff, so there is plenty to explore.

We’d suggest that this hike is moderate compared to the easier hikes listed on the waterfall link above. The length (2.5 RT) and relative steepness make it a bit more advanced, so start with the others. But if you manage to wear out that list, try Timpanogos Falls!