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Provo River Parkway Trail - Canyon View Park To
Vivian Park
The Provo River Parkway trail begins at the Utah Lake State Park
and winds its way along the Provo River then along University Avenue
to the mouth of Provo Canyon. Due to the size of this trail
system we decided to break it up into smaller sections. We
started today's leg at the Canyon View Park near the mouth of Provo
Canyon. From the park there is a large bridge that will take
you across the Provo River and put you right on the trail, were you
will have two options, either to head up Provo canyon or head down
towards Provo. Due to the beautiful scenery that Provo canyon
has to offer we choose to make our way to Vivian Park. We began
around mile marker ten and knowing that Vivian Park was mile marker
15 we started to wonder if the kids and of course ourselves were
going to make a five mile jaunt up the Canyon. To our delight
the trail was a slow gradual climb with just a few locations that
really worked the legs. There were even some down hill sections that
let you rest before you continued the climb. 
As you make your way up the trail you will pass beside several
parks. Each park offers bathrooms, running water and
playgrounds, so why you rest the kids can play. There are also
a few historical features that you may view while traveling on this
trail. The
Nunns Provo Station Power Plant which is located in Nunns
Park and some old relics of Utah's mining past which are located
just below Bridal Veil Falls. Speaking of Bridal Veil Falls
this trail runs right past the base providing a spectacular view of
these majestic falls. On our visit we got to view the remains
of a large
avalanche that occurred during the 2005 winter
season. From Bridal Veil Falls there is still 2 1/2 miles to
Vivian Park. This section of the trail was relatively flat
offering beautiful views of a slow moving Provo River. 
When we arrived at Vivian Park we took time to rest and as with the
other parks let the kids play on the play grounds, refilled water
bottles, wadded in one of the tributaries and began looking forward
to an all down hill return. It was a great ride and didn't feel like
a lot of work until we rested for a good stretch, then we were
thankful we were at the top and not the bottom. |
