Round Trip Distance: 2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 6870 - 7426 feet
Cellphone: 0-1 bars
Time: 1 hr. 15 mins.
Trailhead: Aspen Grove
Fee: $6 per vehicle (Alpine Scenic Loop fee)
Attractions: Waterfall
The Timpanogos Falls trail is located in the Timpanogos Wilderness Area of the Uinta National Forest near Provo, Utah. The trail leads to a very scenic waterfall on the east side of Mount Timpanogos. The trail only has a little over 500 feet of elevation gain. For those looking for more of a challenge they can continue past the falls to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos at 11,750 feet.
The trail begins at the Aspen Grove trailhead located a short distance past Robert Redford's Sundance Resort. The parking area at the trailhead fills up quickly on weekends. Overflow parking is available along the shoulders of the Alpine Scenic Loop. Be sure that you don't park illegally though. The tow is probably very expensive.
The trail leaves from the north side of the Aspen Grove parking area following a broad trail across the meadow.
Upon entering the trees there is a checkpoint where hikers and rock climbers are given friendly advice about the perils that can be encountered on the Summit trail. The shack is staffed by TERT, the Timpanogos Emergency Response Team.
From the shack the trail follows the drainage for a short distance and then begins gaining a little elevation as it climbs the side of the hill. The trail splits with the left fork leading to the falls and the summit of Mt. Timpanogos. The right fork is for the Lame Horse trail which interestingly enough is open to horseback riding as well as mountain bikes and dirt bikes.
From this point the trail enters the Mount Timpanogos Wilderness Area and the trail is only open to hiking.
Mount Timpanogos dominates the head of the canyon like a true monarch and peak of prominence towering over 5000 feet above the valley.
People are drawn to beautiful places and there isn't anything much prettier and more peaceful than water cascading down a rocky mountain side surrounded by lush greenery and wildflowers.
If you don't mind scrambling down a precarious scree slope you can get down to the base of the falls. The large boulders and thick brush present a barrier to accessing the creek but you can lounge around on the rocks and savor the rewards of your hike.
A person could spend hours here just taking pictures of all the different wildflowers.One of our favorites is the commonly named 'butter and eggs'. We should have taken a better picture but when one has photographed the same flower over and over one tends to spend less time trying to get the perfect shot.
