Bridal Veil Falls Park
Bridal Veil Falls Park is just down the Provo River from the world-famous Bridal Veil Falls. Picnic tables are scattered underneath a canopy of trees. There is grass to relax on, the sound of the adjacent river, and a scenic path to hold hands with your sweetheart.
Picnic at Bridal Veil Falls Park
Picnic at Bridal Veil Falls Park
Bridal Veil Falls Park is a popular picnic spot because of it’s proximity to the falls and Provo River. Many enjoy climbing the rocks to the first cascade and afterwards relaxing on the manicured grass. Kids love climbing on the trees. This park is a short distance from the suburban areas of Provo/Orem and can be quickly accessed for a lunch break. It is a very popular spot for wedding proposals and engagement photos.
For Info or Reservations: Utah County Parks
Call 801-851-8640.
History of Bridal Veil Falls Resort
A Long and Storied History
In 1929, Utah State Sen. Rue Clegg acquired the land surrounding Bridal Veil Falls at a tax sale for a pittance. Clegg and his wife, Margaret, worked for years to make the site ready to become a popular resort. Tragically, on a celebratory jaunt to Mexico following its first operating season, Rue Clegg died of a sudden heart attack.
Control of the resort fell to Margaret, who sold it but then bought it back several years later. The Eagle’s Nest Lodge was opened in 1961 followed by the world-famous Bridal Veil Falls Tram in 1967.
Margaret sold the resort for her final time in the late ’60s to an oil empire from Colorado. After that, it changed hands many times before Waterfall Consultants (the David Grow family) purchased it in 1971.
Bridal Veil Falls Park Entrance
Entrance to Bridal Veil Falls Park
Bridal Veil Falls Park has a beautiful canopy of trees providing shade and beauty.
Bridal Veil Falls Park Features
Bridal Veil Falls Park
Utah County Parks
Approx 3.5 miles from the mouth of the Canyon on Hwy 189
Bridal Veil Falls Park has picnic tables with barbecue grills, plenty of parking (in a couple of parking lots), as well as grassy picnic spots.
The park is peppered with large mature trees for cool shade and climbing fun, yet there are enough large lawn space to toss around a football or Frisbee.
Bridal Veil Park sits next to the Provo River and is a short walk down the paved Provo River Parkway Trail to Bridal Veil Falls.
Total Acres: 3
- 8 Uncovered picnic tables w/grills (no fee)
- Portable restroom
- Fishing access
- Trail access
- Walking & Jogging
- Longboarding
For Info or Reservations: Visit Utah County Parks
Call 801-851-8640.
Popular Destination Resort
Historical Resort
In its hey-day, the Bridal Veil Falls Resort included a gift shop, a petting zoo, an aerial tram house, a railroad caboose snack shop, and a lodge perched on the cliffs. The resort operated successfully until the lodge, gift shop, snack shop, and tram house were destroyed in 1996 by a massive avalanche. Plans for a revival were put to rest when an arson fire burned up the hill and consumed the lodge in 2008.
Bridal Veil Falls Utah in Summer
Summer Fun
Bridal Veil Falls is a national treasure, frequently recognized as one of America’s Top 100 water falls. Bridal Veil Falls itself is privately owned.
Cascading Falls
Flowing from springs that dot Cascade Mountain, a year-round stream of water surges over the edge of a 607 foot cliff through a double cascade. The constricted flow of water rapidly expands from a narrow point at the top to a wide, lacy veil. In the 1880’s, locals began calling the natural attraction “Bridal Veil Falls” and the name stuck.
Playing in the Water
At the bottom of the Falls a small shallow pool is formed. Though the water is very cold, visitors use it as a swimming and wading pool.
For a very interesting history of how the water feeding Bridal Veil Falls was almost completely diverted (thus stopping the waterfall) read this Daily Herald article.
Bridal Veil Falls in the Winter
Winter Fun
Bridal Veil falls is not just a summer attraction.
Ice Climbing
In the winter, an icefall just to the right of the falls, called Stairway to Heaven, attracts experienced ice climbers from around the world.
One ice climber reminisces, “No words will ever fully explain the sheer, surprising beauty of standing on a curtain of crystal ice. It’s as if time stood still and let you crawl up a moving cascade. It’s as if you could hold back time and tide. It’s a beautiful, inspiring, unforgettable experience. It’s also the only way up many walls with no natural weaknesses. You get the summertime pleasure of staring at the sheer rock and knowing that you’ve been there.”
Stairway to Heaven Ice Climbing
Stairway to Heaven at Bridal Veil Falls
At the base of “Stairway to Heaven” the first pitch, titled “The Apron” offers an opportunity for beginners to set up a top rope on fixed anchors (fixed bolts on a limestone ledge) and hone their skills in a relatively safe environment. The ledge can be approached by walking up a scree slope just to the right of the first pitch. More experienced climbers will find up to 10 pitches of ice climbing on the long Stairway to Heaven route, which was first climbed in 1975 by Jim Knight and Mike Ward. Courtesy of examiner.com
History of Bridal Veil Falls Lodge
Eagle’s Nest Lodge
At its height, Bridal Veil Falls was a premiere attraction, drawing visitors from all around Utah and the Country. In 1967, Groneman Construction built a visitor’s center and lodge, including a restaurant and dance hall, on the edge of a cliff at the top of the falls.
Eagle’s Nest Lodge operated as a full-service restaurant for the next five years, but business was inconsistent. Many times, as groups of customers were waiting at the base of the mountain for a ride up the tram, one or two apprehensive diners would cause the whole group to up and leave.
The steepness of the tram sometimes caused extreme anxiety. It was said that some people would crawl out of the tram at the top, without much of an appetite.
Consequently, starting in 1976 the restaurant became exclusively a special-event venue for weddings, receptions, class reunions, and the like. It hosted countless celebrants and weathered high winds and several avalanches over the years until it was destroyed by a massive avalanche in 1996.
Bridal Veil Falls Aerial Tram
The Sky Ride
Bridal Veil Falls Resort once laid claim to being home to the steepest “aerial tramway” in the world. The Swiss-made tram opened in 1961 as an attraction to carry visitors from the bottom of the canyon to the lodge and restaurant at the top of the falls.
The small, at first four then six-passenger tramway functioned as a recreational attraction and as the only access (except via helicopter) to a restaurant situated on a cliff at the top.
Average Angle: 45 degrees
Maximum Angle: 66 degrees.
Distance:
- 600 Vertical Feet
- 525 feet to the top of the falls
- 1,228 feet past the falls to the mountaintop
- 1753 feet total distance
Date Opened: 1967
Date Closed: 1996
Bridal Veil Falls Hikes
Hiking Bridal Veil Falls
A steep, but short, hike leads up to the first cascade where you can get a great view of the canyon below while standing in the mist.
Hike to the Top of Bridal Veil Falls
Experienced Hikers Only
Another dirt and rock trail leads to the top of the falls, but it is a steep and difficult climb and should not be attempted unless you are a serious hiker or climber.
Swiss-Made Sky Boat
Sky Boat Tram Rides
From this landing spot high up on Cascade Mountain you are looking down the 1,753 ft. cableway of the steepest aerial tramway in the world. Highway 189, with cars parked along the bank of the Provo river, can be seen below.
The approaching sky boat is one minute out from the top terminal where nature trails, picnic areas, char-coal barbeque, and dancing are available to the passengers. Courtesy of CardCow.com
Bridal Veil Falls Fire
The Final Straw
Fire destroyed the old restaurant at the falls and snapped one tram cable line but was contained to the structure.
Fire crews say it started just after July, 25, 2008 at 11 p.m. Firefighters let the structure burn through the night, while closely monitoring it. The restaurant was completely destroyed.
After the fire, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office ordered the removal of the remaining cable, fearing adventurers would use it to scale the rocky face by the waterfall.
Thus formally ended any hope of renovating the existing structure: The same lines that had spanned the mountainside for nearly 50 years were rolled up at the base and unceremoniously cut for recycling.
Bridal Veil Falls Park Bridge
River Next to Bridal Veil Park
Bridal Veil Falls Park from Above
For Park Information or Reservations, visit Utah County Parks or call (801) 851-8640. This site is a service of Denise Martin, Realtor and is not the official site of Utah County Parks and has no affiliation with Utah County.
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