Provo River Falls, Utah

September 22, 2013, Kamas, Utah -- After exploring the Fairy Forest it we continued our Sunday afternoon drive up to the Provo River Falls.

The waterfalls are highly scenic, quite impressive and easily accessible.  When we were there a couple of other families and teenagers were enjoying the last of the good days before Fall really sets in.

Just off Highway 150, the falls are at mile marker 23.  After the falls it was time to head home, the fall colors were just starting to emerge and it was a beautiful autumn day.

Stewart Falls

May 23, 2012 -- Stewart Falls is near Sundance Ski Resort in the North Fork of Provo Canyon and starts from the Aspen Grove Campground (the campground is also home of the Mt. Timpanogos trailhead).

The four-mile round trip hike starts above the amphitheater at 'Theater-in-the-Pines" in Aspen Grove.  The trail is well marked and easy. This was a great early summer hike because everything is so green as I hiked through aspen groves, ferns, oak brush and a few mountain meadows.

There was still quite a few patches of snow melting which created a number of cascades and impromptu waterfalls beside the actual Stewart Falls.

The hike itself took about 45 minutes to get to the falls and 30 minutes to hike back.

There are some excellent directions and a better hike overview here and here.

Adams Canyon Waterfall

July 2, 2011 -- After hiking to the Waterfall Canyon below Malan’s peak in Ogden just a few weeks ago I still had waterfall hikes still in my blood. This year has been one of the wettest spring/summers on record and the water gushing off the mountains have been impressive.

Adams Canyon above Layton off Highway 89 is home to another beautiful waterfall here in Northern Utah.

We pulled into the trailhead and began our hike right at 6:45 a.m. We were one of four cars in the parking lot. The hike begins with some imposing and steep switchbacks over sand but you ascend quickly and are rewarded immediately with some amazing views of the valley.

After about 15 minutes we made the plateau and crossed the Bonneville Shoreline trail into Adams Canyon.

At this point the trail seems to level off a bit and soon you hear the rushing water and are parallel to the mountain stream gushing down the mountain.

Due to heavy use and gravity some sections of the trail disappear into the water and you are forced to scramble the rocks. It took a bit longer than my normal pace because I’m still nursing my knee following my knee reconstruction surgery in January.

We crossed the stream at a man-made foot bridge and from there it was some moderate/strenuous rock/path scrambling to the falls.

We reached the falls at 8:00 a.m. and the last hurdle was traversing the water one last time to get a great look at the falls. Like I mentioned the water has been high this year and a couple of hikers commented to us that they couldn’t reach the falls last week because of the water levels. Today however someone had forged the stream and left a rope to hold on to so we jumped in the freezing water and scrambled for a spectacular view.

We almost had the falls to ourselves which was awesome. Later over the next hour as we descended from the falls we were shocked with the shear number of hikers, families, dogs making their way past us to the falls; goes to show you – the early bird (hikers) get the worm (falls).

By the time we reached the parking lot the trailhead was full of cars, but I guess you can expect that for a Fourth of July weekend hike in Utah!

Ultimately Adams Canyon waterfall is an awesome hike and a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Summary: 3.5 mile hike to an awesome 40 foot waterfall
Time: 2 hrs 15 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate with a couple of Strenuous
For more information about this hike visit here.

Jemez Mountains and Jemez State Monument

May 21, 2010 -- Missing an opportunity to explore the Jemez Mountains would certainly be a travesty while in New Mexico. Last weekend my wife and I took the time to immerse ourselves in a truly wonderful exploration of this amazing land.

First stop, Jemez State Monument. The historic complex was once home to a large 14th century pueblo village (Giusewa), whose descendants are the present day Jemez (walatowa) Pueblo.

Later the Spanish would erect an imposing 17th Century Spanish Mission as they expanded their influence and culture on the region.

Following a self guided interpretive trail we walked the foothills of San Diego Canyon and reflected on the lives that gave this place meaning.

Our next stop was the roadside natural attraction of Soda Dam. The 300-foot-long natural dam was created by mineral deposits from a hot spring.

Further up SR4, we found the trail-head to the secluded Spence Hot Springs on the steep hillside of an unassuming mountain in the Santa Fe National Forest.

After a short hike we were rewarded with a natural hot spring with incredible views.

 I nearly poked a mountain toad as I put my hand into this hand hold getting into the pools.

The soak was perfect as the pools lay in the shade even on a temperate late spring day.

After our dip it was further into the forest and a brief hike to Jemez Falls. Approximately 100 feet high, Jemez Falls is the largest waterfall in the Jemez Mountains and an easy mile hike.

Soon we were back in the car for a short ride to one of the many Valles Caldera National Preserve overlooks. This giant caldera is one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world and recent studies suggest the area may be gearing up for another impressive volcanic eruption (hopefully, this is quite a ways off!)

Bandelier National Monument was our next major destination and having explored the monument on my own previously, I was really excited to share one of my favorite parks with my wife. Certainly, the Jemez Mountains were a wonderful place to explore and experience, and our only regret was not having the time to discover more of her mysteries.