SALT LAKE CITY (Day 7 - part 4)

Since the weather had cleared up so nicely, we decided to go to a waterfall that Sean discovered on the internet. We drove through Provo then got a scenic trip up through Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls.

(right) Y Mountain

In 1906, juniors at Brigham Young University High School decided to instigate a friendly rivalry with the other classes. Before dawn one Saturday morning, they hiked up with sacks of white lime and began to create their graduating year of 1907. The senior class of 1906 was outraged. This wasn't the first time that graduation year numbers had appeared, but it WAS the first time a junior class had done so. Today, a Y now rests in that location and has become the symbol for BYU. It has been made more permanent with the additions of concrete and paint. At 380 feet long and 130 feet wide, it is larger than the letters of the Hollywood sign.

Brigham Young High School (first known as Brigham Young Academy) was a private high school founded in 1875. It focused on elementary through high school education and was more aligned with the teachings of the LDS (Mormon) Church, in contrast to the state school system. Many of those first students were educated to become school teachers. It then became attached to Brigham Young University (BYU) with its official name being Brigham Young University High School. In 1903, BYU and B Y High separated. The high school closed in 1968 after 93 years. The main school building now serves as the Provo City Library at Academy Square.

The above-mentioned Provo City Library ... and Lavell Edwards Stadium

Leaving town and entering Provo Canyon

Highway 189

We parked on the other side of the river and walked over to the falls.

Crossing the Provo River

Bridal Veil Falls is a 607-foot-tall double cataract waterfall. In 2023, an avalanche ran down the route of the waterfall, altering its landscape and greenery. Every year at least one person dies here from slipping on icy rocks in late fall/early winter.

In the 1960s, there was a lodge and restaurant at the top of the cliff, with its only access being a small, 6-passenger aerial tramway. In 1996, an avalanche destroyed the tramway machinery and it was never rebuilt. Then in 2008, an arson fire burned the building at the top. By 2017, all remains had been cleaned up.

A tourist train once ran past here but was discontinued in the late 1980s. The tracks were removed and converted into a recreational trail.

Another viewpoint of the fall

We continued to drive along the N Provo River Scenic Drive until it reconnected with the highway. We then turned around at Vivian Park and headed back out the canyon.

Apparently there's hiking in the area.

Vivian Park is a historic location, dating back to a land deed in 1888. At one time, it served as an exclusive vacation getaway. In 1974, it became a Utah County public park.

Back at the motel, it was fun to watch the day end from our room... the sunset colors on the hills and how the evening clouds began to creep in.

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