American Fork Canyon

Coordinates: 40°26′N 111°44′W / 40.433°N 111.733°W / 40.433; -111.733

Two steep, partially wooded slopes with a distant plain visible between them. A mountain range is in the background.
View down canyon to Utah Valley from the entrance of Timpanogos Cave

American Fork Canyon is a canyon located in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, United States. The canyon is famous for the Timpanogos Cave National Monument, which resides on its south side. It is named after the American Fork River which runs through the bottom of the canyon.

The area is accessed by State Route 92, through what is officially called the "Alpine Loop Scenic Byway."[1] Visitors entering American Fork Canyon from the west can follow SR-92 up the canyon to the summit of the Alpine Loop, down the east side of Mount Timpanogos, past Sundance Ski Resort and then out into Provo Canyon to the south. Spurs off SR-92 take visitors to Tibble Fork Reservoir and Cascade Springs. A well maintained gravel road continues east from Cascade Springs to Midway.

This area is home to many hiking, biking and equestrian trails with several established campgrounds. Tibble Fork Reservoir and Silver Lake Flats Reservoir are popular camping and fishing spots in the summer as well as offering excellent snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and backcountry skiing during the winter months.

Recreation Fee Demonstration Project

American Fork Canyon is part of the Recreation Fee Demonstration Project. The fees collected at the entrance stations remain in the area to improve visitor services, maintain recreation facilities, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect natural resources.[2] As of August 2013, fees for the canyon are as follows:[3]

The access passes for the Alpine Scenic Loop are transferrable to the Mirror Lake Recreation Corridor.[2] Beginning in 2013, visitors going just to Timpanogos Cave National Monument are not required to pay the entrance fee to the canyon (unless other recreational facilities are also utilized).[4]

American Fork Canyon Camping sites

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, January 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.