In Utah’s Rock Canyon, 5 bridges over troubled water
Rock Canyon Trail / Provo, Utah: The beauty of Utah can’t be overstated. Many people move there specifically for its outdoor vibe.
How great is it for them to live 15 minutes away from a wilderness hike in the Wasatch Range?
One such hike is the Rock Canyon Trail. It’s an out-and-back 3-miler with an elevation gain of 850 feet, but it’s definitely doable for those in early Parkinson’s stages.
Parkinson’s hiking tip
Taking the gradual uphill climb slowly from the very start will keep the energy levels higher later.
The trail starts at the mouth of Rock Canyon, on the east side of the city of Provo. My partner-in-hikes and I chose a sunny spring Friday, and by midmorning when we arrived, plenty of parking was available at the trailhead.
You’ll see a large gate on a wide gravel or paved road, and just after that you’ll come to a fork. Either way is fine; they meet up after a short while.
The road becomes a thinner trail, though large enough for two to walk side-by-side.
The trail is mostly packed dirt and goes along the right side of the canyon river. There are spots where it has large inset rocks, but they usually can be avoided. Hiking poles will help.
Spring means snowmelt, and the river was gushing dangerously fast. The five bridges to cross on the trail were intact and sturdy — though the first and third ones don’t have a railing. That was a little annoying.
Parkinson’s hiking tip
If balance is an issue, especially when crossing the loud and disorienting waters below, have a sure-footed someone escort you.
You’ll need to be able to step up about a foot to some of the bridges.
Bridge No. 3 also doesn’t have rails.
We were lucky the water wasn’t any higher than it was.
Rock Canyon draws a lot of rock climbers, so you may see some in action.
How did we know when to turn around? We really didn’t, but we’d trekked upward for about 50 minutes and figured that we’d gone about 1.5 miles.
Our turnaround spot was where another trail forked to the left (leading to Bridal Veil Falls overlook). That trail looked pretty muddy.
There was a water-pump looking thing where we rested before heading back down.
In total, it took us about an hour and a half. You could go farther if you feel up to it. (Energy bar, anyone?)
Rumor has it there’s a small opening to a cave somewhere near our turnaround spot, but dagnabbit, but we couldn’t find it! If you ever find this elusive cave, let me know in the comments.
Hike info
PD difficulty level (see chart): Moderate
Distance: about 3 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: 850 feet
Bathrooms: yes, at trailhead
Emergency support: within 5 miles
Trailhead location: 2620 North 1450 East, Provo, Utah
Road access: next to trailhead
Cost: free
Insider hint: There are no trail signs, but if you stick to the main trail you shouldn’t get lost.
