The Balloon Gal's Blog: Walking the Provo River Parkway

I wanted to walk the whole Provo River Parkway (not all at the same time- that's about 15 miles) in stretches. I did it! Well, Jet and I did it. He's such a good walking buddy. Sometimes he's awake. Sometimes he's asleep. Sometimes it's a combination. Sometimes we have to stop more than other times. Sometimes I stop anyway because of juggling. Sometimes I don't stop because Jet wants to get going. It's been great, though. I've loved it. This is my preferred form of exercise. Walking for my legs. Juggling for my arms. I don't juggle as much as I walk. I need more practice. Anyway...

Walking (and juggling) the Provo River Parkway. I went out once or twice a week, depending on schedules with my family of seven. Sometimes Jeremy would help us get the van to our ending point so we could drive home right after we were done. Sometimes we would leave the van at the starting point and Jeremy would switch vehicles when we called to pick us up. Sometimes we'd start somewhere and go farther than we originally planned. Anyway...

Vivian Park to Bridal Veil Falls- a little more than 2 miles

Absolutely gorgeous walk along here. I'm glad I went along here in the Fall. It was fun to have leaves falling around me as I walked.

Most of the canyon parts of the Parkway have the trail separated between biking and pedestrians so the cyclists can go faster. Of course as I traveled with the stroller, I would cross to the cycling part from time to time to keep my distance from other walkers and joggers (looking both ways first of course). I would also cross for sake of juggling videos. Tee Hee. Gotta get the right shot.

As I was walking along, all of a sudden I reached a point where it was very familiar. Wait, I know that bridge. I know that picnic table. I know that area. I'm almost at Bridal Veil Falls. I felt like I could have kept going. Jet slept through the whole walk.

Bridal Veil Falls to Canyon Glen Park- a little more than 1 mile

Compared to the first stretch, this one felt so short. Before I knew it, I had reached Canyon Glen Park. That park has enough trails to walk around while we waited for our ride. I stopped at a bridge I knew dippers are sometimes seen and there was one... and a boot.

Canyon Glen Park to Mt Timpanogos Park- less than 2 miles

Jet was awake when we started but he was just getting fussy (because of tiredness) when I got to a point where I wanted to take a juggling video. It was at a beautiful bend in the Provo River. Oh well. We moved on and not long after, Jet fell asleep. I was still close enough that I was able to walk back and get my juggling video.

There was another point where I could hear a spotted towhee in the brush by the trail. I could see it but not well enough to get a picture. It was still fun. I did get pictures of chickadees among some beautiful leaves on some stunning trees.

Honestly, any stretch of Provo River Parkway in Provo Canyon in the Fall is gorgeous.

After reaching Mt Timpanogos Park, we walked over the bridge to Canyon View Park to walk along the nature trail there. They have informational signs, some of them too hard to read. We went as far as the stroller allowed, even though the informational signs continued along an unpaved trail, and crossed another bridge that led back to the Parkway. We headed back on that until it connected with Mt Timpanogos Park and walked through the park to the parking lot to head home.

Mt Timpanogos Park to the mouth of the Canyon (Provo River Parkway Trailhead on 800 N Orem)- a little more than 1 mile

Nichole had a day home from school so after she got some school work done, she came out with Jet and me for our walk. It was a hot afternoon but fortunately it was a short stretch and we took refuge in the shade under a bridge while waiting for Jeremy to pick us up.

800 N Trailhead (mouth of Provo Canyon) to LDS Motion Picture Studio- about 4 miles

Out of Provo Canyon, the trail isn't separated for pedestrians and cyclists so I was confused a few times where I should walk and finally took my cues from other people. Walk and ride on the right, pass on the left. Share the trail, although this stretch had a few times where it separated and bicycles were to go one way and pedestrians go another to meet up again in just a bit.

Originally I was going to break this up into a few different days, but since this stretch was mostly sidewalk along University Avenue away from the river, I decided on the day to just go the whole distance. Jet and I had to get a little creative, however.

Jet was asleep when we started our trek. He was in the car seat in the stroller. A little after we passed Riverwoods, he woke up. I kept him in the car seat for a while entertaining him while we walked along. Once we passed the Chevron just past that cell phone tower that's made to look like a tree (you know the one), he was fussy enough that I got him out of the seat and put him in the Snugli. That was fun for a while. However, I had sunblock on, Jet did not, and the sun was shining right on our faces. It got awkward trying to push the stroller and hold Jet in the Snugli while holding a blanket up to keep the sun off him, all the while he wanted a drink or snack.

Finally, with creativity, we found something that worked. I took the car seat out of the stroller and let Jet sit up in the stroller. He could reach snacks that way and be covered enough with a blanket hanging down that I wasn't worried about too much direct sun on him for too long. I was able to get the car seat to actually fit in part of the basket at the bottom of the stroller without falling out or sticking out to hit my legs as I walked. Wow. I sure like this car seat/stroller combo.

So we started that stretch at the river and ended that stretch at the river but there wasn't much river in between.

Note: Since we finished the Parkway stretches in the canyon, a fire started that went into Provo Canyon and burned a lot of area in there. So please enjoy the pictures on my blog from before the fire.

LDS Motion Picture Studio to Lakeshore Bridge Trailhead- about 4 miles

This is another one where I wasn't expecting to walk so far but Jeremy was going to pick us up and every time we got to a stopping point, it was an inconvenient time so we kept walking along the beautiful river among the beautiful trees.

Jet was awake for the beginning but eventually fell asleep. At the very beginning he got a big kick out of my juggling. Right after juggling on a bridge for him, I looked down to the river and saw mallards cross from one side to the other in the water. Continuing to look I saw a small mammal bounding around on the rocks. It was a mink. That was fun to see.

Continuing on, I saw plenty of other animals especially lots and lots of mallards or "park ducks." We actually passed a few parks (from Park Week) so it's no surprise that it was a duck sort of day.

We stopped for some ruby-crowned kinglets at one point. Those are very fluttery birds so it was nice when they came up close and stayed still long enough for me to get pictures.

I also saw a downy woodpecker and some dark-eyed juncos. I heard lots of other birds.

We passed a 9/11 memorial and I decided not to juggle.

I juggled plenty of other places, though, including the spot where the boys threw rocks in the river during our "power outage adventure."

We went under quite a few roads and bridges on this stretch since we pretty much followed the river the entire time. At one point we went under the bridge where the Frontrunner crosses. How cool it would be to get a juggling video right as the train went across? Oh well. We moved on to get a video by the freeway and I looked back in time to see the train cross. Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Finally we reached Lakeshore Drive and the Lakeshore Bridge Trailhead. Jeremy was just then able to start heading our way. We started continuing on, thinking Jeremy could pick us up a little farther down the trail, but Jet woke up and was ready to get out so we walked back to the trailhead and I got to hold him while we waited for Jeremy to pick us up.

It was a lot of walking and my legs were stiff and sore later but it was worth it.

Lakeshore Bridge to the end of the trail- about 1 1/2 miles

Some of this stretch was familiar territory because of birding from time to time but only on certain parts of it. There were certainly some areas I'd never been. Again a beautiful walk that followed the river for the most part except for a few places you can break off and go different directions to meet back up with the main trail. I just treated those like loops so certain parts I walked twice to continue on the trail.

It was definitely Fall with leaves falling all around. Have I mentioned I love Fall?

There was a break in trees at one point where I could see all the way to Provo Canyon. It looks so far away but that's where we started (even farther up the canyon than where we could see) and we walked the 15 miles even if it was not all done in the same day.

Jet stayed asleep all the way to the parking lot at the end and woke up just as we were waiting for Jeremy. It's a good thing, too, because it was a cold day and I was able to keep him bundled up and covered in the car seat in the stroller until the end.