American Fork Canyon from Timpanogos Cave entrance

American Fork Canyon is a canyon in the

Wasatch Mountains The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the G ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

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. The canyon is famous for the

Timpanogos Cave National Monument Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a United States National Monument protecting the Timpanogos Cave Historic District and a cave system on Mount Timpanogos in American Fork Canyon in the Wasatch Range, near Highland, Utah, in the United States. ...

, which resides on its south side. It is named after the

American Fork River The American Fork (commonly known as the American Fork River) is a river in Utah County, Utah, United States. Description The river rises at the mouth of American Fork Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains about southeast of Salt Lake City. The unnam ...

, 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." 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 Mount Timpanogos, often referred to as Timp, is the second-highest mountain in Utah's Wasatch Range. Timpanogos rises to an elevation of above sea level in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. With of topographic prominence, Timpanogos is ...

, 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. As of July 2019, fees for the canyon are as follows: * $6.00 per vehicle for three days * $12.00 per vehicle for seven days * $45.00 per vehicle for an annual pass The access passes for the Alpine Scenic Loop are transferable to the Mirror Lake Recreation Corridor. 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).

American Fork Canyon Camping sites

* Altamont * Granite Flat * Holman Flat * Little Mill * Mount Timpanogos * North Mill * Salamander Flat * Theatre-in-the-Pines * Timpooneke

References

External links

American Fork Canyon, MSS P 406
at

L. Tom Perry Special Collections The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the special collections department of Brigham Young University (BYU)'s Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's special ...

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Canyons and gorges of Utah Canyons and gorges of Utah County, Utah Wasatch Front Tourist attractions in Utah County, Utah Wasatch-Cache National Forest Wasatch Range {{Utah-geo-stub

Recreation Fee Demonstration Project

American Fork Canyon Camping sites

See also

References

External links