American Fork Canyon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids American Fork Canyon |
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View down the canyon to Utah Valley from the entrance of Timpanogos Cave
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| Elevation | 8,000 ft (2,438 m) |
| Location | Utah County |
| Range | Wasatch Mountains |
| Coordinates | 40°26′01″N 111°44′21″W / 40.4336°N 111.7391°W |
 Location in Utah
Location in the United States
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American Fork Canyon is a beautiful canyon located in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, United States. It's well-known for the amazing Timpanogos Cave National Monument, which you can find on its south side. The canyon gets its name from the American Fork River, which flows through its bottom.
You can get into the canyon using State Route 92. This road is also called the "Alpine Loop Scenic Byway." If you enter from the west, SR-92 takes you up the canyon. It then goes over the Alpine Loop summit, past Sundance Ski Resort, and into Provo Canyon. Smaller roads off SR-92 lead to Tibble Fork Reservoir and Cascade Springs. There's also a gravel road that goes east from Cascade Springs to Midway.
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Fun Things to Do in the Canyon
This area is perfect for outdoor adventures! You'll find many trails for hiking, biking, and even horseback riding. There are also several places where you can set up camp.
Tibble Fork Reservoir and Silver Lake Flats Reservoir are popular spots. In summer, people love to camp and fish there. When winter comes, these areas are great for snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. You can also enjoy backcountry skiing in the snowy mountains.
Canyon Entrance Fees
American Fork Canyon is part of a special program called the Recreation Fee Demonstration Project. The money collected from these fees stays right in the canyon. It helps improve services for visitors and keeps the recreation areas nice. The fees also help protect wildlife and natural resources.
As of July 2019, here are the fees to enter the canyon:
- $6.00 for one vehicle for three days
- $12.00 for one vehicle for seven days
- $45.00 for one vehicle for a yearly pass
If you buy an access pass for the Alpine Scenic Loop, you can also use it at the Mirror Lake Recreation Corridor. Since 2013, if you are only visiting Timpanogos Cave National Monument, you don't need to pay the canyon entrance fee. This is true unless you use other fun spots in the canyon too.
Ancient Native American Art
American Fork Canyon is home to some really old Native American pictographs. These are like ancient drawings on rocks, made by the Fremont people. They are thousands of years old! You can find them on rock faces and walls throughout the canyon.
Scientists have also found other cool things from the Fremont people. These include spearpoints, grindstones, and arrowheads. They were found in small caves along the canyon. This suggests that hunters might have used these caves as temporary homes or base camps long ago.
Camping Spots in American Fork Canyon
If you love camping, American Fork Canyon has many great spots. Here are some of the campgrounds you can find:
- Altamont
- Granite Flat
- Holman Flat
- Little Mill
- Mount Timpanogos
- North Mill
- Salamander Flat
- Theatre-in-the-Pines
- Timpooneke
