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Stewart Cascades (Also known as Stewart Falls) is a great family friendly hike located at the south end of the Alpine loop. This mostly flat 2 mile (one way) hike along the back side of Mount Timpanogos is lush and green in the summer, and filled with great color in the fall. Of course, all of this ends with a fascinating 200+ foot waterfall. We have done this before, but I heard it was a good fall hike so we made the hour trip down to check it out.
To get here, head towards Provo. Take exit 272 (US-189) this eventually will take you up Provo Canyon. After you enter the canyon, approximately 9 miles up turn left onto UT-92 towards Sundance. About 5 miles up this side canyon, there is a ranger station, then immediately after that is the Aspen Grove trail head on the left.
That is the easy route, you can also plan on adding this to a Fall Drive adventure through the Alpine Loop which is an excellent fall drive it comes out in American Fork Canyon.
This is a fee area, and coming the direction that we did anyway, is a self service fee area. $6.00 for a 3 day area use fee, which includes the entire loop.
A look at the colors coming in on the mountains above Provo. (Drive By Photography album)
I love the way the layers of rock show in Provo Canyon. (DBP)
Bridal Veil Falls (DBP) this is a great waterfall worth stopping and checking out. But we have seen it before, and we’re hoping to get to our hike.
Tunnel (DBP) The turn towards Sundance is shortly after this.
And the side canyon. (DBP) I am not sure what it is called, but I see the river is call North Fork Provo River, so I would wager a guess of North Fork Canyon?
Random wild turkeys. (DBP)
And the mountains above the trail head.
Well, it looks like this is going to be a great hike to get some fall color in.
I loved this trail in the summer, and I love it in the fall. Very lush. The trail is almost completely on a East facing slope behind Mount Timpanogos So, at least this time of year, and as late as we started we are completely in the shadow of the mountain. This will make great hiking conditions but, this also means I don’t have optimal lighting for fall foliage.
There was a side trail down to a water tank that allowed a nice view of the hillside we were hiking along.
We kept hearing a noise below us, after thinking it was another hiker, we looked and oh neat, some more wild turkeys. (There are 3 to the right of the tree in the foreground). What are the odds going from never seeing them before, to seeing two groups on the same adventure?
Last time we hiked here we heard a lot of noise in the underbrush along the trail, and eventually saw a rabbit and assumed that that must have been what it was. Now, I wonder if we were hearing turkeys.
The trail opened up and allowed us a view of the other side of the canyon.
And a band of aspens below.
Which we eventually get to hike through.
Meh, the lighting isn’t the best but it is nice to see the aspens starting to show some color.
This shot to show the bizarre bending trees near the trail, as well as the roots. The trail was mostly easy, but you need to watch your footing.
Daytime moon.
During the summer this trail is almost overgrown, but in the fall, those plants start to shrivel up and also turn to vibrant fall colors.
Mount Timpanogos.
Another peak, I think this might be Arrowhead Peak, the waterfall is in that valley to it’s right.
The trail curves back in towards the mountain, and it is about to get a little on the steep side again.
And before long you get your first view of the waterfall. Plus the bonus side waterfall that I was unable to get to last time.
And a fantastic view of Sundance Valley.
There is a long section of steep rockslide area to pass through. I knew the slope was steep so I avoided looking down, but it didn’t bother me as bad as other trails have.
Best shot I have taken of the side waterfall.
Although it does go on a ways higher.
Stewart Cascades and some fall colors.
This is a great waterfall, although quite bizarre. The amount of water coming from the upper tier doesn’t seem to match what is coming out of the lower tier. It does fan out quite a bit, but it still just doesn’t seem right.
Detail of the lower tier.
With me for size.
Landis through the falls.
Close up of the spray.
Some people hike up above the lower tier. It’s tempting really, particularly since I want to see what is going on up there, but yea, the trail doesn’t look very safe.
I like the way this waterfall shoots off away from the cliff face.
I found a small hill that gave different angle of the entire falls.
And also allowed me to see into the bowl a little bit. This really made me reconsider that trail up to the ledge. From here it looks like water is just coming out everywhere, but still doesn’t fully explain the difference in water.
Well this is enlightening. You can see the waterfall from Google maps. It appears the upper tier (second from right) splits and goes down a side canyon not visible from the trail. That explains where the extra water is coming from! Also, this image shows at least 2 additional tiers you can’t see from below.
Great view downstream.
It was getting late and we didn’t want to get caught on the trail in the dark so with one last parting shot, we returned.
Returning up.
Nice leaf.
Back through the rock slide section. This time I managed to look up towards the cliffs above.
Random bucket of rocks with inspirational quotes? written on them. I ran into something similar on another hike… is this a thing? What is it? Why?
Bizarre tree.
Snow on the peaks above.
Decaying.
Aspens.
Even this late in the year the wildflowers are hanging on.
Mount Timpanogos again.
Panoramic view of the valleys below.
More aspens.
And back to the colorful ferns.
Looking up.
Stunning band of aspens.
This tree looks like a squid.
Little mushrooms.
Great aspens in front of the mountains.
Nice colorful section of trail.
View of Utah Lake from US-189 (DBP)
I loved this hike in the summer, and I love it in the fall. It has a few tough sections, but overall is a great easy trail through some amazing woods, with some fantastic views, ultimately ending at a great waterfall. I really enjoyed it, and I loved that I managed to get the waterfall to ourselves, oddly enough for such a popular trail. 10 Squirrels, even with the crowds.
If you have a full day, or even a couple of days and can camp there are a lot of exciting things to do. (some of which I have mentioned throughout the post) But here is a full list:
On the Alpine Loop: ($6.00 area use fee per car)
Timpanogos Cave ($7.50 per person)
Cascade Springs
In Provo Canyon
Plus many many other adventures including the Heber Valley and other areas I have yet to explore.
As I mentioned it is mostly an easy, flat trail. But there is a short up section towards the beginning, and a tough steep section towards the end. Finalizing on a DR3. (See my difficulty scale here).
As for dogs. I assumed this was watershed, so we didn’t bring Roxy. But, we saw loads of dogs on this trail. I didn’t think to check the trail head (no dog with us) but I imagine with as many as I saw, you are okay to bring Fido along with you.
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