Massive rock fall closes Bridal Veil Falls trail until at least spring
by Annette Campbell ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- A massive rockfall near Bridal Veil Falls closed part of the Provo Canyon Trail.
- Boulders the size of cars narrowly missed visitors Nov. 1, damaging the trail.
- Officials expect the trail to reopen in late spring or early summer next year.
PROVO — A massive rockfall near Bridal Veil Falls forced the closure of part of the Provo Canyon Trail on Friday after boulders the size of cars crashed down the mountainside, narrowly missing visitors.
Bailee Hamilton said she had just moved away from the area when the rocks came tumbling down.
"It was like a real-life moment," Hamilton said. "I feel like I was in 'Jurassic Park' or 'Indiana Jones' with the rock coming down."
Hamilton's video of the rock fall quickly gained attention online, with some viewers questioning whether it was real.
"I did not use AI to make that," she said. "It absolutely looks larger than life, but it's all real."
North Fork Fire Chief Dave Marsella said rock slides are not uncommon in the canyon, but Friday's event was unusual because of the size of the debris.
"It is not uncommon to have rock slides around here, but the one on Friday involved very large rocks," Marsella said. "Some of them car-size."
Officials said the area remains hazardous because additional rocks, trees and brush continue to come down from the slope.
"The danger is not only the rocks like we had," Marsella said. "There are rocks continuing to fall as well as trees and brush are also coming down as well."
The rockfall damaged a section of pavement on the Provo Canyon Trail, prompting Utah County officials to close the area surrounding Bridal Veil Falls.
Richard Nielson, director of Utah County Public Works, said crews assessed the damage Friday and determined the trail could not safely reopen until repairs are completed.
"The reason we made the decision to close the area is that it damaged the pavement on the trail," Nielson said. "Even if we get the rocks and debris out of the way, we'd still have to go in and repave the trail before we could open it back up."
The closure comes just days before the section of trail was already scheduled to shut down for the winter because of avalanche concerns.
"That planned closure was going to happen on Nov. 1 anyway," Nielson said.
Crews will remove debris and repave the damaged portion of the trail before reopening it, which Nielson expects will happen in late spring or early summer next year.
While small rock falls occur regularly in Provo Canyon, officials said an event of this magnitude is rare.
"We do get avalanches more than we get the rock falls," Nielson said. "We get small rock falls frequently, but a big one like this is more rare. Last time it happened was about 20 years ago."
Officials said visitors can still view Bridal Veil Falls from the upper overlook area, but the trail below the falls will remain closed until the area is deemed safe.
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