Trip Summary
This adventure earns an easy rating — it's a beautiful hike that you can do with in a couple of hours that is about 3 miles long. The beginning has some steep sections, but the majority of the hike is pretty easy with some incredible views.
Essential Gear
- Good hiking shoes
- Water, especially if you do this in the summer
Getting There
For this hike you'll start at Glen Canyon Park which is located in Provo Canyon about 5 minutes into the canyon from the Provo end.
From the parking lot, you'll cross one of the bridges that goes over the Provo river and then walk through the park till you hit the Provo bike trail.
You should see a section of the bike trail that had a rock fall and has been closed off with a new route going around it. Right before that is a wooden utility pole where at the base is the dirt trail that takes you up into the mountains. This is the trailhead.
The Hike
The first part of the hike is the steepest and most challenging and lasts about a quarter to half a mile. As you follow the trail you will eventually hit the Bonneville Shoreline Trail that runs parallel with the canyon.
Here it can be easy to lose the trail since the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is wide and breaks up this section of the Glen Canyon Loop Trail. The continuation of the trail is not far from where you enter the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, but it is easy to miss since there is not a clear trail marker.
If you have doubts, you can go left after hitting the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and follow it about 40 feet and you hit a hump in the trail. At that bump look up towards the mountain and you should see a large upside-down j shaped pipe painted camoflage sticking out of the ground. Right behind that is a small trail that puts you on the right path.
Congratiulations, you are past the most confusing part of the trail and it's pretty straight forward from here on out. The trail remains steep for just a little longer and then you hit the edge of the bowl where the trail flattens out.
From here you will come across a fork in the trail, this hike is one big loop so you can go either direction. I personally like going right and taking the trail down and into the bowl.
Here is one of my favorite camping spots. It is wide open and beautiful. It feels like you are hundreds of miles from civilization, but you still have great cell service and your car is only a half mile a way. I definitely recommend camping here on a separate adventure.
You'll hike through the field at the bottom of the bowl and eventually hit the other side, from here you go up a light incline to the top of the bowl again and hike along the rim.
The trail will take you along the side of the rim that overlooks Provo Canyon and has a fantastic view. There are some great views in this hike but this is one of my favorite spots.
Eventually you will have made it all the way around and you'll find that same fork where you entered the loop. From here you hike back down the steep part of the trail, and luckily it's much harder to get lost coming down than it is going up.
Tips & Things to Know
- This hike is not too difficult, but it is pretty exposed so save it for the early morning or late evening if doing it in the summer
- I wouldn't take small kids on this hike unless you are carrying them. I think older kids could handle it if they are used to hiking.
- Although not super common, I have encountered rattlesnakes on this trail, especially in summer in the mornings. So be aware of your surroundings and excercise caution.