Slate Canyon Park

Easy access, paved parking lot and restroom at trail head. First part of trail (a mile or so) is basically a rocky road, but keep climbing and it becomes more of a trail. It is steep: We gained 2900 ft of elevation in ~3 miles. It was still early May, so there was still quite a bit of snow up at the top and we couldn't make the connection over to an adjacent trail. This is a hiking trail. We were hoping to find more of a running trail, but you're not going to run much of this trail, at least not up. We could only run about 1/3 of the way, I think you'd have to be an ultra-runner to run the whole way up. Once you get back up in there, it feels like a different world, like you're hundreds of miles from civilization. Great views!

This is an underrated canyon so it is not visited nearly as much as it's crowded cousin, Rock canyon. The trail up the canyon is very steep but is surrounded by a rugged beauty of soaring, mostly inaccessible peaks. The trail to the right is nice for a short walk (but fades off from construction & does not continue after a while). The trail to the left is Bonneville shoreline trail and is a well-maintained trail leading to the start of the Y-trail.

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is the perfect place for a short easy hike. From the slate canyon parking lot it's about 2 miles to the Y parking lot. There are bees along the trail and there's a beehive in one of the gates you pass through on the trail. If you're allergic to bees I recommend bringing your EpiPen, we always do. Also, watch out for snakes. I've seen snakes on this trail three days in a row this week Great view of the valley though. The Slate Canyon trail is pretty steep at beginning. It is gorgeous in spring and early summer but can get really hot the later you go in the year. It's a really nice trail for hiking, but I wouldn't recommend going mountain biking here just because of how steep it is and all of the loose rocks, there are much more enjoyable places to go.

Slate Canyon is pretty and is usually less crowded than other hiking trails. However it's not one of my favorites as the scenery is not incredibly stunning.

This park is a beautiful addition to Provo's park system. It provides access to yet another scenic vista overlooking Utah Valley, as well as prime hiking trails up Slate Canyon and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This park did not exist in my youth, but I'm glad it is here now to share with my kids.