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Bridal Veil Falls (Utah)
Encyclopedia
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
in the south end of Provo Canyon
Provo Canyon
Provo Canyon is a canyon located in unincorporated Utah County, Utah, USA and Wasatch County, Utah. Provo Canyon splits between Mount Timpanogos on the north and Mount Cascade on the south. The canyon extends from Orem on the west end to Heber City on the east. The canyon's main thoroughfare is...
, in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. An aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
service to the top of the falls was built in 1967 and the small, six-passenger tramway functioned as a recreational attraction and as the only access (except via helicopter) to a restaurant built by Groneman Construction situated on a cliff at the top of the falls until an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
destroyed the tram in early 1996. (This was the second major avalanche to destroy the tram. The tram and visitor center were rebuilt after the first avalanche, but after the second disaster, its ruins were left there. In July 2008, a fire burned the ruins, and very little remains. In August 2008, the tram line was cut down. When the tramway was in operation prior to the 1996 avalanche, it was heralded as the "world's steepest aerial tramway," although that claim is difficult to ascertain. The falls were a featured point along the route of the Heber Creeper tourist train until the train discontinued its service past the falls. The train tracks in front of the falls were removed and converted into a recreational trail. Now the falls and a small park just west of the falls (Bridal Veil Park) can also be accessed via U.S. Highway 189.
