Canyon Care: Conserve Utah Valley, community partners host sixth-annual Slate Canyon Saturday
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- BYU professor Riley Nelson teaches kids about the species in Slate Canyon on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Provo.
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- People weed at Slate Canyon on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Provo.
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- People weed at Slate Canyon on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Provo.
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- Conserve Utah Valley hosts “Slate Canyon Saturday,” on April 18, 2026, in Provo.
Historically, Slate Canyon was considered by some to be the forgotten canyon in the city of Provo.
While residents took advantage of recreation opportunities in Provo and Rock canyons, the mouth of Slate Canyon, once home to the city landfill, remained a spot where people would go and dump their trash, according to Kristina Davis, a member of the Conserve Utah Valley advisory board.
“It had become a big problem over the last several decades,” she said. “There were often old couches, old water heaters, old cabinets, all left at the trails and foothills. So it had a lot of challenges, and the beauty of it wasn’t always recognized.”
In 2020, a neighborhood initiative was started to clean up the canyon. It grew a year later into “Slate Canyon Saturday,” where Conserve Utah Valley, Provo City and other partners teamed up to make improvements to the canyon and educate people about it.
The sixth-annual Slate Canyon Saturday was held last weekend, the latest chapter in what Davis considers a successful campaign.
“The last six years have been amazing,” she said. “Provo City made improvements, and the citizens have come together. They’ve cleaned the trails. They’ve enhanced the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, they’ve widened the parking lot, and the more time people spend there at the canyon, the more they realize what a treasure it is.”
Saturday included a large turnout from community partners. Conserve Utah Valley’s director of volunteer outreach, Maria Davis, said Grow the Flow, Utah County Birders, Utah Native Plant Society, Dean Life Science Museum, Bike Walk Provo, Provo Sustainability Commission, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Engage Forum and the American Chemical Society were all in attendance.
“There was so much energy, and it felt very hopeful to have so many people in one place,” Maria Davis said. “We’re passionate about conservation, and we’re working so hard.”
Volunteers worked to prepare the canyon for its first revegetation efforts in more than a decade by weeding the area and picking up trash, Kristina Davis said. For six years, CUV has worked to remove an invasive species called Myrtle Spurge, which has come in and outcompeted the native plants in the area. They also worked Saturday on removing cheatgrass, which is a huge fire risk and takes resources away from native plants, she said.
In the fall, groups from Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University will collect and restore native grasses and plants to the mouth of the canyon under the guidance of Provo Park and Recreation, similar to what was done last year in Rock Canyon, Kristina Davis said.
Also on Saturday, the city made enhancements to its bike skills course in the canyon, and several educational activities were held by the attending partners. The Bean Museum brought animals to show off, the Utah County Birders spoke on the bird species in Rock Canyon, and BYU professor Riley Nelson took a group on a field trip to show the interrelationships between insects and plants in the canyon.
“There are lots of things going on that aren’t obvious to the initial observer, but when you get to know the plants and animals of the canyon and the insects and who’s feeding what and what their needs are, then it helps you appreciate the systems that are cycling there,” Kristina Davis said.
Maria Davis said the clean-up efforts taken are well worth it to preserve an access point into the wilderness.
“Overlooking or treating carelessly places like Slate Canyon is such a missed opportunity,” she said. “And so I appreciate groups that have enough foresight to see a place like this and see what it could be to serve the community.”
