Utah County tourism partners gather to clean at Bridal Veil Falls
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- Volunteers shovel ash out of fire pits and grills during a Bridal Veil Falls cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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- An Explore Utah Valley volunteer cuts tree branches during a Bridal Veil Falls cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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- Volunteers Jennifer and Ryan Crafts fill a wheelbarrow during a Bridal Veil Falls cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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- A volunteer fills a trash bag with tree trimmings during a Bridal Veil Falls cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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- A sign designating the upper Bridal Veil Falls picnic area is seen during a cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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- Members of Explore Utah Valley pick up trash during a Bridal Veil Falls cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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- Tree branches and trimming tools lie in the bed of a U.S. Forest Service truck during a Bridal Veil Falls cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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- Explore Utah Valley members and volunteers pose for a photo during a Bridal Veil Falls cleanup event Thursday, May 16, 2024.
Now that spring is in full swing, recreation spaces like Bridal Veil Falls will see thousands of visitors over the coming months. In efforts to help maintain the environment, dozens of volunteers spent part of Thursday morning with trash bags, tree-trimming tools and work gloves in hand for a cleanup service project in the upper Bridal Veil Falls day use area.
The event was hosted by Explore Utah Valley with help from volunteers within their partnering agencies in the tourism and hospitality industries across Utah County. The crew was guided by members of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pleasant Grove Ranger District.
Ryan Crafts, chief operating officer at Culinary Crafts, a catering and events company in Pleasant Grove, along with wife Jennifer were tasked with shoveling out the firepits in the grills along the grassy area. Both worked to stuff trash bags with old ash, rocks and burnt-up nails, in which a discovery was made.
“I didn’t ever understand why they tell you to not burn pallets but it’s because they’re full of nails and they tear up the trash bags and they make it a nightmare to clean up,” Ryan Crafts said.
The couple lives near the mouth of Provo Canyon and often run, hike and bike in the area. “This is home, this is where we play. We ski at Sundance and mountain bike just right on that opposite side of that wall over there. And so it just made sense to come and help and clean up,” Ryan Crafts told the Daily Herald.
Taking part in tidying up a portion of the grassy picnic area has encouraged them to come back for family recreating. “It’s just exciting to have ownership of a place that we see and now even know more about, and we’re really excited to bring our kids, grill some hot dogs and roast s’mores,” Jennifer Crafts said.
While the Craftses filled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow with trash bags, others picked up debris and waste along the Provo River banks, trimmed tree branch limbs that were formed in a pile to be hauled off by U.S. Forest Service rangers, or simply moved large rocks away from areas where someone may get injured.
“We don’t want our visitors to come and see a lot of trash or have dangerous areas that they’re trying to navigate. We want them to have a positive experience and and share that experience with others,” Explore Utah Valley Executive Director Lee Adamson said.
Though the scenic attraction is owned by Utah County, preserving its beauty and sustainability is a collective effort.
Cody Chamberlain is the volunteer coordinator for the Pleasant Grove Ranger District with the U.S. Forest Service. He emphasized the vital role citizens play in environmental conservation: “It proves the recreational quality for everyone that comes after to visit the site. It’s a huge amount of help.”
Kelsey Backus Benson, community relations manager for Explore Utah Valley, calls the upper Bridal Veil Falls area a hidden gem and encourages visitors to recreate responsibly. “Make sure to pack in what you pack out and don’t take away things that will inhibit other people’s beauty,” Backus Benson told the Daily Herald of the area surrounded by bridges overlooking the Provo River and asphalt trails.
Explore Utah Valley hosts service projects several times a year, usually about a once a quarter. In the meantime, those interested in volunteer work at Bridal Veil Falls are encouraged to contact the U.S. Forest Service Pleasant Grove Ranger District.
