Little Deer Creek Autumn

Beautiful red and gold autumn colors blanket the banks of Little Deer Creek in Utah's Wasatch Mountains

Little Deer Creek Autumn

High up in the Wasatch mountains of Utah, near the Cascade Springs main parking lot you will find a dirt road that follows the Provo Deer Creek as she makes her way to the Provo river and on to Utah Lake.

This beautiful little stream, home to wild brook trout, carries needed water from the beautiful Cascade Springs which is part of the National forest service, to the plants and wildlife that live here.

Beautiful in every season of the year this area is particularly beautiful in the autumn, yellow, gold, red, and orange decorate the canyon, and the banks of the stream where beautiful dogwoods grow, turning red, and orange in the autumn.

At certain times of the year you will find Moose, and deer watering and feeding along the stream, taking advantage of the lush plants that grow along the banks.

The canyon walls are steep, and not a lot of sunlight makes its way to the canyon floor except at high noon, making this a cool pleasant place to fish, picknick, or just sit and enjoy the peaceful silence.

One of these autumn evenings my wife and I packed up a picnic and my photo equipment and headed out in the side by side to see what beauty would be present along the stream, near the end of the road as it travels down the canyon this beautiful little stream was surrounded by autumn colors, I took several photos, then as my wife and I sat there enjoying the coolness of fall, and of course the picnic we had packed we talked about how peaceful and quiet, and so close to home.

The beautiful red dogwoods stand in contrast to the lush green watercress that also grows along the banks, protected by the cascading water the watercress has not turned yellow waiting for winters coat to cover the ground.

Red Dogwoods, and Maples add just the right touch of color to the moving waters of Little Deer Creek, even a fallen log adds the right look

Cascade springs can be accessed from the Provo canyon by taking the turnoff for Sundance ski area via RT 92 part of the Alpine loop scenic byway then turning left onto FR 114, don’t worry it’s a paved two lane road, as you travel east you will come to the upper parking lot of Cascade springs, there are restrooms here, and a paved trail that will take you down through the spring system, traveling further east then south you will come to the main parking lot, and again more paved trails that lead you to a boardwalk that meanders through the spring system. As you walking along the the boardwalk you will find plaques that have been set up to identify the different plants and animals that live in this little paradise.

Then you can access Cascade springs from American fork, just look for the road that leads to the Timpanogos cave national monument visitor center, this road, also part of the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, highway RT 92 travels east through American fork canyon giving views to the craigy rocks on the canyon walls, and then up higher you get some spectacular views of Timpanogos, jewel of the Wasatch.  As you continue on the Alpine loop you will make a RH turn onto Forest road 114 which of course takes you to the upper parking lot of Cascade springs.

The third way to get to this beautiful spot is to take the Cascade scenic drive which begins just north of the Soldier hollow state park golf course, and is in the little town of Stringtown near Midway Utah. This is a graveled road, but plans are to pave it to make it more accessible to get to Cascade springs, and onto Alpine Utah, or Sundance. Then there is the long way, you can take Snake creek road just north of the Wasatch mountain state park golf course in the north of Midway Utah, this road is rough, gravel, and makes its way up the canyon where it joins with the Cummings pkwy, on this route you have to make several connections to get to Cascade springs, it is a beautiful road, and hard to get lost on, but you may make a few wrong turns, don’t worry in the summer I amd sure someone will be along to direct you onto the correct road.

Whichever way you choose to travel to Cascade springs you will not be disappointed by the beautiful views, and the wildlife that you will find along the way.

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