Bridal Veil Falls

In late 2020, Bridal Veil Falls — an iconic 607-foot waterfall in Provo Canyon, Utah County — was thrust into the spotlight when a private development proposal emerged that threatened to transform the site into an aerial tram and exclusive lodge with a helipad at the top. The proposal, submitted by local businessman Richard Losee and his partners, included offers to purchase or lease the county’s 21-acre land parcel near the falls for up to $2.5 million as part of a commercial project. The plan garnered early interest and discussions with county staff and at least one commissioner, raising concerns among residents that the landmark might be privatized or significantly altered.

As the possibility of development became public, local residents, outdoor advocates, and civic leaders mobilized to preserve the landmark. Citizen participation surged during a public hearing held by the Utah County Commission that lasted several hours and included passionate testimony from hikers, climbers, students, professors, and mayors of nearby cities urging protection of the falls for future generations.

First to learn of the potential sale of Bridal Veil Falls was Mark Allen who learned via GRAMA records requests, the public was unaware of some private discussions about the potential sale of this iconic publically loved area. Allen immediately began advocating for preservation, leveraging the Protect and Preserve American Fork Canyon social media presence. Nearly overnight others joined in on the effort and Allen then reached out to Wendy Fisher and subsequently Utah County Commissioners. Allen helped elevate public engagement and transparency around the issue, encouraging residents to participate and urging elected leaders to protect public access to Bridal Veil Falls — a natural site valued for its scenic beauty and recreation. In the lead-up to the decisive vote, Commissioners Nathan Ivie and Tanner Ainge were already committed to preservation, with Ivie calling for the hearing and championing a conservation easement in his final days in office and Ainge publicly supporting measures to lock the falls into permanent conservation.

At the December 9, 2020 Utah County Commission meeting, all three commissioners — including Bill Lee, Ivie, and Ainge — voted unanimously to place a conservation easement on the Bridal Veil Falls property. This action ensured that the land around the waterfall would be preserved in perpetuity and transferred stewardship responsibilities to Utah Open Lands, a nonprofit land trust dedicated to protecting open space. The conservation easement prohibits future private commercial development of the falls site, keeping it open and free for public use and enjoyment.

Wendy Fisher of Utah Open Lands was instrumental in the process by bringing expertise and conservation funding to frame a stable and legally robust easement that would protect the landmark. Utah Open Lands now holds the easement, which bars private development and binds all future stewards of the land to preserve and manage it for public benefit.

Although a lawsuit was later filed by the developer seeking to overturn the conservation easement, that challenge was withdrawn, leaving the preservation measures intact and Bridal Veil Falls protected as a symbol of community action and open-space stewardship.

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