Lower falls
Even if I have to give up the distant vistas, there are rewards for climbing everywhere at hand. The autumn colors on the trees are explosive. And despite the drought, the falls are running strong.
Tracking water on Mount Timpanogos is a frustrating experience. In the lower valley the trail runs alongside the streambed, but it is dry. Then the trail climbs away from the valley floor, and suddenly a strong stream is cascading over a set of very spectacular falls. Clamber down to the valley floor and you'll see this stream simply disappear into the rocks of the streambed. Climb up through the heavy brush and you'll see the stream flowing over a series of short sheer step-like cliffs. But when you actually begin working your way through the area immediately above those cliffs, there is no stream. Only a dry stream bed that continues all the way to Emerald Lake.