Stewarts Cascades, better known as Stewart Falls, is a 475-foot waterfall in Utah, pouring off the east side of Mount Timpanogos above Aspen Grove and Sundance in Utah County. The World Waterfall Database counts it among the tallest perennial waterfalls in the state, and a well-marked forest trail makes it a common family outing.
The falls
The water comes from a branch of the North Fork of the Provo River. Five falls of about 55, 85, 30, 200 and 35 feet, joined by cascades, drop 475 feet over roughly 560 feet of stream. From the trail most visitors see the main two tiers, which by themselves run over 200 feet. Older surveys put the height at 300 feet. The creek is partly spring fed, and flow drops sharply once the snow on Timpanogos has melted.
Getting there
Trail #056 starts at Aspen Grove on the Alpine Loop Road. It runs 3.6 miles out and back with 680 feet of gain and is rated intermediate; the path is wide and well marked, with a steep final descent to the base. A shorter route runs from Sundance Resort for resort guests.
Aspen Grove is in the Alpine Loop and American Fork Canyon fee area of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Parking at trailheads requires a recreation pass: $10 for three days, $20 for seven days or $60 a year, with America the Beautiful passes accepted. Driving the loop without stopping is free.
When to go
Early spring to mid-fall is the best season, with autumn color singled out. The trail is open all year, and some visitors snowshoe to the falls in winter, when there is avalanche danger. Flow is strongest while snow remains on the mountain.
On site
The trail ends at the base, where the spray is ice cold on a summer day. Climbing toward the first tier is discouraged because the ground is steep and sloping, and children should be kept close at the base and on the steep last stretch. In June 2025 a search and rescue team was called to help a hiker with an ankle injury who could not walk out.
History and name
The canyon below the falls was surveyed in the mid-1800s by Andrew Jackson Stewart Jr. and his sons, whose family held 2,200 acres there by 1911. In 1922 the Forest Service asked to build a trail across the family's land.
Nearby
Timpanogos Falls is about 1.5 miles away, Lost Creek Spring Falls about 2.5 miles, and Scout Falls in American Fork Canyon about 2.8 miles. Bridal Veil Falls is about 3.3 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.