Things to Do in American Fork

Benjamin Allen believes outdoor pursuits can positively influence those in need. This belief has led him all over the continent, building a ropes course for an orphanage in Mexico and setting up two courses for troubled youth at Provo Canyon School, a bit closer to home. Wanting to share his knowledge of nature with the public, he set up a course, CLAS Ropes Course, near Utah Lake nearly 20 years ago. Benjamin and his crew have since erected more than 50 ropes courses around the country, continuing to inspect ropes and train others how to run them.

CLAS Ropes Course continues to grow each year, creating obstacles such as a giant swing that releases passengers 40 feet in the air, a 400-foot zipline that whizzes through forest canopy, and a "leap of faith," where adventure seekers jump from a treetop platform to a trapeze. A log balance beam hung 30 feet above the ground and a 24-foot-tall rock-climbing tower test agility and endurance, and a fleet of 20 canoes lets paddlers navigate a mile and a half of river. Many of these structures play host to team-building activities focused on developing a group's creativity and tolerance for hearing one another sing. Staff members tailor their instruction to families, dating groups, or athletic teams. They often apply their approach to athletes, such as a professional golfer who traveled all the way from Texas hoping to conquer her fear of not qualifying for tournaments. She defeated the log balance beam, departed victorious, and qualified during her next tryout two weeks later.

Though it began as a snowmobiling tour group in the early 1980s, the family owners of High Country Adventure quickly expanded their territory to the water, the trails, and the forest canopy. Conducting most of their trips on a 6-mile stretch of the lower Provo River and a 12-mile canyon-clad expanse of the Weber River, High Country's guides encourage locals and visitors alike to explore the area's rugged terrain and take in the natural treasures made possible by its ecosystem. The company frequently puts this love of the environment into practice, urging catch-and-release during fishing excursions and often lending their gear to others for trips down the river to collect drifting garbage.

The group's more than 20 guides lead rafting trips down the Provo River's class I and II rapids or the Weber River's class II and III rapids, pointing out local flora and fauna as well as unique rock formations along the way. Combination trips set out on a mountain train ride before rafting commences or add ziplining to a day of rafting, sending guests out of water and sweeping through overhead tree canopies over the Provo River. Prospective guides with High Country Adventures commit to internalizing the local rivers and terrain on their own before they're trusted with leading groups, ensuring each one knows how to handle excursion variables and what the river gods' favorite appeasing snack is on Tuesdays.

Mountains echo with the clicking of hooves on rocks as mountain vegetation waves in the breeze and the sun glistens on snow-dappled trails. Schools of fish scatter as a pair of slick rubber boots parts the waters—a fisher wading through thick river sediment before casting a line into the current. Rocky Mountain Outfitters' experienced outdoorsmen usher customers through all manner of seasonal wilderness adventures, including fly-fishing on the Provo River, snowmobile tours, and horseback riding along mountain trails. Many tours run through Soldier Hollow Valley, which played host to the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Visitors may encounter roving wildlife such as snow rabbits, moose, and fawns frolicking through varied landscapes for memorable photo ops or police sketch-artist renderings. Adventure packages combine more than one outdoor activity and include the Reins and Train adventure, a role-playing tour that merges a train trip with a horseback trail ride. Depending on the season, guests can board traditional wagons or horse-drawn sleighs towed by teams of clydesdales, belgians, and spotted draft, or they can lasso free-range dinner rolls during Old West–style outdoor meals.

Walking into Creativity Art Studio is like walking into a sunset. Eyes fill with the golden and maroon hues of the walls, which foster tranquility in the mind so that students can explore their thoughts and express their dreams. Amid the colors, shelves of ceramics and painting supplies equip artists-in-training before they sit and let their imaginations travel across their chosen canvas with the guidance of a creative and adept staff.

Experienced creators can spread their wings solo, while those dipping their toes into artistic waters for the first time can use a stock of stencils. After each masterpiece has been touched up with its final details, staff experts guide patrons through the finishing process, whether that be waiting for the paint to dry or determining the best way to sneak sculptures into a museum display. Ceramic pieces stay behind for a glaze and stint in the studio's kiln, to ensure a lustrous piece that can be picked up roughly a week later.

Cascade Golf Center pairs an 18-hole golf course with 54 holes of miniature golf, inviting golfers of all stripes to enjoy the challenges of the game. Sculpted into the rolling terrain of surrounding foothills, the 6,055-yard course begins with the relatively flat land of the front-nine Valley Course before plotting an oscillating path over the back-nine Mountain Course, where clubbers must contend with elevation changes and the shrill tones of displaced Bavarian yodelers during backswings. As golfers traverse the course, crests give way to scenic views of snowcapped mountains and distant Utah Lake.

The Center’s miniature-golf courses include two obstacle-ridden, 18-hole courses and an 18-hole, natural-grass putting course designed for focused practice. Those looking for conventional putt-putt pleasure can steer shots past the waterfalls and streams that hug The Falls, or sink two-putts among the inventive rock formations and evergreen corridors of The Arches. The natural-turf putting course eschews exotic obstacles in favor of sloped greens hemmed by a cut of rough that, combined, resembles a small golf course or the front lawn of an overenthusiastic landscaper.

Max Zipline's tours and expeditions illuminate the beauty of Provo Canyon from riverbed to treetop. Zip lines send airborne tourists careening over tree and field, with mid- and high-speed courses all ending at wooden platforms manned by professional guides. In the valley, the Heber Valley Railroad winds through the glacier-carved canyon as riders snap pictures of Mt. Timpanogos.