Throughout the month of May the City of Provo, The Provo Bicycle Collective, and Bike Walk Provo will be celebrating National Bike Month with tons of fun events. National Bike Month was established in 1956 and aims to get more people out on their bikes and to show the benefits of cycling. 

The events of Provo Bike Month cover all aspects of cycling: maintenance, bike friendly infrastructure, social connection, commuting, fun, and exploration. Check out some of the highlighted events below and head over to the Provo Bike Month 2022 website to see the full list of events.

Re-Imagine Timpview Drive Project. 5/6 @ 6 PM & 5/7 @ 7 PM. Rock Canyon Elementary.

This two day event focuses on re-imagining our streets to be more bike & pedestrian friendly. On Friday evening (5/6 @ 6 PM) join Bike Walk Provo and Provo City Engineering in installing temporary bike & pedestrian friendly infrastructure along Timpview drive like a colorful painted crosswalk & landscaping protected bike lanes & traffic islands. Volunteers will be served a BBQ dinner. RSVP to the Friday service project on Facebook.

Then the following evening (5/7 @ 7 PM) gather for a block party to see the the fruits of the volunteers' labor, take a design tour of the features, and enjoy some treats. RSVP to the Saturday party on Facebook.

FFUFR (Fun, Fun Underground Forest Race). 5/14 @ 6:30 PM. Mt. Timpanogos Bike Skills Park.

Bring your helmet and sense of fun for a ridiculous race at the Timpanogos Bike Skills Park for all ages and abilities. Bikes will be provided by the Provo Bike Collective. There will also be a BBQ, please bring a side. Racing is not required, spectators welcome.

Evening Social Ride - Bike to the Movie & Bike-In Movie. 5/27 @ 7 PM & 8 PM. Provo Bike Collective & Lions Park.

Meet at the Provo Bike Collective at 7 PM for a social ride to the Napoleon Dynamite Bike-In Movie at Lions Grove Park at 8 PM.

As the Spring semester wraps up Wolverines are looking to get out into the great outdoors this summer. With thirteen National Parks, Monuments, Recreational Areas, Historical Parks, and Historic Trails Utah certainly has a lot to offer without venturing far.

Some of these Utah Parks like Zion National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are among the most visited of the 400+ parks in the National Park System. The rise of social media and pandemic travel restrictions have contributed to historic park visitation. What do these historic numbers mean for the Parks?

The most obvious consequences are crowding & traffic. Crowds of tourists at viewpoints all trying to get the same picture and miles of cars queuing to get into the park have environmental impacts like increased vehicle emissions & trail erosion on trails to famous attractions. There is also something to be said about the diminished experience of visiting a natural area crowded with vehicles and other people.

Along trails there can be significant secondary impacts like litter and foot traffic damage to ecosystems like the delicate roots of Giant Sequoias or the cryptobiotic soil crusts of Glen Canyon. These impacts become more significant with more visitors especially with more first time visitors who may not be aware of best practices like Leave No Trace.

At camp sites, trail heads, & the backcountry there are increasing impacts from human waste & litter. Illegal & abandoned fires are also an area of concern at camp sites & in the backcountry, especially in the West.

As you consider heading out to one of Utah's National Parks this summer help minimize these impacts by brushing up on the Leave No Trace 7 Principles, making sure you plan ahead, and consider making the trip to less visited parks. For example instead of visiting Horseshoe Bend try Goosenecks State Park. Instead of Zion or Arches National Park visit Capitol Reef National Park, home to UVU's Capitol Reef Field Station. Enjoy your summer adventures in our beautiful outdoors and take care to preserve these spaces for others and future generations.