UTAH COUNTY, Utah — It’s one of many places in Utah’s great outdoors that inspires and leaves us in awe. But between its rocky cliffs and the crowds it attracts, Bridal Veil Falls can become dangerous, too.

Just this week, two search and rescue operations have been executed there.

With the sunny days and familiar sounds of summer upon us this Memorial Day weekend, that means adventure awaits for many.

Changes proposed by the Utah County Government

“To just be surrounded by mountains and outdoor recreation is just amazing,” said Nolan Belnap, who lives in Lindon.

School is out locally and with Monday off, places like Bridal Veil Falls become a magnet for visitors from around the country.

“Las Vegas, New York, she has family from Louisiana,” said Michael Desio, who visited the falls with his wife Patricia Friday evening.

As bikers, walkers and even strollers take to the Provo River Trail, this popular spot gets bottlenecked.

A narrow, makeshift bridge spans the base of the falls and causes congestion issues – county leaders have noticed.

“Our biggest problem is the conflict between bikers and walkers, especially at the base of the falls,” said Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran.

So, Commissioner Beltran says they’re seeking more local control through a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service that could allow them to make safety improvements.

“We proposed moving the bikers onto a bridge to the other side closer to the freeway,” Commission Beltran said.

He says that would make the closer viewing area pedestrian-only, while letting bicycle traffic go around and safely re-enter the pathway downriver.

Many also take the risk of climbing or going up user trails. Even locals like Patricia Desio from American Fork can’t help looking for the perfect angle for a photo.

“I don’t have my best hiking shoes but I wanted to get close to get a good shot,” she said.

So the changes may not just be limited to the base of the falls. Commissioner Beltran says they’re also looking at improvements for those visitors who are feeling a bit more adventurous.

“People get stuck and fall and have injuries there, so part of our plan is to make it more of an official trail,” said Commissioner Beltran, noting it would take visitors up to a viewing area at the middle of the falls.

The Desio’s say it would give them more comfort, as the ideas offer a chance to see something they’ve admired for years – closer and safer.

“We definitely like hiking so we would love to do something like that,” Michael said.

“I think it’s beautiful, it never gets old,” Patricia added.

Commissioner Beltran says there’s no current timeline for these improvements. They’re hopeful they could get to work as soon as this summer, but he notes it all hinges on the land deal.

The Farmington native made program history after advancing as an individual in the NCAA regionals.

The Captain is headed to California.

Ute golfer Braxton Watts is set to represent the University of Utah in the 2025 men’s NCAA Championships this week in Carlsbad, Calif.

With his berth this season, the Farmington native is now the fourth Utah golfer in program history to compete as an individual in the NCAA Championships three times. Utah alums Dustin Pimm, Kyler Dunkle and Tristan Mandur are the only others to achieve the feat.

The Utes fell short in their Bremerton, Wash., regional last week. But Watts’ first-place finish at Gold Mountain Golf Course earned him a spot in the championships.

“This team has a lot of heart, and they don’t know how to quit,” Utah golf head coach Garrett Clegg said. “We gave it everything to try to advance [as a team] but we just couldn’t get it done. I’m so happy for Braxton. He played incredible golf this week and it’s great that he will finish his season at the NCAA championships. It’s really incredible what the team did during this season, they’re truly a special group.”

Watts, also known as “The Captain,” debuted in the NCAA Championships during the 2022 season while the Utes placed fifth at the Norman regional. Last season, following Utah’s fourth-place finish in the Austin regional, Watts advanced again to the championship round for the second time in his career.

Despite the Utes not making the cut last season, Watts continued on to the fourth round in the championships and finished tied for 27th on the individual leaderboard.

This year, the Ute senior had to tally the best score of any non-individual in the 2025 NCAA regionals to advance to the championships.

He went even on day one of the event. On the second day, he stormed back with a 6-under 67 to keep the Utes within a pair of strokes of fifth place. Watts’ dominance continued the next day. He opened his final round with back-to-back birdies. On the back nine, the senior played bogey-free golf and added four more birdies to climb into first place.

Heading into the championships, Watts ranks as the fifth-seeded individual golfer of the tournament, where he’ll be grouped with the other five golfers who posted the best individual score at their respective regionals and have a non-advancing team.

How to watch

Dates: May 23-28

Where: Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

Watch: Golf Channel (May 26-28)

Live Scoring: Scoreboard

Team seeding (NCAA ranking)

1. Auburn (1)

2. Oklahoma State (2)

3. Ole Miss (3)

4. Texas (4)

5. Arizona State (5)

6. Oklahoma (6)

7. Florida (7)

8. Florida State (9)

9. Virginia (10)

10. Texas A&M (11)

11. Illinois (12)

12. UCLA (14)

13. Vanderbilt (16)

14. BYU (19)

15. South Carolina (20)

16. Pepperdine (21)

17. Georgia (22)

18. Tennessee (23)

19. Texas Tech (24)

20. Georgia Tech (26)

21. South Florida (27)

22. Colorado (29)

23. UNLV (31)

24. Purdue (36)

25. San Diego (39)

26. Wake Forest (40)

27. New Mexico (42)

28. Troy (46)

29. California (49)

30. Augusta (93)

Individual seeding

1. Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame

2. Hunter Thomson, Michigan

3. Bryan Kim, Duke

4. Claes Borregaard, Kennesaw State

5. Braxton Watts, Utah

6. Sakke Siltal, Texas State

The Utah Jazz have four selections, 5, 21, 43, and 53, in the June 25th NBA Draft. Because of this, they’ll be able to cast a wide net of players that they could select to add to their team next season.

That has led to an exciting and busy time for fans as we wade through the waters and search for who the team could select. Next up on our list is Liam McNeeley, the forward from Connecticut who could surprisingly be available at 21.

Stats: 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 38.1% FG, 31.7% 3P, 86.6% FT

Draft Range: Middle to late first round

A year ago, I pleaded for the Jazz to go up and get a different UConn Husky in Stephon Castle. 12 months later, the Jazz could have a different player from Dan Hurley’s team fall right into their laps with their second pick in the first round.

McNeeley is a big wing standing at 6’8 and 215 pounds. Your opinion of him likely comes down to how you view his shot. Billed as an elite shooter, McNeeley shot under 32% from deep on the year despite his reputation. On top of that, his athletic limitations led to struggles within the arc as well.

I do believe in McNeeley as a shooter. His form is picturesque, he has a quick release, he shot nearly 87% from the charity stripe, and his reputation as a knock-down shooter all give me confidence in him becoming a spacing weapon at the next level.

While the shot is the main draw to McNeeley, he’s more than just a shooter. He’s a smart passer with the upside to operate as a high feel connector or secondary playmaker as he develops. While I don’t see him turning into a high-usage guy, he’s intelligent and makes winning plays for his team offensively.

McNeeley is also a solid rebounder for a wing. Because of his above-average rebounding and size, I wonder if McNeeley will be at his best as a floor-spacing power forward at the next level. Some of the higher-end outcomes I can see for McNeeley would be Nets forward Cam Johnson and former Jazzman Bojan Bogdanovic.

Both Johnson and Bogdanovic make their money as floor spacers. They’re the same height as McNeeley, have similar athletic limitations, and are not heralded for their defense.

Speaking of defense, I wouldn’t say it’s a strength for McNeeley. His steal and block numbers in college were startlingly low. He doesn’t possess the foot speed to stay in front of drivers, and, while he is tall, his 6’8 wingspan isn’t impacting many plays.

Overall, if McNeeley is available at 21, he could certainly be in play for the Jazz. A projectable shooter, McNeeley will need to become more reliable and consistent from deep, but NBA guards should manufacture easier looks for him. If he does enough elsewhere, he could carve out a long NBA career. 

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