Provo Municipal Airport - Spotting Guide

Provo Municipal Airport – Spotting Guide

August 23, 2021 - last modified on December 5, 2023

Provo Municipal Airport is located two miles west of Provo, Utah, on the edge of Utah Lake. Allegiant currently serves five cities from Provo (Phoenix, Tuscon, Denver, Los Angeles, and Orange County), and charters for local university sports teams are fairly common. Check BYU football for good estimates of when these charters might show up. Allegiant will also add flights Phoenix Skyharbor (in addition to Phoenix Mesa) and St. Petersburg, Florida in October 2021. The airport averages about three commercial flights a day, and new four-gate terminal is scheduled to open in the summer of 2022.

Dike Trail Overview: The Dike Trail runs around most of the airport. And has a wire fence that is very camera friendly. Since vehicles (with the exception of those belonging to the tower controllers) are no longer allowed on the trail, some walking or biking is required to get in position, but the backgrounds are well worth the effort. The local sheriff is occasionally out on the trail making sure people are aware of the trail rules, but this is pretty rare, and they’ll give you a very friendly warning if you’re in violation of any rules. The trail is not paved south of the tower, so that area gets pretty muddy after rain or snowfall. The first mile or so from the trail entrance by the airport facilities is currently a construction zone for the new terminal being built, so you might not be able to access the trail from there at any given time. There are a few different points along the trail that work for different angles and backgrounds on both arriving and departing aircraft. The line represents the trail in its entirety, with some notable points along the trail marked to get you in the right area. Some sample photos are taken a couple hundred feet away from the exact locations marked.

Written by Michael Rodeback (follow him on Instagram). Last Update for all Spots: February 2022

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
13/31	2.622 m (8.603 ft)
18/36	2.022 m (6.628 ft)
Terminals	There is only one passenger terminal here handling all activities.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed as the fence at the trail (1-3) is lowered.
Car/Public Transport	Some sort of vehicle is necessary most of the time. UTA bus routes do service the main facilities at the airport, but these are not frequent and do not access the majority of the airport’s locations.
Drinks/Food	Unavailable with the exception of the terminal.
Hotels	The nearest hotels are a few miles away near the freeway, downtown Provo, or on campus at BYU.
Season	Excellent year round.
Security	We’ve never had any trouble with any form of security whatsoever. Just remember to use your common sense.
Runway Usage
13/31	Everything uses this runway with only rare exceptions. You almost certainly won’t need to worry about being in position for an aircraft movement and having it go to the other runway.
18/36	This runway is almost never used.

	Spot #1 – Abeam the Threshold – 13 Arrivals & Departures
WHERE	Where: The trail entrance is just past a storage facility and just before a bridge over the Provo River. Turn left off of Center street and drive very slowly down the trail. There could be pedestrians and the road is very bumpy. It’s only wide enough for one car, so dealing with oncoming traffic is a lot of “fun.” You can pull over and park at the turnouts along there with the exception of the one or two that feature “No Parking” signs. This parking area is marked on the map. At the end of these turnouts is a little trail spur resembling a driveway. Please do not block this with your car as it is the best place for cars to turn around when coming or going. If you need directions to the spot, your best bet is to get directions to 4095 W Center St, Provo, UT, then go past it and turn left down the trail. Allow an additional 15-20 minutes for the walk from parking.

WHAT	Best for arrivals and departures on 13. Belly shots of 31 departures are possible, but there’s no reason to stay here when just a little more walking gives you much better backgrounds for 31 departures. This general area will make an A320 or 737 split Mt. Timpanogos on short final. Depending on your exact position, you can also get Lone Peak or Cascade Mountain to be your best background.

TIME	During the shortest days of the year, this can have favorable light for almost the whole day, while the light on the longest days of the year favors this location from 12:30 PM to sunset.

MISC.	No restrooms, food, drink, or bathroom options around. This spot is prone to high winds coming off of Utah Lake and these can make cold conditions really nasty in the winter, so lay the layers on thick. In the summer it gets really hot and lake mosquitoes are particularly nasty, so bring plenty of water, insect repellant, and sunscreen. I’d also recommend staying out of the lake. Despite the local government’s best efforts, it’s still full of a lot of nasty stuff from a less environmentally conscious era. You shouldn’t have any trouble from the authorities here, but you may have to say hello to quite a few dog walkers.

FOCAL LENGTH	An A320 or 737 will need down to about 90mm on a crop sensor; a 757 chartering someone will need around 75, and the UVU trainers or other small planes work best with 300-500mm, though 400mm works pretty well.

	Spot #2 – 1 Mile Mark – 13/31 Arrivals and Departures
WHERE	This spot is just shy of one mile from the parking turnouts for the dike trail. Stop right at the slight turn in the trail where the fence dips down. For this, simply walk a little further past spot one. I would allow an additional 20-25 minutes for the walk from parking.

WHAT	This spot is the best point on the trail for 13 touchdown shots, and truly amazing for commercial departures on 31. Commercial 31 departures usually rotate at the perfect time to allow a nice ¾ angle on the aircraft with some mountains behind. A small aircraft doing a low approach or simply getting off of 13 really fast–such as Diamonds or a short post-diversion/charter repositioning flight will also be in the right position for some mountain backgrounds. Heavier 31 arrivals are also visible, though heat distortion may be a problem for them.

TIME	During the shortest days of the year, this can have favorable light for almost the whole day, while the light on the longest days of the year favor this location from 12:30 PM to sunset.

MISC.	No restrooms, food, drink, or bathroom options around. This spot is prone to high winds coming off of Utah Lake and these can make cold conditions really nasty in the winter, so lay the layers on thick. In the summer it gets really hot and lake mosquitoes are particularly nasty, so bring plenty of water, insect repellant, and sunscreen. I’d also recommend staying out of the lake. Despite the local government’s best efforts, it’s still full of a lot of nasty stuff from a less environmentally conscious era. You shouldn’t have any trouble from the authorities here, but you may have to say hello to quite a few dog walkers.

FOCAL LENGTH	An A320 or 737 departing or arriving will need at least 70mm, while good shots of small planes like the UVU trainers will require closer to 500mm.

	Spot #3 – South End, West Side – 31 Arrivals and Departures
WHERE	If you can access the dike trail from the terminal side, your walk will be closer to one mile, but if you have to come around from the north end, it’s closer to three miles of walking; however, accessing the trail through the construction zone is a bad idea. Be warned: the Dike trail is not paved down here and it can get very muddy. To access from the north, simply follow directions to spot one, go past spot 2, and keep on going. This spot is about an hour’s walk from parking on the north end. I would recommend biking if you have one and the trail isn’t icy.

WHAT	31 arrivals and departures are visible. And if you thought the mountains were close on the north end, wait until you see the views from the south end! The views behind 31 arrivals will blow your mind and rival those captured at Innsbruck.

TIME	In general you can spot there the whole day from both sides, except around noon, when the sun is over the runways axis.

MISC.	No restrooms, food, drink, or bathroom options around. This spot is prone to high winds coming off of Utah Lake and these can make cold conditions really nasty in the winter, so lay the layers on thick. In the summer it gets really hot and lake mosquitoes are particularly nasty, so bring plenty of water, insect repellant, and sunscreen. I’d also recommend staying out of the lake. Despite the local government’s best efforts, it’s still full of a lot of nasty stuff from a less environmentally conscious era. You shouldn’t have any trouble from the authorities here, but you may have to say hello to quite a few dog walkers.

FOCAL LENGTH	An A320 or 737 will need at least 90mm, while a smaller plane like a UVU trainer will need 300-500mm on a crop sensor.

	Spot #4 – Flightline Dr – 13/31 Arrivals and Departures
WHERE	Turn onto Mike Jense Pkwy and go past the dike trail entrance, then turn left onto Flightline Dr and follow it most of the way to the end. There’s a parking lot that works pretty well if you can raise yourself above the fence, or some other areas might provide nice views.

WHAT	You should have a pretty good view of all traffic involved with the main runway. You may be able to get a very tan Lake Mountain or the tower in the background. Heat distortion can be a problem.

TIME	This spot is best in the morning. Around the shortest days of the year, this will be about the first 45 minutes after sunrise, while around the longest days of the year, the sun will favor this spot until about noon.

MISC.	If you go to the terminal you can probably find a drinking fountain and a bathroom, but I am not aware of any food options in the area. Authorities shouldn’t be a problem, but some pilots on the other side of the fence may be curious and inquire about what you are doing.

FOCAL LENGTH	Depending on where you are, what is coming by, and where it is, you could need as little as 30mm, but for something on the runway you will need up to 300-400mm.

	Spot #5 – Main Terminal – Commercial Pushbacks, 13/31 Arrivals and Departures
WHERE	This is the current main terminal. Follow directions all the way to Provo Airport and you should be set. The best view is through the fence just south of the TacAir building.

WHAT	You’ll get a pretty good view of Allegiant or other charter aircraft in the gate area and a decent view of the of 13/31. Heat distortion may be a problem.

TIME	This spot is best in the morning. Around the shortest days of the year, this will be about the first 45 minutes after sunrise, while around the longest days of the year, the sun will favor this spot until about noon.

MISC.	If you go to the terminal you can probably find a drinking fountain and a bathroom, but I am not aware of any food options in the area. Authorities shouldn’t be a problem, but some pilots on the other side of the fence may be curious and inquire about what you are doing.

FOCAL LENGTH	As little as 40mm for aircraft in the gate area, as much as 300-400mm for aircraft on the runway.