Creek in Payson Canyon from all Lakes above it. Good Fishing Walking trail around Payson East Lake
The Payson Scottish Festival "P" Mountain marks Payson City for miles around.
Payson Lions
The Payson Scottish Festival is a free, community sponsored event that is held on the weekend following the 4th of July each summer. The festival allows us to celebrate and share our Scottish heritage and traditions. On Friday night, Scottish and Irish performers entertain at the Ceilidh. And on Saturday the competitions begin.
The Scottish festival has a fun family atmosphere. There will be Bagpipes, Highland Dance, and Highland Athletic competitions, activities for the children, a parade, traditional ethnic food, vendors, and clans.
The Payson Scottish Festival is the only free Scottish festival in the Western United States.
Driving Directions
Payson is located about 15 miles south of Provo.
Take the I-15 to Payson Exit 250. Travel south along Main Street through the light on Utah Avenue (100 North). Memorial Park is located on the left hand side of the road just after 200 South.
Payson, Utah
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 12,716, in 2006 it is estimated to be 16,748. The median income is approximately 47,000.
Nebo Loop Scenic Byway
The Blackhawk Trail is a narrow singletrack that twists through aspen and pine along the top of the Nebo Loop in Payson Canyon. Almost unknown, this trail is among the nicest alpine rides in the state.
Start your tour of Nebo Loop Scenic Byway in the quiet community of Payson, Utah. Your ascent into the mountains begins through deep, fresh forests that turn into a visual fire in the fall. Drive on up the canyon into the mountains, following a cold, rocky creek that drops off into intermittent miniature waterfalls. If you enjoy relaxing and fishing, join other fishers in the cool of dusk at Payson Lake, letting your line float while you roast marshmallows over a campfire. At this time of evening, it's hard to tell what's louder, the prelude of the cricket symphony or the postlude of the bird's sonata.
By degrees, the landscape changes into a high-mountain wilderness. Only fields of crisp, bright wildflowers interrupt the thick stands of aspen. Incredibly high overlooks show the Wasatch Mountains below you. From these overlooks, you can also see the byway's namesake, 11,923-foot Mt. Nebo, which seems near enough to touch.
Fishing on the Mt. Nebo National Scenic Byway (UT)
Each year, more than one million people visit this well-loved area, many of them reserving their campsites a year in advance to get a good spot to stay, relax, and recreate for a few days. Avid mountain bikers don't want to miss the Blackhawk Loop Trail, full of twists and turns, through the meadows of aspens. Hikers love the Loafer Mountain Trail, the easy access to the Mt. Nebo Wilderness, and the short hike to charming Hell's Kitchen. Whether your stay involves a picnic, a peaceful drive, or something more adventurous, there is always a place for you along the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway.
Devil's Kitchen typifies this diversity: The short trail to Devil's Kitchen is towered over by dark green pine, but just a short walk later, the green disappears, and the huge red rock spires that are Devil's Kitchen jab into the deep blue sky.
The Nebo Loop Scenic Byway is an essay in color: Wildflowers paint blossom mosaics in the spring, and trees explode with color in the fall. If you get up onto one of the byway's many overlooks, you can view other diverse scenes, such as the urban sprawl of the Wasatch Front and the Utah Lake, the largest body of fresh water in the region.
As you travel the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway from Payson, consider following this itinerary.
Peteetneet Academy: The school was built in 1901 by well-known architect Richard C. Watkins and consists of a three-story building with a bell tower and a red sandstone accent on brick walls. Peteetneet is still used for classes in the fine arts and public meetings and events.
Maple Dell Scout Camp: Since 1947, this camp has given scouts a chance to take in vivid scenery and participate in outdoor recreation. In 1960, a large lodge was constructed, along with a dance hall, cottages, and a swimming pool.
Payson Lakes: Payson Lakes has trailer camping and disabled-accessible sites and features, a shoreline nature trail, two beaches, and a universal access pier.
Blackhawk Campground: This popular campground has group and individual campsites as well as a horse camping facility. The area accommodates equestrian users by featuring tie racks, double-wide camping spurs, and easy access to the trails.
Mount Nebo Overlook: Much of the geologic base of Mount Nebo is derived from the Oquirrh formation, which includes quartzite, limestone, and sandstone. The multiple advances and retreats of mountain glaciers formed cirque-shape basins predominantly found in Bald Mountain and Mount Nebo. Many legends are associated with Mount Nebo and its Native American history
With all the incredible sights dotting this roadway, it's near impossible not to enjoy the view as you travel the beautiful Nebo Loop Scenic Byway.
Payson, Utah County, is located about sixty miles south of Salt Lake City and nestles against the foothills of the southern Wasatch Range. It was colonized by a group of sixteen Mormon pioneers who settled near Peteetneet Creek in October 1850. They included James Pace, Andrew Jackson Stewart, John Courtland Searle, and their families. The settlement, which had been known as Peteetneet Creek, was renamed Payson in 1851 after James Pace. Payson was incorporated as a city on 21 January 1853. The settlement at that time included Spring Lake Villa to the south and Summit (Santaquin) to the southwest.
There were two major breaches of the peace between the native Ute Indians and the settlers during the early years. In July 1853 what became known as the Walker War began when an Indian shot and killed a guard outside of the fort at Payson. Skirmishes and encounters between the factions continued until May 1854 when a treaty of peace was entered into with Chief Wakara. Ten years of comparative peace followed. In June 1865 a treaty was established which stipulated that the Utes would be relocated on a reservation that had been established in Uintah County in eastern Utah. Chief Black Hawk and his followers were not willing to move and remained in Sanpete County. Conflict resulted and the ensuing Black Hawk War lasted for two years until a peace treaty was negotiated.
Payson primarily has been a farming community. Principal crops have always been grass hay, which the pioneers found growing wild when they arrived, lucerne (alfalfa), and grains such as wheat, barley, oats, and corn; beets, potatoes, and onions have also been grown. Cattle, sheep, and hogs are also raised in the area.
As the area grew, the supply of water became inadequate. However, additional water that became available following the construction and development of the Strawberry Reservoir brought new life to the area, with an increase in population and industrial development.
Payson, like other Mormon communities in Utah Territory, was nearly self-supporting. The people produced their own food and clothing, milled their own flour, operated their own sawmills, manufactured their own shingles, adobe bricks, and furniture. A millinery shop was established in 1906 and a floral shop in 1917. New industries continued to be established over the years, including manufacturing plants of motor homes, campers and trailers, and fiberglass boats.
While Mormons still predominate, religious diversity is found in Payson. The early settlers were members of the original Payson Ward, organized in 1851. There are now four LDS stakes in the Payson area, with a total of twenty-seven wards within these stakes. The Presbyterian Church established a mission and school in 1877. The school became known as one of the organization's best and largest schools, with pupils attending from both Presbyterian and Mormon homes. The school continued in operation until 1910, but church services were continued long after that. A Methodist church and school was constructed in Payson before the turn of the century, but discontinued operation prior to 1920. The Jehovah's Witnesses organized locally in 1973 and constructed a Kingdom Hall soon after that. More recently, the First Baptist Church of Payson was organized in 1980 and San Andres Catholic Church was established in 1986.
The population of Payson has grown from 427 persons in 1851 to 3,998 in 1950, 4,501 in 1970, and 9,510 in 1990. Payson's largest private employer is Mountain View Hospital, with over 400 employees, followed by Rayloc with more than one hundred. There are two elementary schools, a junior high school, middle school, and high school in the city.