This roughly 50-mile ribbon of river, parks, trails and natural lands that winds its way through 16 cities across Utah, Salt Lake, and Davis counties comes alive with people on kayaks and bikes, community gatherings for all kinds of activities, and neighbors caring for the Jordan River side by side at the river’s edge and across the valleys. This is the Get To The River Festival, and this year’s lineup gives Utahns across the Wasatch Front more reasons than ever to show up and show their love for the Jordan River and its watershed.
Something for Every Member of the Family and Community
If you’re picturing a single event on a single day, think bigger! The Get To The River Festival is a month-long calendar of free events with an entry point for every age, ability, interest, level of ambition, and location across the river, from Utah Lake to Great Salt Lake.
For kids and families, there’s a month-long scavenger hunt along the trail in West Jordan. On September 14, Riverton hosts a family night with food, activities and education booths, and a short bike trail ride. On September 19, South Jordan hosts a free fishing day for kids 12 and under, and a free round of mini golf at Mulligans.
Cultural activities include Murray’s live music, yard games, and ice cream at Winchester Park on September 12, and SB Dance Company hosts its Curbside Theater for an evening of riverside dance and music on September 25, at Tracy Aviary’s Nature Center at Pia Okwai in South Salt Lake. There are many participatory art and artistic activities throughout the month, including some competitively judged events with prizes!
For those who want to explore together on two (or more) wheels, Bikes and Birds on September 10 is a short, easy ride with Tracy Aviary guiding bird observations near the Big Bend Nature Park & Preserve in West Jordan. And Wasatch Adaptive Sports is hosting bike lessons and rides on adaptive equipment throughout the month at different locations.
For the more adventurous, there’s a diverse lineup of recurring outdoor activities including the Pedal the Parkway bike rides, and educational Walk and Talk hikes on Wednesday evenings, Paddle the Jordan River trips on Fridays, and Bird Walks with Tracy Aviary on Saturday mornings, each running weekly in different locations throughout the month.
These are just a few of dozens of river oriented activities. More information and the full calendar is at GetToTheRiver.org. Some events have limited space available, and may require advance registration to secure a spot, so visit the website early and well in advance.
Why Showing Up Is the Point
While these activities are a great way to spend an early fall evening or weekend, there’s something bigger at stake. For thousands of years of human history in our region, the Jordan River was the center of community and culture. The Festival is bringing back this sense of community and the importance of place, connecting us all with the river and watershed that sustain all life in our region.
The Jordan River depends on community awareness, support, and action to maintain its health and vitality as an essential natural resource. It needs the support of communities living alongside it, choosing to notice it, connect with it, and care for it.
That’s not an abstract concern. Millions of dollars in preservation, conservation and restoration work across the Jordan River Parkway, and countless hours of volunteer support, have been made possible in recent years. That kind of personal and community investment tends to follow visible public support, not the other way around. When thousands of individuals and families turn out to support recreation and stewardship, it sends an unmistakable signal—this river and watershed matter to the people who live here.
Love Your Watershed
This year’s Festival, which is organized by the Jordan River Commission and Jordan River Foundation, includes a community wide focus on the “Love Your Watershed“ campaign. As our communities have grown and infrastructure has expanded, our stormwater systems convey litter, chemicals, and organic matter like leaves and pet waste, from our streets, parking areas and sidewalks directly to our creeks, lakes and rivers when it rains and snows, typically with little or no filtration.
The Jordan River Commission and Watershed Council, and stormwater coalitions across Utah, Salt Lake and Davis counties, are making a concerted effort to identify ways community members can make a big collective impact in caring for these places we love by cleaning up litter, leaves, sediment and other watershed pollutants each month just outside the doors of their homes and business.
We also encourage gathering regularly for service activities like the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, to work together as friends, neighbors, colleagues, classmates and sports teams, and other groups to do larger cleanups around their neighborhoods, schools, business districts and parks, as active caretakers of the Jordan River and its tributaries.
It’s all one watershed, and it needs each of us to take part in being a steward. Additional “Love Your Watershed” information can be found at LoveYourWatershed.org.
For the full calendar of Get to the River Festival events and activities, and to register, visit GetToTheRiver.org. Questions can be directed to the Jordan River Commission at Festival@JordanRiverCommission.gov or 801-536-4158. The Get to the River Festival is organized by the Jordan River Commission and Jordan River Foundation, along with dozens of local communities and community organization partners.