Fifth Water (Diamond Fork) Hot Springs

Winter is slowly releasing its grip on Utah and I’m feeling that familiar twinge of spring fever.  It’s still cold outside and pockets of snow hover on shady cliffs, but the days are getting noticeably longer and the sunlight isn’t so slanty. Still, I'm trying not to get too antsy.  We still have a few solid weeks of winter left, and Jordan and I want to squeeze in a couple more snowy adventures before the warm weather hits.

With that in mind, we decided to head north to the Uinta Mountains.  It was Jordan's 28th birthday, and he wanted to try out the pair of snowshoes I got him, then soak in Fifth Water Hot Springs.  We pulled into Diamond Fork Canyon that afternoon, set up camp, then snowshoed along the nature trail as the sun set and the moon rose.  The full moon reflecting off the white snow was gorgeous, but it was getting cold, so we crawled into the tent.  It was only then that we realized we forgot our sleeping bags!  After a moment of "I thought you packed them" disbelief, we curled up in a couple thin blankets for a cold night of 13-degree snow camping.  Whoops.  Oh well -- our dumb asses survived!

new snowshoes!

The next morning, despite being cold and sleep-deprived, we were determined to warm up in Fifth Water Hot Springs.  So we were pretty discouraged when we saw the road was closed three miles before the trail head.  Luckily, a super nice retired dentist from Salt Lake offered to give us a ride on the back of his snowmobile to the trail head.  The snow-covered road whizzed by as Jordan and I each took a turn riding behind him.

Once we got to the trail head, it was a gorgeous 2.5 mile hike to the hot springs.  The trail was covered in snow, but enough people had walked on it that the path was packed and easy to follow.  The trail gradually gained elevation as it wound along a chilly running creek, and we kept gawking at all the huge Doug firs and weird conglomerate rocks (the Uintas are way different than the red-rock desert!)

hiking to the springs

After about an hour of hiking, we reached the springs.  You could definitely smell the sulfur before seeing the water!  Fifth Water is a natural hot spring, so it isn't really developed or built up.  Over the years, people have installed PVC pipes and built a couple pools, but for the most part it's natural and really scenic.  The water ranges from glass-green to milky blue, and there's a frozen waterfall with a base of rocky mineral deposits.  The tubs we soaked in weren't quite as warm as we would have liked on a snowy February day, but I think there are warmer pools closer to the waterfall.

Fifth Water is a beautiful place, but you can tell it's really popular.  Even on a chilly winter Monday with a closed road we saw six other people, so I'm sure it's slammed on warmer weekends.  For the most relaxing visit, I'd definitely try to come during the off-season.  There was some trash left behind by careless visitors, so make sure you pack out your garbage.

soaking pools

frozen waterfall

To reach Fifth Water Hot Springs, drive on Route 6 to mile marker 184.1 (about 11 miles south of Spanish Fork.)  On the north side of the road, you'll see a sign for Diamond Fork.  If the paved road is open, drive about 10 miles to the Three Forks Trailhead.  However, we learned the hard way that during the winter the road is closed past Diamond Fork Campground.  You can either bring a snowmobile or do the 3-mile (each way) road walk to the trail head.  Or get lucky like we did and mooch a ride!

Gram's Visit

My Grandma came out to visit!  She and Mom drove out from Nebraska for her first trip to Utah.  We had a great time running around Goblin Valley, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Dead Horse Point.  It's my favorite thing in the world to be with someone as they see Utah for the first time.  It's such a bizarre place, and hearing Gram yell "Jemeny Christmas Judas Priest!" when she saw Balanced Rock was the best.  :)

hiking machine @ Capitol Reef!

Goblin Valley

The longer we live in Utah, the less frequently we tend to visit National Parks and do the "windshield tours."  Don't get me wrong -- I love the parks.  They were the first thing I saw when I came here and what made me fall in love with this state.  But after you've lived in a place for a while (almost 5 years!) there's definitely a tendency to dig deeper, explore more, and find new places.  More and more we gravitate towards places off obscure dirt roads.  The parks tend to get really busy with people, which can be exhausting after you've been talking to tourists all day at work.  Still, when family and friends come out to visit, National Parks are the first place we take them.  They're so iconic and gorgeous, and it's nice to revisit the places that got me out here in the first place.

Arches NP

Arches NP

Arches NP

"Jemeny Christmas Judas Priest!"

The Vegetarian Goes Hunting?

The longer I live in rural Utah, the more my internal Redneck vs. Hippie battle slips precarious towards the Redneck.  Most of the time I do my due diligence as a tofu-eating, NPR-donating vegetarian government employee, but I've also lived out in the sticks for four years.  Big tires, country music, and dropping my t's ("mountains" = "moun'ns") are sort of inescapable.  Every day on my drive to work, I go past Hatt's Ranch along the San Rafael River, and now that Dad's visiting with his shotgun and bird dog, I decided to tag along while he went pheasant hunting.  Not sure if the vegetarian gods approve, but ...

Hatt's Ranch is just south of I-70 off SR-24.  It's actually one of the biggest hatcheries out west, and they raise around 500,000 pheasant, chuckars, and quails annually.  Because these birds are artificially raised and not native to the US, you don't need a permit to hunt on ranch property.  Non-members pay a $25 fee, and there's a cost per bird (with a 3 bird minimum.)

Dad and I busted out with our superstylish blaze orange hats and vests.  I tagged after Dad -- half intrigued, half appalled.  He ended up shooting four pheasants.  It was kind of cool to watch Rocko in his element (he went from a goofy puppy into a hunting machine,) and it was neat to watch Dad read the terrain and guess where the birds would be.  Meh.  Obviously, I'm not as vehemently anti-hunting as I used to be, and I definitely see the use in hunting overpopulated animals who no longer have their natural predators.  I also admire when people make a conscious choice about their food  -- I think if you're going to eat meat you should kill, clean, and cook an animal at least once.  And I understand there's a caveman drive to chase and catch your own food.  So if you're safe, responsible, and eat what you kill, more power to you.  It's just not my thing, so I'll be hanging out here on the sidelines with my tofu and patchouli.