Utah: Hobble Creek Canyon & Fifth Water Hot Springs
Last Friday, Matt and I went with some friends to this campsite just about 40 minutes from Provo in Hobble Creek Canyon (which is a beautiful driving destination in and of itself). There's a lot of campsites over there, but you have to reserve it earlier in the day so Matt had gone earlier and even set up the tent. (We also brought our foam mattress pad and the sleeping experience was 70% better.) It had a little bridge to the campsite and a stream right next to us. Definitely the best location. It honestly felt like I was going to a glamping Airbnb.
The couple that came with us — Megan and Alex — we hadn't even known for a week! We met them at church on Sunday, went to the temple with them on Wednesday, and then they came camping with us on Friday night! Obviously, things are getting serious ha. It's always fun to make fast friends, and you really get to know someone when you're out in the wilderness with no phone service and a non-flushable toilet for a bathroom. They were even willing to get up for sunrise. Major respect.
I love being in areas I don't get any service. It's nice to not have any distractions. We made a fire, had hot dogs for dinner (they even had J. Dawgs sauce!), made some s'mores and watched the sky as the stars came out and just talked.
The next morning, we woke up for sunrise and then packed up and headed over to Fifth Water Hot Springs aka Diamond Fork Hot Springs. We met some cows along the way just hanging out in the road. We learned Alex has very talented "Moo"-ing skills.
When we got to the trail head for the hot springs, I had not done my research and thought it was a ten minute or so casual walk like the Saratoga Hot Springs were. I was not mentally, physically or emotionally prepared for the 4.5 mile round trip it actually was. The sad part was that at every turn I would get a little bit of hope that we might have finally made it.
It took us about an hour to finally get there (it's a pretty easy and simple hike, but there is a lot of going up and down small hills). Once we did get there, it was worth it. It's really beautiful. And at my friend Noelle's recommendation to get there early, the water was a beautiful blue. There's also a small waterfall that didn't have a lot of waterflow, but enough. I climbed up the slippery rocks to get under the falls, and we explored the area for a bit before choosing a spot to try out the springs.
Compared with the Saratoga Hot Springs, the water is a lot clearer (probably because it flows freely down the river instead of getting stuck in one place) and there are multiple pools that have different levels of heat. Some feel extremely hot when you get in, but you get used to it quickly.
I would love to come back here in the fall when it's a little cooler and probably more refreshing to get into hot water. It really is a beautiful hike, and a beautiful drive, so you won't regret choosing to explore this area.
