Adventure to Fifth Water Hot Springs in Diamond Fork Canyon

The trail is not flat and is not paved. It goes up and down and is muddy in some places. You can follow your nose and find the hot springs. It has a very unpleasant smell. After arriving at the first hot spring you can walk a little ways following the trail and see the second hot spring with the waterfall. Beware of the second hot spring it is much hotter than the first but you can alternate it and the waterfall. Overall this was a unique first time experience, I enjoyed the temperature of the pools and the waterfall was a very pretty sight. Praise our wonderful Creator God.

Stopped on a beautiful April Sunday afternoon, on my way back from Canyonlands to SLC. And it was BUSY!!! Cars parked all over the place along the road leading to hot springs trailhead. I managed to snag a parking spot in the campground lot by a bridge. I had heard all the warnings about NOT parking on the road or getting towed. There is no way they could have towed the hundreds of cars illegally parked along the road...but anyways... The hike took an hour at a good clip. Met lots of people (like 100+) on the trail both heading in and leaving. Had me a little nervous at how crowded it would be. However when I got the the springs I hit it between crowds and it wasn't as busy as I expected. Just note this is a very well known springs close to Provo so it's not a remote uncrowded springs. Expect difficult parking and crowds on the weekends. I still managed a nice soak and icy dunk in the cold river. The pools get hotter the closer to the waterfalls you get. The pools also become more crowded the closer to the falls. If you climb the falls and keep following the little footpath, you can find a quiet spot to cold dunk into the river. Likewise I've heard if you explore downriver, you can find a more private soaking experience. These springs are quite sulphury smelling (it'll take more than one shampooing to get the smell out.) The pools are not very deep, but perfect for sitting in. On a warm day, I found the coolest pool to be perfect, although I did try each pool out. A cold plunge after the hottest pool is a sensation not to be missed. Overall I'd recommend Fifth Water but when it's less crowded. Lots of youth and families on the weekend. The hike took only 40 minutes back to my car. I'd leave a minimum of three hours to enjoy the springs.

The road was closed due to weather so we had to tack on an additional 1.5 miles each way. The bathroom was hideous before the power wash. The hike goes up and down. I know I’m not in stellar shape but the reviewer who said it took 30 minutes, please identify from where? Louder for the rest of us common old folk in the back. Took us 2 hours from the car to the spring. 4 miles one way. The sulfur smell is strong. I’d bring a towel just to breathe into while in the hot springs. There was a woman in a thong bikini taking thirst trap photos in the same small pool in front of an 8 year old. Lots of cute dogs on the trail. Beware of where you park. There were two deputies out writing about 40 tickets for all the cars on the side of the road even though there’s not nearly enough parking.

In the winter trail is still easy, but slippery. Recommend crampons but it is still possible without them. Takes about 30 to 40 minutes to hike, mostly flat. It is a popular site so it can get crowded and parking can be a bit tough. There is algae/slime in pools so be careful. Water is a good temperature and is a beautiful blue. There are areas of sulfur that you can unfortunately smell very strongly.

Absolutely beautiful hike, hot springs and waterfalls. The 8 mile hike wasn’t the easiest in snow, but it was totally worth it. We got there to hike right after sunrise and had the hot springs all to ourselves for quite a while. The parking lot was empty when we left and full when we got back. So glad to have done this.