Fifth Water Hot Springs Hike

With spring officially here it is once again time to get the family out and explore new hikes and fun places to go. We started our hiking season out by going to the Spanish Fork hot springs we have heard about, but never visited. 

Directions: They are located up Spanish Fork Canyon. Follow Highway 6 until you come to a sign for Diamond Fork campground. Turn left here and follow the road until you come to Three Forks. Turn right into the parking lot. There is a toilet at the trail head. The trail head is to the right of the toilets. Follow the trail staying on the left side of the river...do not cross the first bridge. Cross at the second bridge. As you get close you will be able to smell the sulfur. 

There are lower and upper pots. We spent most of our time in the lower pots. There are about 5 pots in the lower area. Some are more private only holding a handful of people and there is one big one as well. There are 2 more that we saw at the upper pots. There is a nice little waterfall that the older kids went behind and stuck their heads out of.

The men decided to take the kids up to the upper pots and were surprised to find a man skinny dipping on a Saturday morning at a family destination...um, :) just be aware...and for those of you wanting to skinny dip, it is against the law I am told.

The hike is 2.5 miles each way 5 miles round trip. I would classify it as an easy to moderate hike depending on your level of fitness. It is a gorgeous hike that follows the river up the canyon. It has a little incline that is very doable, in fact an energetic 3 year old made the trip with us. We went with another family and had two 13 year olds, an 11 year old, a 10 year old, two 7 year olds, a 3 year old and a 9 month old plus a dog...yes, dogs are allowed on this hike. Our hike time was 58 minutes on the way there. We took our snacks and lunch and ate up at the top. 

This is a busy destination for families and groups. We passed several scout groups hiking out and many families coming and going. Please be respectful and don't leave anything behind so we can all continue to enjoy this beautiful place...and please keep your clothes on:)

Ski Utah 5th Grade Passport

September is a great time of year here in Utah. The trees are beginning to change, the mountains are beautiful and it is time to think about ski season. Ski season is right around the corner. One of the best programs we participate in as a family is the 5th and 6th grade ski utah ski passports.

September is the earliest time to get them. It costs a mere $35 and gives your 5th grader 3 lift tickets to every resort here in Utah...that's right...3 to each resort! How great is that? For us it is fantastic. The 6th graders get 1 pass to every resort for the same price. By the time you hit 7th grade your kids will be hooked and unfortunately there are no more ski passports :)

Simply click here if you have a 5th grader. If you have a 6th grader click here. They will be available sometime this month so please keep checking back until the forms are up. You will need to submit a fairly recent photo of your child along with the money and the forms. It takes a few weeks to get the passport in the mail so plan appropriately. I always seem to put it off and put it off until I find it November and we are headed out to ski...without our passport. This year I am getting a jump on it.

Happy Skiing!!