@derangedvisionsOver the weekend, my wife, daughter and I went up Spanish Fork Canyon to Fifth Water Hot Springs Trail. I had never been up this hike before, so I really didn't know what the hike was like, but my wife and daughter had both done this last year with my daughter's girl scout troop.
@derangedvisionsSo we started up the trail on the 2.5 mile hike towards the hot springs. Fall is starting and the leaves are beginning to change colors, so my wife and I decided that we are going to try and go on a new hike every weekend up until we leave for Steemfest so that we can watch the leaves continue to change up in the mountains.
@derangedvisionsFall is definitely my favorite time of year here in Utah because the heat of summer is starting to go away and the landscape starts to really come to life with all of the different yellows and reds.
@derangedvisionsAs we were on our way up, my wife told me I couldn't stop and take a lot of pictures because we needed to be fast on the way up there so we could have more time relaxing in the hot springs, and that I will have more time on the way back to take pictures.
I still ended up taking more pictures on the way up and and trying to run and catch up to them because I know that when I am on my way back from a hike, I mainly care about getting back to the car and leaving.
@derangedvisionsAbout halfway up, we found this random pair of underwear hanging in a tree. Someone must have took a poopie off the trail and then used their underwear to wipe their bum bum and then hung it up on display like a trophy or something for everyone walking by to see. Either way, it was pretty funny to see.
@derangedvisionsThere were many times that we had to stop and rest for a minute or two because my daughter has an injured leg from cross country practice and part of my lung is dead from when I was in the hospital a few months back. So one of the times we were stopped, my daughter wanted me to get a picture of her trying to look sophisticated while looking off in the distance. I guess this works.
@derangedvisionsMost of the trail is in the shade of the trees, but there is the occasional times where we had to be out in the sun. Luckily it wasn't blazing hot like it has been lately. I could not even imagine doing this hike a month ago when it was over 100 degrees. It would have been miserable. Especially since the only water we brought on the hike was my wife's Camelback, and we drank the whole thing by the time we got to the top.
@derangedvisionsOne of the cool things about the hike is the varying landscapes that it has as you go up, from the red rock, to the trail through the forest, or walking along side a river throughout the majority of the second half of the hike.
@derangedvisionsThere was all sorts of different plants along the trails as well.
@derangedvisions@derangedvisionsThe contrast of colors was pretty cool to see and as we got higher, the more the leaves had started to change.
@derangedvisionsThere was a pretty cool bridge that crossed over the river that had a bunch of graffiti on it. A lot of it said stuff about needing more nude bathers in the hot springs or some other weird stuff. The bridge did make for a cool spot to stop and get some pictures of the area though.
@derangedvisions@derangedvisionsAs you get closer to the hot springs, you can start to smell the stench of rotten eggs. Once you start smelling the farts, you just continue to follow it until it gets stronger and stronger. That is actually the smell of the earth poop out all of the hot water.
@derangedvisionsOnce we got over this hill, we were there. It was pretty nice to be done with the hike up and be able to relax for a while. My wife and daughter got in the hot springs right away, but I walked around the area for a bit and got some more pictures.
@derangedvisionsThere was a waterfall that fed cold water into the hot springs to cool things off so you didn't boil your skin off because the water that was coming up from the earth was very hot. It was actually funny watching people step into the hot parts of the springs and then run through the water to get to a cooler part.
@derangedvisionsWe stayed there in the hot springs relaxing for about an hour to an hour and a half. It was really relaxing. I didn't get all the way in the water. I didn't feel like hiking all the way back down with soggy shorts, so I just put my legs in the water. Plus the sun would be going down soon after we started heading back and the temperature would be dropping quick up there in the canyon.
@derangedvisionsAs we started hiking back down, I quickly realized the importance of drying your feet all the way and making sure that you didn't have any pieces of sand between your toes. My feet were like raisins from soaking for so long and now as I was walking, I could feel blisters beginning to form on my heels and between my toes. I knew the rest of the hike was going to suck.
@derangedvisionsAs we headed down, all I could think about we my blisters and the stupid pieces of sand between my toes. I started thinking about how marathon runners spend the night before a race making sure that their shoes don't have any specs of sand in them because over 26 miles, that piece of sand can be torture. Now I know what they are talking about.
@derangedvisionsOverall, this hike is pretty awesome. If you are in the area and wanting to do a fun hike with a nice surprise at the end, this is definitely one you will want to do. It does get very crowded, especially the parking area, so try and arrive as early as possible or late in the evening.
We went on a Sunday and we weren't expecting it to be too bad, but the parking was still full and we had to park about a half a mile away from the trail head. It is a pretty easy hike for kids and they will enjoy the hot springs at the end too. We saw plenty of families making the hike with their little ones. Fall is definitely the best time of the year for this hike.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my hiking post. I hope you enjoyed it. You are awesome.
