Fifth Water

Fifth Water Hot Springs, also known as Diamond Fork Hot Springs, in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest of Utah requires an approximately five-mile round-trip hike through the Diamond Fork Canyon, passing three other creek crossings before reaching a terraced series of calcium-rich natural pools that step down the hillside above the aquamarine Fifth Water Creek in one of Utah's most dramatically beautiful mountain canyon environments. The calcium-rich geothermal water emerges at varying temperatures across the terraced pool system, combining with the cold creek below to create an extraordinary bathing environment surrounded by box elder trees, mountain maples, and towering canyon walls of Wasatch quartzite. The hike's physical demands and the pools' photogenic quality, enhanced by the travertine formations and blue-green mineral colours of the water, have made Fifth Water one of the most beloved and celebrated wild hot spring destinations in the American Mountain West.