Administrative Professionals’ Day field trip 2014: Diamond Fork Hot Springs

Recently 14 UGS staff embarked on our annual Administrative Professionals’ Day field trip. This year we went to Diamond Fork Hot Springs (a.k.a. Fifth Water) north of Spanish Fork Canyon in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Diamond Fork Hot Springs is located at the end of a 2.5 mile one-way hike, 700-foot elevation gain, up a scenic, forested canyon. The weather was perfect and the water pleasant and invigorating. Diamond Fork has long been hailed as the most picturesque in Utah. The hot springs emerge streamside in multiple locations below and above a couple of waterfalls. Several pools have been nicely constructed with cement and rocks (North Horn Formation). The spring water issuing from the ground is a little too hot for bathing; one seep was measured at 123˚F, so the pools just downstream from the seeps mix with the much colder stream water to produce the ideal soaking temperature, with pools ranging between 98 to 109˚F. Some of the seeps can be identified by the thermophilic (heat loving) organisms such as bacteria and archaea that color the stream cobbles a vibrant orange-red.

Click HERE for directions to Diamond Fork Hot Springs