Red Ledges, Diamond Fork Canyon, UT

 If you are passing through Spanish Fork Canyon, you should definitely turn off to the Diamond Fork Canyon. About 2/3 of the way to Fifth Water Hot Spring, you will see the Red Ledges Picnic Area. Pull off and take a look at a sandstone arch in the making. You can also hike around the back up to the arch. If you have a whole afternoon to spare, keep going down the road to the hot springs. They are spectacular.

Fifth Water Hot Springs.

Another weekend of beautiful weather meant another weekend unplugging on a hike. We had heard that the Fifth Water Hot Springs were some of the most beautiful hot springs around, so we decided to find out for ourselves. The trailhead is located at the end of the road past the Diamond Fork Campground off Highway 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon.

The trail follows the Sixth Water Creek and Fifth Water Creeks the entire way, which makes for a very scenic hike. It is an easy to moderate hike and is appropriate for people of all ages as long as they can manage the 2.5 miles each direction. The canyon walls and tall trees provide a lot of shade for most of the hike. Once you cross the Sixth Water Creek and start following the Fifth Water Creek, it looks like something out of a Bob Ross painting full of happy little waterfalls and happy little pools. It is one of the most beautiful hikes we have been on yet. You can tell when you are getting close to the hot springs when the light breezes coming down the canyon will have an increasing amount of sulfur in them.

Once you arrive at the pools you will have a variety of pools and temperatures to choose from. There is hot water seeping out of the rocks that combines with the cool water coming down the waterfall so everyone can find their perfect spot. All of the pools are just made from the rocks you find in the canyon and the bottom is covered in a black silty mud. We ended up relaxing there for just under two hours and probably would have stayed longer had the traffic not picked up. Morning definitely seems like the time to get there if you want to avoid the large crowds of college students. While you may go to the hot springs to get in touch with nature instead, please remember that the law prohibits bathing in the nude and there are kids around.

Parking is limited in the adjacent parking lot and parking is not permitted along the street, so get there early to get a spot to park or prepare to hike from other designated parking areas along the roads. The No Parking areas are strictly enforced by the US Forest Service. There are also pit toilets at the trailhead, but no trash service, so please pack everything out and keep it beautiful.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 5
Cost: $0

Goblin Valley State Park

‪#‎unpluggedutahadventures‬

Utah is full of natural treasures and one of the funnest places to visit is Goblin Valley State Park. It sits in between Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park. There are a few designated hiking and mountain biking trails, but most of the park is open to explore.

Unlike most parks that tell you to stay on the trail and don't climb on anything for fear of damaging them, you are free to roam and climb anywhere you like here. Everything is made of compacted clay and stone and is constantly changing due to wind an water erosion. There is virtually no vegetation to prevent this, so it will look a little different every time you visit. The wind and rain carve out mushroom like formations that look a little like goblins, hence the name.

The weather was perfect in the high 60's with a slight breeze, but it can get brutally hot during the summer with very little shade. Make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen. We spent a couple of hours hiking around, but only ended up walking about a mile since we spent so much time climbing and exploring. It really is like a giant playground.

As we were leaving, we decided to visit some pictographs that we had heard were nearby. As you leave the park, instead of turning right on Temple Mountain Road, take a left. There is a cliff face on the north side of the road a couple hundred feet past the first campground with these ancient works of art on them. You can see them from the road, but you should definitely get out to see them up close. The cliff has crumbled away, so getting up to them is rather perilous. As you can see in the pictures, some of the drawing have fallen off and others were shot full of holes. We also found cans and litter around there. Please make sure to take care of these treasures so everyone can enjoy them for years to come.

The road in to the area is on open range land. Be careful as there can be herds of cattle crossing the highway. We got to see some real cowboys at work, driving a herd from one area to another. This was our first time there, but we plan on coming back every year to do some camping and exploring in the area.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 4
Cost: $13/vehicle

Jordan River Parkway, Saratoga Springs.

‪#‎unpluggedutahadventures‬

We had another weekend of great weather, so it was time to get outside. We had family visiting and wanted to go for a hike, but we had to take into account the toddler and baby. Fortunately, the Jordan River Parkway is really close and accessible to everyone. The kids wanted to get their bikes out that have been parked in the garage all winter and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

We started at Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs. There are restrooms and parking at the park, so they seemed like the best place to begin and end. There are also some hot springs just to the south of the park, but that is an adventure for another time. Although there are some busy roads just a few hundred yards from the trail, it seems very secluded. You also get brilliant vistas of the mountains. There is very little elevation change over the trail, so it was easy going for everyone.

As you head north, you pass a radio controlled airplane field. It was fun to see these hobbyists putting on a little air show. We ended up stopping after about 1 1/2 miles and turning around. We stopped at a playground on the way back so the kids have a snack and rest a bit. We plan on coming back to ride the entire length all the way to the Great Salt Lake.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 9
Difficulty: 2
Cost: $0

Antelope island.

#unpluggedutahadventures

When winter decides to take a day off and give us a sneak peak of spring, you have to take advantage of it. We packed up the car this morning and headed to Antelope Island. It was about 50 degrees all day with a slight breeze, perfect for hiking. We decided to try out the Dooly Knob trail, and were so glad we did. It was near 1000' in elevation gain in just over a mile, but the kids handled it just fine. 

That wasn't nearly enough hiking for one day, so we came part way back down and headed over to the Frary Peak trail. We hiked about 1.5 miles to the top of the first peak and had lunch there. It was a little muddy on the trail from all of the melting snow, but nothing we couldn't deal with. There is a really cool little tunnel you go through where some large boulders that crashed down the mountain eons ago are leaned up against each other. The views from on top of these hills are breathtaking.

After we got back down to the car, we went looking for bison. Sometimes the park rangers will drive them into corrals to check their health so that is the first place we went looking. As it turns out, they were out roaming free, which would explain the numerous patties all over the trails. We first encountered the herd a ways off the easternmost road on the island. We zoomed in and got a couple of okay pictures, but nothing like those Yellowstone type encounters. After driving around for while more with no better luck, we gave up and headed home. Fortunately, there was this amazing bison couple that had broken off from the herd and were only a little ways off the main road. These guys were spectacular and kept looking up a our car to give us those priceless photos. 

Hiking this time of year can be really fun, especially when the sun decides to come out, but it can also be a bit more difficult to prepare for. Always bring something a bit warmer than you think you may need. There were times we were in t-shirts and other times we were all in beanies, gloves, and sweatshirts or coats. Also, bring plenty of water. We each pack a 2 liter hydration pack, which are rather inexpensive, but are much better than hauling up water bottles. Finally, good footwear, like trail runners or lightweight hiking boots and some merino wool hiking socks to keep your feet warm and dry, are essential so you can enjoy the hike. We hope to see you on our next outing.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 9
Difficulty: 7
Cost: $10/vehicle