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Utah, 1 public soaking site

Hot Springs in Utah

Utah's one agency listed soak is Fifth Water Hot Springs, a hike up Diamond Fork in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

1
Sites listed for soaking
run by USDA Forest Service
Set by site
Fees
each one quoted from the agency page
116
Thermal springs on NOAA’s list
hottest listed feature 187 F
September 22, 2026
Agency pages read
each quote links the page it came from
Site by site

Public hot springs in Utah

One hot spring in Utah is listed for soaking by the agency that runs it. Each card below carries that agency’s own fee, season, access and rules, quoted and linked, as the page read on September 22, 2026. A fee line that says nothing about cost is written as a question for the managing office rather than as free.

Fifth Water Hot Springs

Primitive spring

USDA Forest Service, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Spanish Fork Ranger District

FeeDay use fee at the trailhead: $10 per vehicle for three days, $20 for seven days, $60 for the season; interagency and forest passes honored.
AccessFrom Three Forks Trailhead on Diamond Fork Road, about 1.1 miles up Sixth Water Creek, then about 1.5 miles up Fifth Water Creek to the largest springs; parking is very small.
  • Park only in designated pullouts; do not block the road.
  • Do not dunk your head.
  • Do not let pets drink the water.
Three Forks Trailhead is the most heavily used trail to the Fifth Water Hot Springs.
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest | Three Forks Trailhead, USDA Forest Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Park only in designated pull outs along the road.
USDA Forest Service on Fifth Water Hot Springs. Read it at the source
Do not dunk head
USDA Forest Service on Fifth Water Hot Springs. Read it at the source
Do not let pets drink water
USDA Forest Service on Fifth Water Hot Springs. Read it at the source
Harmful bacteria may be present at Fifth Water Hot Springs. This bacteria could cause rashes.
USDA Forest Service on Fifth Water Hot Springs. Read it at the source
The Fifth Water Hot Springs is being monitored by the Utah Department of Water Quality for HAB (Harmful Algal Blooms)
USDA Forest Service on Fifth Water Hot Springs. Read it at the source
A small waterfall pouring between two pale boulders into a clear green pool, with steam drifting off the top of the fall
The falls and a lower pool at Goldbug Hot Springs, Idaho. The first quarter mile of the trail crosses private property on a public easement, and the BLM asks for dogs on a leash there. “Goldbug Hotsprings (25920311177)”, BLMIdaho, Public domain
How many springs

Thermal springs counted in Utah

NOAA’s Thermal Springs List for the United States counts 116 thermal features in Utah, the hottest listed at 187 F, out of 1661 across 23 states. The count is a measure of geology: Natural surface hydrothermal features (springs, pools, mud pots, mud volcanoes, geysers, fumaroles and steam vents) at 20 C (68 F) or warmer; temperatures are the maximum reported surface reading. Most sit on remote ground, on land with no public access, or too hot to approach, which is why the soaking list above is the shorter one. The hottest reading can belong to a fumarole or a steam vent rather than a pool.

Thermal Springs List for the United States, compiled by George W. Berry, Paul J. Grim and Joy A. Ikelman, NOAA Key to Geophysical Records Documentation No. 12, 1980; published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly the National Geophysical Data Center). Data file read September 22, 2026: the thermal springs list and its documentation. Every state’s count is on the national table.

The water

What the CDC and the Park Service say about soaking

Two hazards come up in every agency’s own words: what lives in warm water, and how hot the ground and the water can be. Both are quoted below as the agencies write them, and they apply at every site above.

Always keep your head above water in hot springs and other naturally hot (geothermal) water.
CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world.
CDC, Naegleria fowleri Infections, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Hold your nose shut or use a nose clip if you jump or dive into the water.
CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Avoid digging in, or stirring up, sediment in shallow fresh water. Naegleria fowleri amebas are more likely to live in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers.
CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
All thermal waters contain organisms that may cause illness, including skin rash, gastrointestinal illness (vomiting and diarrhea), or other infections that can be life-threatening.
National Park Service, swimming in Yellowstone, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Burns from thermal features are a common cause of serious injury and death in the park. The ground surrounding these features may look solid, but it can be just a thin crust with super-heated water below.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Even thermal runoff can be extremely hot and cause burns.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Toxic gases may accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas. If you begin to feel sick while exploring a geyser basin, leave the area immediately.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Pets are not allowed in thermal areas or on boardwalks, even if they're on a leash or carried in arms, strollers, or backpacks.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Utah hot springs questions

Hot springs in other states

Utah snowpackHow deep the snow is on Utah's mountains, for the trails and roads into the springs.First snow in UtahWhen the first snow usually falls in Utah, the start of the season for a warm soak.Utah mountain passesWinter pass conditions and chain rules on the highways to Utah's hot springs.Hot springs by statePublic soaking sites in every state, Hot Springs National Park and Yellowstone, and NOAA's thermal springs counts.

Compiled September 22, 2026 from USDA Forest Service pages, one per site, each linked beside its quote and read on September 22, 2026. Site types above: primitive spring. Fees, seasons and access change between seasons, a spring can be closed by flood, fire or repair at short notice, and a soak is at the soaker’s own risk, so the managing office is the one to check before a trip. Every state is in the national hot springs guide.