Hot springs near Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City lies along the Wasatch Fault at the western foot of the Wasatch Range, on the eastern edge of the Basin and Range Province. Thermal springs occur along the fault zone itself and across the fault-bounded valleys to the west and south. Interstate 15 runs south along the Wasatch Front to Spanish Fork, where U.S. 6 enters Spanish Fork Canyon and Diamond Fork Road leads north into the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest toward Fifth Water Hot Springs. Interstate 80 runs west across the Great Salt Lake Desert, mostly on Bureau of Land Management land, and Interstate 15 continues south toward the basins near Fillmore and Milford.

The Utah Department of Transportation closes a set of seasonal mountain roads each winter, typically from November through May or June, including Guardsman Pass on State Routes 190 and 224 and the Mirror Lake Highway, State Route 150, east of Kamas. Its traction law, rule R920-6, applies during severe winter conditions, with stricter requirements in Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons. In winter, snow can close the upper part of Diamond Fork Road, which lengthens the walk to the springs.