Hot springs in Utah

Western Utah lies in the Basin and Range Province, where the crust has been stretched into long fault-bounded mountain ranges and valleys. Groundwater sinks into the ranges, circulates deep along the faults and returns to the surface at the edges of the valleys, which is why many of the state's thermal springs line up along range fronts. The Wasatch Fault, at the eastern edge of the province, carries a string of springs along the foot of the Wasatch Range. Near Milford, the University of Utah runs Utah FORGE, a geothermal field laboratory funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, in a corridor that already holds two geothermal power plants. The Utah Geological Survey maps the state's thermal springs and wells.

Ownership varies more in Utah than in most western states. Many valley-floor springs are on private land or have been developed. In the mountains east of Spanish Fork, the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest manages the Diamond Fork drainage, home to Fifth Water Hot Springs, reached by a trail from Diamond Fork Road off U.S. 6. In the western deserts, most public land is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fishlake and Dixie national forests cover the high plateaus to the south.

Seasonal patterns follow elevation. Higher forest roads and mountain highways close each winter, and the Utah Department of Transportation applies its traction law, administrative rule R920-6, during severe winter conditions; Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon have stricter requirements than other roads. In winter, the upper part of Diamond Fork Road can be closed by snow, which adds distance to the walk. The western deserts are hottest from June through August, and their dirt roads turn soft after storms.