Crystal Hot Springs
Crystal Hot Springs, near Bluffdale in Salt Lake County, is scalding. The water arrives far hotter than a boiling pot, enough to burn badly on contact, which rules out soaking entirely. The record names no owner and says nothing about access. The chemistry on hand was sampled back in 1958.
Under four hundred feet of walking separates the spring from the road, a bit under two miles from Bluffdale. Winters bring about four feet of snow and this is a wet record for Utah at twenty inches of precipitation. Dogwood day use area is the nearest listed site, about twelve miles off, and it is day use only.
Keep skin out of this water. At 187 degrees it will scald instantly. The record marks it a short walk from the road and says nothing about fences or permission, so approach with caution. Winter is listed as the best season. The chemistry dates to 1958.
Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Crystal Hot Springs.
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
- Setting
- Open ground
- Flat, open ground all around.
- Highest ground nearby
- 28 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the southeast
A slice through the ground from northwest to southeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 34% of the springs on this site.
Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
The water at Crystal Hot Springs is neutral (pH 7.2). It is notably rich in calcium (may support bone density and joint health), magnesium (known for muscle relaxation and stress relief), and chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits).
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Overview Dogwood Day Use Picnic Area is just 2 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, conveniently close to Salt Lake City. Big Cottonwood Creek runs alongside the site. Visitors enjoy fishing, hiking and biking.Recreation Big Cottonwood Creek is stocked for trout fishing and is a favorite among local fly-fisherman. Additionally, many hiking and mountain biking trailheads are located in the canyon.Facilities Dogwood offers several group picnic sites, all with tables, campfire rings and grills. Parki...
Crystal Hot Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water is dangerously hot, so bring water shoes and test pools carefully.
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