Have you ever promised your kids you’d take them swimming? Arrived at the destination and then learned you couldn’t use the pool.
I feel terrible when I make a promise and then find out I’m at risk of not keeping it.
This was the start of our Memorial Day long week-end. We’d just found out the pool at the campground was “solar heated” ie really, really, really cold after an abnormally cool spring. Now we were really in a dilemma, we had promised the kids we’d swim, but neither of us wanted to get in the water with them.
Enter Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, Ut.
We had read about them in the campground flyer the day before and both had the same reaction, “Utah has hot springs?” Before we had kids we had gone to several hot springs around the world: Banff, Lava and undeveloped hot springs in the Atacama desert, but never hot springs in Utah.
We were pretty worried they wouldn’t be fun since we’ve lived in Salt Lake City for 8 years and had never heard about them, but we promised swimming and at least it was a warm option. Here is where I’ll stop and admit it: I was totally wrong. They were awesome!
The Crystal Hot Springs have the highest mineral content in the world. The springs are made up of 4 large hot pools, 2 water slides, and 3 hot tubs ranging in temperature from 85-115F.
The day we went was a cool day for May which was great since the water was so warm. We arrived just after opening so there weren’t many people there and we could get on the water slides with almost no wait. By the time we left at 3:30pm, it was busy and there was about a ten-minute wait for the water slides.
Kids <42” can ride the slides with a parent or guardian which is a big deal for us since our youngest son is only 40” and feels left out when he can’t do the same things as his older brother.
“A” spent the day on the pool deck playing and napping while we took turns playing with the boys in the water.
Crystal Hot Springs was great, but there are some things we would have changed to make our experience even better.
Here are our top 5 tips for making the most out of a family trip to the hot springs:
1.Take extra measures to prevent sunburns
It’s easy to get a sunburn in Utah even on cloudy days due to the high elevations. A high quality sunscreen is essential. We usually use a mineral based sunscreen with a high zinc oxide content; however, we forgot our sunscreen at the campground and had to buy one when we arrived at the hot springs. Personally, I’m not a fan of spray sunscreens and those were the only ones available for sale. By the end of the day we all had faint sunburns.
2. Pack a lunch and snacks
We didn’t expect to spend more then a couple of hours at Crystal Hot Springs so we only brought a couple of oranges, popcorn, cheese, and water. When we realized we’d be spending most of the day we were faced with the decision of leaving and going out for lunch, or buying snacks. We ended up buying some chips and granola bars to tie us over so we could keep swimming.
3. Watch out for dehydration
The hot springs can be surprisingly dehydrating. Add on being out in the sun all day and you may not realize how much water you need. The kids didn’t even realize how thirsty they were. We took frequent breaks for sips of water throughout the day and everyone seems to get enough to drink.
4. Bring floaties for the kids
Luckily, Crystal Hot Springs had some floaties up for grabs and there were still some available when we got to the hot springs. All the floaties were gone by the time we left. While one of the pools was shallow enough for kids to enjoy without a life jacket or floaties, the water slides and other pools were too deep for kids that are not strong swimmers.
5. Make sure you have shampoo and soap for showers
Crystal Hot Springs has a really high mineral content and you’ll be covered in minerals when you are done for the day. We could still have a shower to rinse off some of the minerals at the end of the day, but it would have been better if we had brought soap and shampoo to really clean the minerals off. The boys complained of having really dry skin as a result of not bringing soap.
After we finished swimming it felt great to put on our cozy sweaters for the drive back.
Always pack a sweater.
