Burbling forth from the parched earth, intensely hot water is channeled into three hand made tubs

Welcome to another dusty country town with another sweet hot spring find. In southern Utah, Delta is a one stoplight town with all the necessities: a grocer, a liquor store, and a McDonald's for WiFi. Baker hot springs is not located in town, but rather in the middle of the arid desert. The drive out to it would take us several miles North West of the town itself. We made a requisite stop at the liquor store and spoke with the kindly older man behind the cash. We asked him about baker hot springs and he immediately quieted; a troubled look darkened his face. "Be careful going out there," he said, "Used to be a bunch of white supremacists camped out there." We asked him what he knew about it, and he said he used to be a cop in Baker. He said he had a “hard time” out there, that people weren't really welcome, especially not the cops. He admitted that it had been over fifteen years since he had been to the springs, but we thanked him for the heads up, nonetheless. We figured that at the first sign of trouble, we'd make our move out of there.

When we arrived, the water was scorching hot and the tubs were carpeted in tongues of steam rising into the cool evening air.

To get to the tubs, you have to take a six and a half mile dirt road that winds through the foothills of the surrounding mountains. Driving in, there certainly was evidence of a group of people who had lived out there in a compound of trailers at one time. When were arrived there was no one there except a single camper van and a very familiar looking man and his dog. We were able to park our rig a mere twenty feet from the tubs. Remember when we said hot springs are a funny thing? Our new neighbours turned out to be Jake, his girlfriend Maddie (who we finally got to meet and who was lovely), and their adorable rock chasing pooch. The pools were uniquely innovative. Hot water was piped into three rectangular tubs that were plenty deep enough to fully submerge. The hot water ran along one side of the tubs, and bathers could block the hot water flow with cloths and rocks to make the tubs cooler, or remove the obstacles to make the tubs warmer. Each tub also had a cold water pipe that could be blocked and unblocked in the same way to expedite the heating/cooling process. If you blocked the cold water and allowed the hot water to come in at full flow, the tubs could get VERY hot pretty quickly. On the opposite side of the tubs, a small nook is carved at the top of the tub to allow the overflow to seep out.

A simple, yet ingenious system ensures that even Goldilocks can find a temperature that “just right”.

All day soaking really works up an appetite, and nothing beats a poolside dinner cooked over the fire.

We sat in the tubs and drank our beer and ate some off brand Doritos with Jake and Maddie as the moon rose, bright orange and very large, over the mountains to the east. The scenery was stark but beautiful. A desert of rolling foothills to the west and a large plane of flatland to the east with a border of towering, jagged mountains in the distance. On an evening with a bright full moon like we had, you could see clearly late into the night. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we decided to stay a second night, even after we said adieu to our new friends (with whom we've kept in loose touch ever since). When they left, we stole their spot directly next to the tubs, relishing every opportunity for waterfront property. The next day, however, we were dismayed to discover the bane of hot springs bathers everywhere: chiggers. Tiny red mites that live in the algae on the sides of hot tubs and which detach themselves from their homes to take little bites out of your naked flesh. We found that if we stayed to the center of the tubs we were unaffected, but this discovery marred the rest of our stay here. The culprit is simply that the tubs themselves never get scrubbed, and they are relatively stagnant, out in the wild, without bleach or chlorine. We have vowed to return to these beautiful and FREE springs armed with bleach and steel wool to clean these tubs for future bathers.

Cleanliness - 12 (Even though the surrounding area is garbage free, tubs are a big part of a hot spring and the algae covered tubs and chiggers couldn't bring us to give this place high ranking)

Amenities - 1

Exclusivity - 4

Scenery - 5

Community - 3 (This one's a crap chute. It's possible you could be here all by yourself, but if you find yourself with other soakers, this is the type of springs at which you simply cannot avoid conversation with other friendly and inquisitive travellers)

Camping - 5