CAMPING: MAPLE GROVE HOT SPRINGS

UPDATE: Maple Grove Hot Springs has been closed until further notice. Hopefully they can reopen soon!

A gorgeous setting with camping options for the spectrum of outdoors-person. Complete with swans.

We visited Maple Grove Hot Springs just out of coincidence. We were picking up our camper (eek!) in Logan, which is an hour an a half North of SLC. We wanted to take our new toy for a test run and basically just pointed to a spot on the map within an hour of Logan.

Maple Grove Hot Springs is located along the Bear River, on the North end of Oneida Narrows Reservoir. The Reservoir itself is, in fact, quite narrow with a subtle current that gives off river vibes. Maple Grove is privately owned by, very possibly, the sweetest and most accommodating folks imaginable. They were quick to offer information on nearby hikes and kept the grounds tidy and the pool temperatures monitored. They also go through the lengths of plowing the road but four-wheel drive is recommended, as is approaching from Highway 34. We were camping in the second weekend of December, with a fresh foot of snow on the ground, but we didn't have any trouble making our way in.

I mentioned in the headline that these grounds are suitable for the spectrum of campers, so let me elaborate on that. There are a dozen modest campsites with nothing more than a fire ring and a small picnic table. If you would like to shelter yourself in more than a tent you can choose from 2 RVS, 2 yurts, or one dainty log cabin. According to their website: each of the RVs sleep 6 comfortably, the yurts sleep 2, and the log cabin sleeps up to 4. You should check with the staff before arrival, but I believe none of the accommodations have power outlets.

We parked our truck at campsite 11. There are three sites right on the rivers edge but they don't offer any barrier between the sites and we didn't want to be staring into the tent of our neighbors. As it turns out, there were no guests using the tent spaces so we would have been fine. If you would like to be closest to the pools/reservoir book sites 11-14.

Our new camper has a stove (booyah) but since we winterized it for these cold months we couldn't use the sink (it has one of those too, booyah). I expected I would be doing the ol' snow rinse when one of the staff members let me know that I am welcome to use the full kitchen in the main house to clean my dishes. A full kitchen is just one of the creature comforts offered in the main house; there are changing rooms, flushing toilets, and a hot/cold shower for guests to use during their stay. PLUSH.

Now to the hot stuff: The Hot Springs!

The four hot pools rest on the shore of the Reservoir (I keep wanting to say river here because of its appearance). As previously stated, the staff takes care to monitor the temperatures and posts them frequently in the lobby. Each pool seemed to hover around 103 degrees. For reference, most hot tubs are set to 104, so this is pretty perfect. We had a pool to ourselves for our entire stay, but we were told that during warmer seasons and during Holidays, they can be pretty crowded.

*To Note: Before my trip to Maple Grove Hot Springs I had never been to a hot spring (*gasp*) so I didn't have anything to compare my experience to at the time that I wrote this, but the water was warm, the scenery was beautiful, and the company was top notch. Since then I have visited a hot spring that was much more rustic and without any human assistance. I love both options.

**Maple Grove is open year round and staff is ready and willing to answer any questions you may have. Their website can be found here

One of the Yurts and steam billowing from the therapy pool hot spring.

Campsites 1-3 that sit near the reservoir'd edge. These would be great RV spots and are the closest camping sites to the pools.

Maple Grove is very dog friendly. They have their own super sweet and super gigantic Rottweiler and at least one cat.