Desert Destination: Baker Hot Springs, Utah

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

This past weekend I had a chance to visit a place I've wanted to go to for a long time: Baker Hot Springs, about 20 miles northwest of Delta, Utah. I had read in the very informative Millard County Tourism Guide about this hot spring, which they called a Mini-Yellowstone. I scoffed. Surely there couldn't be something that cool around. 

But I was wrong. 

As it turned out, I was really impressed with the hot spring for a number of reasons. 

It was hot. Very hot. Scalding hot. 

It smelled like sulfur, a smell that immediately transports me to Yellowstone.

And it was beautiful. 

And best of all...it had soaking pools nearby!

The reason that there is a hot spring in existence is due to the nearby Fumarole Butte, a large volcanic area that's only about 6  million years old. Apparently that is very young by geologic standards, and there is still some active magma not too far below the surface that is heating this water.

From the excellent USGS site that has lots of information about geologic features in Utah: 

Fumarole Butte is a Quaternary basaltic andesite shield volcano. It overlies minor outcrops of Tertiary basalt and rhyolite erupted 6.1 million years ago, contemporaneously with rhyolite of the Keg and Thomas range 10-30 kilometers to the north and west. Fumarole Butte has normal magnetic polarity indicating eruption during the Jaramillor event. The volcanic neck which provides the name Fumarole Butte is at the center of the volcano and rises approximately 30 meters above the gentle slope of the shield. The volcano was inundated briefly by Lake Bonneville, and there are scattered remnants of lacustrine deposits. Benches developed at the Provo level (1,463 meters). Crater Springs (also known as Baker Hot Springs and Abraham Hot Springs), on the eastern margin, produced thermal water (87-90 degrees C) at an estimated discharge rate of about 17 liters per second in the summer of 1967. 

The soaking pools consist of three small pools, each of which can hold about two people stretching out or more if you don't mind sharing. Apparently at one time someone wanted to make a little resort out this way, but I guess it was just too desolate to make a go of it.

Here you can see the pools with Fumarole Butte in the background. When we arrived, a local was there to explain the heating and cooling system for the pools. We were lucky to have him help us, because even though it sounds simple, it would have taken us awhile to figure out. 

The water from the natural hot pool runs down a little creek and is diverted into a channel on the north side of the pools. This water is extremely hot, so hot that if you fell into just that water you would need to take a trip to the hospital. In fact, the local said there can be problems with people coming out to party and drinking too much and falling into this extremely hot water.

Amazingly, there is a cool-water spring that emerges just a little to the west of the hot spring (between the spring and the butte). This cool-water spring is smaller, but it provides enough water that with a little plumbing, the perfect temperature can be achieved in the soaking pools. The local told us that it takes about 20 minutes to cool down a pool that is too hot, but only about 15 seconds to heat it up, so we kept that in mind as we experimented. 

There are short pieces of PVC pipe that can channel the cool water over the hot water ditch and into the soaking pools, and pieces of discarded clothing and towels to act as dams to keep the hot water from entering the soaking pools. 

Surrounding the area is a variety of vegetation and wildlife, including this kingbird. I saw my first kingbird of the season last week and am glad to welcome this noisy species back.

Surrounding the big hot spring is a lot of knee-high vegetation, and the day was just cool enough that the steam rising off the water provided a nice contrast.

In this photo you can see both the steam and the Fumarole Butte in the background. I didn't realize it until I got home and pulled up a Google Earth map that the spring area is much more extensive than can be seen from the parking area.

After an enjoyable soak, I headed up the channel to find the source of the hot water. What I found were several hot springs. One had a lot of algae growing on the top. 

Another was burbling up from a crack in the earth's surface, with an especially strong odor of sulfur.

Another springhead was darker blue. The hotter the water, the darker it is due to the different types of bacteria that live at different temperatures. The cooler water had lots of orange bacteria, but cool is relative--it was still hot enough to burn a person.

And hot enough to kill a sheep. This wool and pile of bones was next to the hot spring channel.

Here's a view of the channel looking south, towards the soaking pools.

There are some salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima) trees around the area, but they appear to have been treated with the very successful salt cedar leaf beetle (Diorhabda elongata),  which defoliated them. I found one tiny patch of greenery growing back, but it's so nice that the salt cedar haven't grown so thick as to prevent access to the area.

There are a lot of minerals in this hot water, and it appears that they are building some travertine along the hot spring channel. It takes on fascinating forms.

For the most part, the spring was relatively clean, although there was some trash downstream and some beer cans by a firepit that looked like it was from the night before. Occasionally folks clean out the soaking pools, which can get algae-filled and slimy and get a lot of sediment in them. Depending on the last time the pools were cleaned may dictate the conditions--and how much you enjoy your soaking. 

Hopefully people who visit this cool hot spring area respect it--otherwise it won't be worth visiting. 

Pick up a Millard County Tourism Guide and you'll find some photos, a description, and maps of Millard County that will help you get to the hot springs. The basic directions are get on the Brush-Wellman Road, go about 11 or 12 miles west of the power plant, and turn on a good gravel road that is before the huge volcanic plateau (Fumarole Butte). Head north just over seven miles, and the springs are on the east side of the road.

Desert Boy Tries Out His New Boots

I had to go check on one of the ranch springs and I had Desert Boy with me, so I put on his new irrigating boots. He was excited, because he loves water and knew that he was going to get to play in it. 

Despite plenty of dry grass to walk on, he chose to walk right down the middle of the spring channel. 

But eventually he got stuck. That silt and mud can really be sticky, especially for little feet in little boots. Desert Boy did his best to get out.

He got out, but his boot was left behind. Fortunately he knew he should pull it out of the mud.

He started retreating to higher ground. 

And then he poured the water out of the boot. He looks like an expert doing this, doesn't he? I wonder where he learned it so well?

Finally all the water is out. Time to hike in the water some more!

Storm Runoff

Some of the recent storms have created new channels in the dirt, eroding away the soil and leaving intriguing paths.

I like to follow the little channels and see where they'll take me. Sometimes I even imagine I'm a little drop of water and try to picture what it would see if it had eyes.

Desert Boy thinks it's a good game and has scrambled up the the little gully. When he has to squeeze by the pokey greasewood, he says "bush, bush," and makes a face when a thorn pokes him. But he doesn't let a little discomfort stop him, he's ready to find out where the water came from and where it went.

The Coolest Desert Spring

We went and visited this super cool, downright fantastic spring this past weekend. Walking up to it, it might not seem that terrific, even though the sight of green algae and an open body of water is notable in the desert.

As I got closer, I realized that this spring is really something special. And a little dangerous. Underneath the algae, it suddenly became apparent that this little spring is not so little--the water is several feet deep. And it's unclear where the edge is with so much old vegetation surrounding it. Nevertheless, I wanted to get a little closer...

...to see the white sand at the bottom, and the little bubbles of air popping out of them. It was amazing.

I'd like to get on a float tube and just stare down at the water bubbling out. Maybe when it gets a little warmer. 

The spring is not just for oohing and ahhing, though. It provides important water for lots of organisms, including...

...this Columbia spotted frog. Desert Boy was fascinated and fortunately a little bit respectful. The frog was quite friendly and stayed rather still for its photo shoot. 

I love desert springs, there's such a contrast between the life-giving water and the arid surroundings.

NEWS FLASH---I've started another blog, called A Plant a Day. I'm on a mission to learn all the plants in the area where I live. There are about 1,000, so I figure it will take me a few years, but I might as well get started! Even if you aren't into learning plants, you can still see some some pretty pictures: http://aplantaday.blogspot.com.

A Sign of Spring--Frog Eggs

Yesterday we stopped at a desert spring to look for frog eggs. Every March, Columbia spotted frogs (and northern leopard frogs) lay eggs in waterbodies in our valley. They are very picky about where they lay their eggs--the water has to be the right temperature, depth, and velocity. 

We looked around the edges of this spring. It has just warmed up, the trees are still bare, and we haven't seen many migratory birds, so it seems too early for frogs to be going about mating and laying eggs, but that's what they do.

We looked and we looked. In some places the algae was really thick on top of the water.

Eventually, we found some Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) egg masses. The egg masses can have from 150 to 500 eggs in them. One pair of frogs lays each egg mass, so the egg masses provide a good estimate of how many frogs are in the area--just count the number of egg masses and double it.

The black embryos develop into tadpoles in a few weeks, and then the hundreds of tadpoles swim out into the spring. Mortality is really high for the little tadpoles. They are a tasty snack for fish, birds, and garter snakes. Yet enough survive to keep the frogs thriving at this spring.

Columbia spotted frogs are known for their affinity to water. When they get spooked, they disappear under water. What is amazing about this spring is that it is a long way off from any other spotted frog locations, at least ten miles. So have the frogs here survived since much wetter times (like 15,000 years ago, when there was a huge lake that covered the valley bottom)? Or do the frogs get frisky and hop across the desert from time to time?

Coyote Springs--A Pipe Dream?

Out in an uninhabited valley about an hour north of Las Vegas, an incongruous sign and palm trees rise from the valley floor. This is the site of Coyote Springs, touted as a 42,000-acre master-planned community by developer Harvey Whittemore. The plan is for 159,000 houses to be built here, along with schools, fire departments, and shopping centers. Where would these people work? Las Vegas is oft-mentioned, but it's about an hour away, mostly on a two-lane highway with lots of slow-moving recreational vehicles. No houses have yet been built, with Pardee Homes announcing that the building has been delayed  due to a slowdown in the economy.

The first of 16 golf courses is completed. The Coyote Springs website begins "Coyote Springs is defined by a continuous valley of green." I couldn't quite find what they meant, since this is dry desert with lots of space between the cacti, creosote, and yucca, but perhaps that green is going to be the golf courses--if enough water can be found. There are no streams flowing through the area, no springs, no lakes, no ponds. Water has to be pumped out of the ground and piped here. In a desert area with little precipitation, it certainly raises the question: Is this kind of development sustainable? Or is it destined to become the next ghost town?

There were a few golfers on the fairways on the winter afternoon. For this opportunity, it costs up to $175 plus caddie gratuity. If you want to save some money, come golf in the summer, when playing under the sun in 110 degree temperatures will run you just $105 plus gratuity.

Another entrance further down the road has the big Coyote Springs sign, but the landscaping has yet to be completed. I find it rather interesting that every plant has its own irrigation drip, even the cacti.

There's an onsite nursery at Coyote Springs. The trees look outlandish in this place that gets just a few inches of precipitation a year.

This is the entry to the golf club. There were a few vehicles in the parking lot the day I went by.

In the foreground is some of the desert landscaping. It's nice to see them make some attempt to preserve some semblance of the desert, especially since most of this area planned to be developed is (was) desert tortoise habitat. 

I have to wonder who would want to live out here. People who like the remote desert aren't going to want to live with tens of thousands of other people. People who like living near other people are going to want to have more amenities nearby. And the site used to be owned by a Department of Defense contractor and was considered fairly worthless because it's downwind from Area 51 and Nellis Air Force Range, which has bombing practice. 

Recently the developers petitioned the county commissioners for a change in zoning so they could include a hotel-casino on the property. Again, from the Coyote Springs website: "In the town of Coyote Springs, schools are a primary focus." I've always thought schools and casinos to be an odd juxtaposition. 

Despite some xeriscaping, the developer just had to add palm trees. The nearest native palm tree is found hundreds of miles away.

Even worse than the palm trees are the fake rocks and pond--yes pond! planned at the grand entrance.

To the far left of the Coyote Springs is a man-made waterfall. The water will then pool below the sign. I guess this is to make it obvious that as the advertising proclaims, "an amazing desert oasis is taking shape."

It will be interesting to see if home buyers are as elusive as water in this dry, isolated place.

Desert Destination: Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas on Highway 93, was established in 1963 to provide habitat for migratory birds, especially waterfowl. The 5,300-acre protected area contains lakes, marshes, and meadows, all of which are rare habitats in Nevada. It is part of the Pacific flyway, an important migratory route.

Pahranagat has two lakes, Upper and Lower, along with two marshes, North and Middle. The mix of vegetation and water depths provide food and shelter for more than 230 species of wildlife. The water component of Pahranagat is essential for most wildlife species, and comes from sources further up the valley, such as Ash Springs.

When we went by in early February, Lower Pahrangat Lake was covered with birds--thousands of them. 

This is the shallower of the two lakes, so it is often covered with dabbling ducks--those ducks that tip over with their tail feathers high in the sky as they reach down to eat aquatic vegetation and insects that are slightly below the surface. Easily identified dabbling ducks are mallards and green-winged teals.

It looked like the most common birds were American coots--small black birds with stubby white beaks. They were bobbing along on the waves in the windy afternoon.

A highway parallels the lakes and marshes of Pahranagat NWR. You can see that it's winter by the leafless cottonwoods. A couple old roads run between the highway and the lakes, allowing you to enjoy the view at a slower pace.

One of the first things to see at the turnoff to Upper Pahrangat Lake is this bird blind, built by a Youth Conservation Crew in 2008. There are a couple benches inside, where you can hide out and let the birds forget you and get closer.

Besides wildlife watching, hunting and fishing are popular activities at the national wildlife refuge.

Further down the road is the Visitor Information Center, a tiny building. An information kiosk is next to it to provide an orientation to the 32,000 visitors who get off the highway to visit the refuge. The full-time staff of Pahranagat NWR consists of two employees, so needless to say, they are always looking for good volunteers and interns.

There's a nice picnic area with a shelter over it near the visitor information center. 

One of the attractions of Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is free camping. About a dozen campsites are located right next to the lake. They are simple, with just a picnic table and grill, so you have to bring all your amenities (including drinking water). The view is spectacular, especially considering the price!

If you don't want to camp, there's a three-mile long trail around Upper Pahranagat Lake. There's also a wheelchair accessible fishing pier at the south end. Winter is obviously not a good time to try fishing from the pier.

However, winter is an excellent time to visit the refuge, especially if you like birds. Thousands of water birds use the lakes as wintering areas, including hundreds of tundra swans. The upper lake is deeper and is used by many diving ducks like canvasbacks and lesser scaups. The diving ducks have their legs further back on their bodies and are heavier than dabbling ducks, so when they take off from the water, they have to run on it first to get up enough speed.

The day we visited, there was only one person camping and no one else visiting the refuge. Even though it's right next to a highway, it's a beautiful spot to take a break and feel like you're far from everyone. To find out more, visit the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge website.