Dripping Rock Trail

School may be in full swing and Pumpkin flavored everything has invaded our lives but it is still technically Summer! With temperatures in the high 80's it certainly still feels like summer! If you live in Utah Valley and are looking for a stress free way of cooling off after you pick the kids up from school, I'd recommend Dripping Rock Trail in Spanish Fork, Utah. 

Seriously one of my favorite spots in Utah Valley, so, you readers of The Salt Project are pretty special since i'm sharing all the details! 

Located in South East Spanish Fork just off of E Canyon Rd. From I-15 take exit 257 for US 6 toward Price and drive southeast for 4.1 miles. Turn right onto Powerhouse Road and in 0.2 miles make a right onto Rivers Bottom Road. The first left you can make is the parking lot for the Spanish Fork River Trail (40.08466,-111.59628).

From the parking lot take the paved trail and follow it to the bridge that crosses the river. Take the tunnel on the left which goes under Powerhouse Road. This leads you to the overflow parking lot for the Spanish Oaks Golf course. Walk across the parking lot and take the first left and follow the path along the river. 

This trail is a stroller friendly paved path that is an easy .4 mile walk from the parking lot to where we normally walk down to the river bank. As you walk along the trail you will notice there are actually multiple dripping rocks, so there isn't one rock in particular that I would call THE dripping rock. The river sits down hill from the trail and some spots can be steep but I usually walk till the very end of the 2ft tall rock retaining wall and descend to the river bank there.

The beauty of this little gem is that it provides a fuss free way to cool off that doesn't include hours of planning! You don't need sunshade umbrellas, lots of beach toys or sunblock (thanks to all the trees providing shade)! Most of the time I don't even put my kids in swimsuits because we end up just wading around and the deepest spots usually only come to my knees.

I would recommend water shoes or river sandals though, they make wading around and walking on the river rocks so much easier! The water is cool but not so cold you lose feeling in your toes and its crystal clear! We have explored much of this little river but we stay away from the very end of the trail where there is a concrete dam and the water gets pretty deep.

We usually spend about an hour wading around, throwing rocks and catching water striders in our buckets! Its the perfect spot to get outside and explore before you have to head home and make dinner!