Devil's Bathtub
Sep. 3rd, 2016 11:59 pm
( In 2012, I hiked the entire Devil's Fork Loop Trail. Click here for a summary of that miserable experience. )
Before today, the last time I went to Devils Bathtub was in 2013 with my friends Mary and Jordan. I can’t remember if this was on a weekend, but there had been about ten other people there, which was not excessive, but kind of unprecedented. Since then, word has apparently gotten out over social media, and the area has become mainstream. There was a news report from last year about the parking area filling up and people parking their cars illegally on private property. Mary had tried to go here in either 2014 or 2015, and there had been a large crowd, so she left in disgust. I had sort of written this place off as a loss after hearing about this, because it is not the type of swimming hole that can accommodate crowds, and part of its charm was that it was so secluded and obscure. Now there are signs everywhere making it easy to find. As bummed as I was to hear what has become of Devil’s Bathtub, I had been watching some youtube videos of people swimming around and going underwater in the pools, which made me want to go back. I had planned on going home to my parents’ house in Virginia this weekend, and I wanted to do two swimming hole treks (Steels Creek being one of them), so I figured a return to Devil’s Fork could be my second. My knees still have not quite forgiven me since Three Forks last month, but I figured they could take two more days of punishment this summer since they are about to have the entire winter to recover. I really need to invest in some trekking poles for next year, though.
( Click here for the full trip report with pictures and videos )
In conclusion, I would say the crowds at Devil’s Bathtub take this place down a few notches. I overheard some people saying that they had driven over three hours to get here. Having to wait my turn to get into Devil’s Bathtub is some bullshit. Standing in line is for water parks, and that’s half the reason I prefer natural swimming holes. This used to be my second favorite swimming hole spot after Upper Creek Falls, but now I’m not even sure if it’s Top 5 material. Fortunately the aesthetics of the area haven’t really suffered yet (aside from the people themselves being eye sores); there was a plastic bottle and a beer can here and there, but the place wasn’t covered in trash like I expected it would be. Someone must have come through and cleaned it recently. One upside to the increased visitation is that the trail is in much better shape, especially beyond the bathtub, although I would personally rather have a rough trail and no crowds. Even though the creeks here aren't very big, I sort of want to explore some of the other creeks not accessible by trail, because it's really hard to find crystal clear streams as unique as these, and I would love to find an obscure swimming hole as pretty as the ones on Devil's Fork.