British Columbia has a large number of hot springs, many of which are often situated in some of the most scenic areas in the world. While most springs are often located in delightful undeveloped areas often reached after a long hike up a mountain valley, some have been developed into international resort destinations. Either way, allow plenty of time to experience the wonders that await you in British Columbia.

View our Clients that offer services in and around Hot Springs in British Columbia.
View map of the BC Rockies

Here are a few suggested hot spots on a western and eastern route through the BC Rockies.

Hot Springs (West Tour)
In the heart of the Kootenay wilderness is Ainsworth Hot Springs, set into the mountainside overlooking the vast expanse of Kootenay Lake and the Purcell Mountains. The natural hot springs feature a unique horseshoe-shaped cave where the darkness, the mineral deposits and the humidity all combine to offer an exhilarating experience. The hot steamy, odourless shower of mineralized water falls from the cave's roof and forms a waist-deep pool, providing a rejuvenating natural steam bath.

The hot springs are heated naturally and vary in temperature between 40-42°C (104-114°F) in the Cave, 35-38°C (96-101°F) in the Pool, and 4-10°C (40-50°F) for the Cold Plunge. The caves are old mine tunnels carved out by miners attempting to increase the flow of hot water from the springs. Visitors can explore the cave's tunnels and stalactites, relaxed on a hot ledge, find the natural hot shower or have a natural sauna. Ainsworth is open year-round, and is popular with families and local residents wishing to linger in the soothing waters and play in this exhilarating wilderness playground.

Any time is a good time to visit Ainsworth, but the cool, crisp air on winter days provides a delightful contrast to the warmth and humidity in the caves. For a side trip drive take the two-hour (round-trip) Balfour ferry across Kootenay Lake to Kootenay Bay. It's a pretty trip and happens to be the world's longest free ferry ride.

From Ainsworth Hot Springs continue your tour via Kaslo, New Denver, and north to Nakusp. Highway 31A from Kaslo to New Denver, a distance of 29 miles (47 km), follows the railbed of the Kaslo and Slocan Railway, passing the ghost towns of Zincton, Retallack, Three Forks, and Sandom. Don't expect to make any time on this exciting, rock-and-rolling road. However, it provides a pictures route. In Kaslo, tour the SS Moyie, a stern-wheeler that plied the waters of Kootenay Lake from 1898 until 1957: open summers only, hours vary. New Denver, a former mining town, is now noted mainly for its spectacular location on Slocan Lake, with the peaks of the Valhalla Mountains rising more than 7,000 feet (2100 m) on the opposite shore.

Nakusp Hot Springs

Another hot-springs option is at Nakusp Hot Springs, located just outside Nakusp, which also has overnight accommodation in A-frame cedar chalets. Although the Nakusp Hot Springs might lack some of the drama of the horseshoe-shaped tunnel at Ainsworth Hot Springs, they nonetheless provide an equally vivid hot-spring experience. The setting here is a narrow canyon through which runs the Kuskanax River. Surrounded by dense forest, the circular municipal outdoor pool is divided in two.

The larger portion is deep enough for swimming, and its temperature is maintained at a comfortable 37 Deg C. A small section is kept much hotter 41 Deg C. You'll find that a difference of even a degree of two in water temperature affects the amount of time your body can tolerate the heat. Sit in the hottest section for awhile, then find a patch of snow in which to make a snow angel. There's no cold plunge pool here, just the air - which, in winter, is equally effective. Open year round, Nakusp Hot Springs offers something for everyone - hiking, cross-country skiing or snow shoeing in the old growth forest surrounding the hot springs. The Nakusp Hot Springs is also a favourite spot for camping; the newly renovated sites along the Kuskanax Creek now have electrical hookups.

From Nakusp drive north on Hwy 23 to Halcyon Hot Springs, one of B.C.'s newest hot springs resort. It is definitely worth a visit and features a large warm pool and a smaller hot pool, a children's waterpark, deluxe chalets, a fully serviced RV Park and campsites. There are extensive walking and hiking trails, horseback riding, boat launch, fishing and swimming. In the winter, you can enjoy superb snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Surrounded by spectacular alpine peaks, crystal blue lakes, rivers and streams, an abundance of wildlife and a magical legend, Halcyon Hot Springs is a place of recreation and wellness. Alpine and heli-skiing are nearby. Continue north to Galena Bay and enjoy the scenic 30-minute ferry ride crossing Upper Arrow Lake. Once at the terminal follow the western shoreline of Upper Arrow Lake as you head to Revelstoke.

Revelstoke has some of the most spectacular scenery in BritishColumbia. Perched high in the Monashee Mountains, next to two national parks, Mount Revelstoke and Glacier, this town is not to be missed by anyone who appreciates a view. Visitors flock here year round. Summer offers hiking, camping, canoeing, and trail riding. For those who enjoy winter sports there's great downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. The Canyon Hot Springs are 21 miles (34 km) east of Revelstoke on Trans-Canada 1, and have a mineral-water hot pool and a mineral-water swimming pool, but are open summers only. Overnight accommodation is also offered at the campground, RV Park, log cabins and rooms. Hiking trails to suit all are found in the adjacent national parks. Fishing, trail riding, mountain climbing, and boating are also popular in the area.

Radium Hot Springs

Hot Springs (East Tour)
The town of Radium Hot Springs is little more than a support system for area vacation development - gas stations, a couple of cafes, and a string of motels that grow denser as they near Radium Hot Springs. But people don't come here for the town; it's within the boundaries of Kootenay National Park, which has the same mountain peaks and glaciers as Alberta's more famous Banff National Park.

Radium Hot Springs, the actual springs, on Hwy 93, 2 miles (3km) from Radium Junction, makes an ideal soaking spot at the base of the Kootenay Mountain Range. The hot springs, open to the public year-round, are equipped with two pools: one heated, the other cooler for more athletic swimming. Unlike some hot springs, these waters are free of odorous sulphur. The water temperature varies with the season; in spring, the snowmelt cools the thermally heated springs. Of all the commercial springs in BC, Radium is most welcoming to people with disabilities. The pools and changing rooms are fully accessible to wheelchairs. Radium Hot Springs it the perfect spot to enjoy outstanding cross-country and alpine skiing, hiking and wildlife viewing. Not to mention the world-class golf facilities nearby! Radium and the Upper Hot Springs are open year-round and Miette Hot Springs is open from mid-May to mid-October annually.

Fairmont Hot Springs

Continuing south on Hwy 93/95 to Fairmont Hot Springs be sure to stop in the village of Invermere. Nestled in the valley between the Rocky and Purcell Mountain ranges just outside Kootenay National Park, and situated along the sandy shores of Windermere Lake, this community offers a full spectrum of outdoor activities to visitors. Swim or windsurf in the morning, hike the trails in the afternoon or simply relax on the beach and enjoy the breathtaking mountain scenery.

With two championship golf courses, spa facilities and the largest natural mineral hot pools in Canada, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort attracts visitors from all over the world. There are four pools at Fairmont: two indoor pools with large sauna and showers, an outdoor 'guest only' hot pool, and the largest pool further away from the resort hotel open to the public. What really sets Fairmont apart from the other commercial springs are the undeveloped Historical Baths.

From Canal Flats, a small lumber-mill town between Kootenay River and Columbia Lake, take a side trip to Whiteswan Lake Provincial Park, then onto Top of the World Provincial Park. Lussier Hot Springs are located near the western boundary of Whiteswan Lake Provincial Park. The road climbs steadily from Hwy 93/95, entering Lussier Gorge - within the gorge, a trail leads down to the delightful, undeveloped Lussier Hot Springs.

Top of the World Provincial Park receives top marks as an alpine region of sublime beauty. Mount Morro (elevation 9,533 feet/2,914 m) is the highest peak in the park. Many archaeological sites are located here, in what was once the traditional home of the Upper Kootenay First Nation. Forest cover is mostly spruce, pine, and some fir, and most of the plateau is carpeted with alpine flowers. Small populations of large mammals inhabit the park, and an abundance of birds live around Fish Lake. This lake is noted for its cutthroat trout and dolly Varden fishery, but you must have a valid BC fishing licence and a copy of the park's fishing regulations before casting a line. There are backcountry campsites available and rustic cabins.

The range of wilderness experiences offered through the BC Rockies is exhilarating and diverse. Hot springs, alpine meadows, spectacular scenery, wildlife observation, and photography are among the many reasons to visit.

Other hot spots...
The greater Vancouver area has some excellent hot springs to explore, including the 'Spa of Canada,' Harrison Hot Springs. The centrepiece of a luxury hotel, Harrison Hot Springs is a resort town with recreation and health at the forefront. There's swimming, canoeing, and fishing on nearby Harrison Lake. In addition, there are sailboards and bikes to rent and hiking trails nearby. The resort operates all year round, but the peak season is from June through September. The pools at the hotel are for guests only - but don't be dismayed: the public soaking pool, which has cooled hot-spring water pumped into it, is large and wonderfully warm. The public pool is one block east of the hotel. Harrison Hot Springs is fronted by a long stretch of municipal beach, so perfect for building sand castles that an annual world championship sand sculpture competition is held here in September.

Queen Charlotte Islands - wild and beautiful, embody everything that is ancient and mystical about the West Coast. Impossible not to marvel at, and revel in, these are the Queen Charlotte Islands, arguably one of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world. The Charlottes are about 60 miles (100 km) off the mainland, and are made up of about 150 islands. It can be reached only by boat or plane, but nothing is more idyllic than relaxing in a hot spring on Hotspring Island and watching a pod of orcas swim past. There are at least a dozen springs and seeps on Hotspring Island and when you have had enough, spend some time exploring the beach and enjoy the vista of Juan Perez Sound and the San Christoval Mountains.

Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park Photo: Kathleen Anderson Smith

One of the best stops on the entire Alaska Highway is the fabulous Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park, 20 km north of Muncho Lake.

Offering campsites with fairly rustic facilities, this is one of the few provincial campgrounds that remain open all year round along the Alaska Highway, and with good reason. Even in the depths of winter (which lasts eight months here) the springs are hot enough to provide relief to
weary travellers and adventurers, whether they've been hiking on foot or on skis.

Many warm and hot springs are hidden away in the Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park, but the two hottest and largest have been developed into bathing pools. Caution: Beware of bears, even in areas where groups of campers are bathing. If there are warning signs about bears, heed them!!

Hot Springs Cove

Hot Springs Cove, located in Maquinna Provincial Park in the remote northern end of Clayoquot Sound, on Vancouver Island, is a splendid hot spring still enjoyable in its natural state. The boiling spring water cascades down a small cliff into a series of layered rock pools, cooled by the incoming ocean surf. Rejuvenate your soul in these wonderfully scenic surroundings.

This soothing phenomenon is open year-round and is accessible only by sea or air. Various guided tours and water taxis explore the wilds of the west coast from Tofino, combining aerial sightseeing, camping, whale watching and kayaking with the magical experience of a mineral steam bath surrounded by old-growth rain forest.

Tofino provides access to a second, cooler spring at Ahousat Hot Springs in the Gibson Marine Provincial Park on Flores Island. Wilderness, backcountry or walk-in camping is allowed, but no facilities are provided. Reservations are not accepted at this park and all campsites are on a first-come, first-served basis. Wolves have been known to frequent campsites - please ensure that all food and items smelling of food, as well as any loose items, are stored out of reach of wildlife.

Circle Tours: The Okanagan and the Rockies