There’s nothing quite like taking a long, relaxing soak in a natural hot spring, and Canada is blessed with many to choose from. Western Canada especially is home to numerous hot springs that are worth a visit and we’re sharing some of our favourites.
Hot Springs Cove
To access these hot springs near Tofino, British Columbia you have to get yourself to Maquinna Marine Provincial Park in remote Clayoquot Sound. Access to the park can only be made by sea or air, and there is a two kilometer hike to the hot springs, but the hard work is worth it. A series of beautiful natural layered rock pools will be all yours.
Takhini Hot Pools
If you ever find yourself in the Yukon, make your way to Takhini Hot Pools just 25 minutes outside of Whitehorse in the Boreal Forrest. Two connected pools are available for your soaking pleasures all year round and have been used for centuries. There are many minerals present in the Takhini Hot Springs water, including calcium, magnesium, silica, iron and potassium, the presence of which is known to have healing properties, especially for people with joint and muscle pain.
Miette Hot Springs
Miette Hot Springs in Alberta’s Jasper National Park are the hottest hot springs in the Canadian Rockies. As it flows from the mountain the water is an ultra-steamy 54 degrees Celsius, but by the time it gets to the pools it’s a much more comfortable 34 degrees. A visit to the hot springs here is known as one of the top things to do in Jasper National Park, and it’s not hard to understand why.
Banff Upper Hot Springs
Discovered in 1884, Banff Upper Hot Springs is one of Banff’s most famous attractions – and it’s not hard to see why. Soak your weary muscles, or just soak your stress away with a view of the breathtaking Canadian Rockies. Banff Upper Hot Springs are the highest in Canada, clocking in at 1,585 meters of elevation.
Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort
Downtown Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan is home to Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort, which boasts the largest therapeutic geothermal mineral water pool in Canada. Located on the rooftop, the indoor/outdoor mineral pool is open year-round and the waters are drawn from a source more than 1,350 meters below the earth’s surface. The waters have been purported to relax muscles, detoxify the body and ease joint pain.
Halcyon Hot Springs Village and Spa
Look out over Monashee Mountain Range and Arrow Lake as you relax in the cascading pools of Halcyon Hot Springs Village and Spa in Nakusp, British Columbia, open all year round. Here you’ll find a hot pool at 42 degrees Celsius, a warm pool at 38, as well as a seasonal mineral swimming pool, and (if you dare) a cold plunge pool.
Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort
The hot springs in Kootenay, British Columbia, feature a horseshoe shaped cave where the water first comes in. There is a large main pool, a cold plunge pool and a cave pool, which offers a truly unique way to enjoy the waters. The hot springs are open year round.
Lead photo: Samantha Marx
