Banff Upper Hot Springs

Mineral water at around 40°C in an Art Deco bathhouse under Sulphur Mountain.

Vigorous action / Wikimedia Commons

Source temperature: 47.3°C
Bathing temperature: 40°C
Bathing: Outdoor
Established: 1932

The Upper Hot Springs sit at about 1,585 m on the flank of Sulphur Mountain, the highest-elevation hot spring in Canada. A single large outdoor pool is fed by sulphate-rich water that arrives at roughly 40°C, with the peaks of Banff National Park directly above the parapet.

Balnevia view

Why visit

It is the simplest way to sit in natural thermal water inside a Canadian national park, and in winter the steam and the snow-covered ridgelines do most of the work.

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The water

Thermal water

Source: Upper Hot Spring, Sulphur Mountain
Character: Sulphate-rich mineral water, with calcium, magnesium and sodium

History

The springs were the reason Banff National Park was created in 1885, after railway workers found hot water on Sulphur Mountain. The present bathhouse dates from 1932 and was restored in the 1990s in its original Art Deco form.

Practical information

Operated by Parks Canada; towels, lockers and heritage swimsuit rentals are available on site. Capacity is limited and queues are common on winter weekends and holidays.

Official website