Banff Upper Hot Springs
A trip to the Banff Upper Hot Springs gives you the chance to take a dip in natural mineral waters. The water in the Banff Upper Hot Springs is always somewhere between 37 and 40 degrees, and that is pretty warm ;). The Banff springs are nestled amid beautiful scenery, making them ideal for a relaxing getaway. From the HOT outdoor pool you can enjoy a beautiful view of Mount Rundle.
You get a first glimpse of the pool if you look to your right on the walkway leading to the entrance.
The air outside was cool when we visited the hot springs on May 5th, but the water was so nice and warm we had a hard time getting out of it.
The changing facilities are simple but adequate. Bring change for the lockers.
The springs are pretty popular and very crowded on weekends and in the summer, so plan your visit with this in mind.
After a relaxing soak in the pool, you may be in the mood for a bite in the restaurant or a browse in the gift shop.
I really enjoyed the Banff Upper Hot Springs. It is a great place for a quick getaway. I plan to go back in the wintertime, when it will be crisp and chilly outside but warm and cozy in the water.
Banff Upper Hot Springs
Sulphur Mountain (end of Mountain Avenue) (just before the Banff Gondola)
Banff, AB
Phone: (403) 762-1515
Written by George on May 17th, 2007 with
1 comment.
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#1. February 20th, 2008, at 9:54 AM.
After finishing skiing at Banff Feb. 17/08, we decided to go to the Upper Hot Springs…a big mistake! First, we were informed that most of the locker keys were missing but we were welcome to try to find one with a key! And if you did spot one with a key, you had better be quick because there may be two other guys looking for the same thing (like a parking space at Wal-Mart).
The locker room was crowded, filthy and sloppy wet and the showers were “ice cold” (imagine no hot water at a hot pool). Forget about wearing sandals…gum boots may be a better choice! And don’t drop your towel.
To make it worse, we made our way to the hot pool only to find it was absolutely packed…I mean “standing room only”! I know why I didn’t see any lifeguards…it’s because it would be impossible to drown in that “shoulder to shoulder” environment. By the way, I wonder what the “regulations” are regarding the number of lifeguards versus the number of bodies in a pool. Perhaps they don’t apply to “Parks Canada”!
We were careful not to get our heads wet because there were strange things floating in the water…including at least one “yellow cloud”. How many of those people would have showered with “ice water” before entering the pool? Talk about a “breeding pot” for disease! We felt like pulling into a truck stop for a shower on our way back to our home in Calgary. I still get “itchy” just thinking about it!
As a kid at the neighborhood pool almost 50 years ago, I remember we had rules about how many were allowed in the pool at one time. And we even had hot water showers in those days!
The Canadian government should be utterly ashamed to offer this disgusting facility to people from all over the world. In the private sector it would have long since been condemned! Less time should be spent on bilingual signs at the Banff Upper “Pot” Springs…”dirty” is “dirty” in both French and English!