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Natural hot springs
Monday, May 26th, 2008 by GetawayBC.com
The Columbia Valley offers a great variety of hot spring experiences – from rustic to full-blown spas.
Radium Hot Springs and Fairmont Hot Springs provide the spa experience, as well as food and beverage facilities.
Both facilities offer a large cool pool and the traditional hot pools that work wonders on tired, aching muscles and joints.
Radium Hot Springs still embodies the original spirit of the pools as it remains sheltered beneath the gaze of Sinclair Canyon, towering directly above the waters.
Radium has a 4,000 square foot spa located in the basement of the heritage pools building. Soothe away those aches and pains.
The Fairmont pools offer bathers stunning views of the chiselled Fairmont Range of the Rockies, and at sunset, spectacular views of the gently rolling foothills of the Purcell Mountains to the west. Fairmont has a spillway pool, located at the base of the hill where the hot pool is located.
If you’re looking for something a little more earthy, try Lussier Hot Springs, located at the entranceway to Whiteswan Provincial Park, southeast of Canal Flats.
Navigate the road with caution as it is heavily used by industrial, recreational and local traffic.
Located beside Lussier Creek, the pools have become a popular spot in recent years. Due to the smaller size of the pools, consisting of one hot pool located at the source, a second medium-temperature pool and two smaller cool pools (depending on how high the creek is at the time), they can’t accommodate too many people. Be prepared to wait.
Another rustic gem is Ram Creek Hot Springs, located on Ram Creek Forest Service Road, which runs between Sheep Creek/Skookumchuck and the Top of the World Provincial Park road. The water of the large main pool is cooler and deeper than Lussier and there is a second small, warmer pool at one of the sources.
The hot spring, located within the Ram Creek fire burn site, has become more popular, despite the roads being poorly maintained. The road up from Sheep Creek is steep and unfriendly to lower carriaged vehicles and the way in from the Top of the World road is now impassable after a landslide. Do not take RVs into this location.;