Banff Upper Hot Springs

It’s National park service facility. And at 5,200 ft it’s the highest hot springs in Canada. And I’m glad Parks Canada continue to offer it to the public. The facility went through a remodel a few years back and maybe it’s time again. Gotta fix those lockers and shower fixtures. The hot springs is really a shared pool that’s 2 ft at one end and deeper at other. So everyone just pops out of the men/women facility and get in to soak. When you first enter it seems a bit cool but the temperature is about 40C or 108F. Its comfortable but I wished it was hotter. It’s hot enough to make first timers need to sit up after 20 mins soaking. After going there I would suggest wearing slides to the pool and inside the locker to keep your feet clean. Other tips include bring your own towels: a big one for showering and drying off, and a small one that the Japanese use in onsen to plunk down in the hot water and place on the head. It makes a difference comfort wise. And bring a water bottle to refill. The water fountain by the pool doesn’t work but inside the locker room there’s a refill station. During the summer and either elevated UV it’s probably best to bring you sunnies as you sit outside to soak. When you sit poolside you can get a view of the tops Mount Rundle. It’s a bargain for what they charge but you get what you paid for. It can be better. If you come around 7pm it’s likely parking is to be had in P1 only five minutes walk uphill (you roll downhill after). Refreshing !

We really enjoyed the hot springs. The whole family even our little ones said they felt better and their skin felt less dry after spending time in the baths. We did forget to bring our water bottles up and hydration is important when you're sitting in that heat. It was not too full when we visited on a Friday afternoon. The views are amazing all around while you relax in the pool. The only negative was the high cost for a family of 6. We were once again discriminated against for having too many kids. The "family" pass only covered 4 people. Well, we have 4 young kids, so we had to pay over $70 to go sit in the bath. We were given 6 locker tokens though, as if our 7 and 10 year olds needed their own locker. Felt like another globalist led attack against "the family unit". Maybe Parks Canada can look at this and aim for a bit more fairness for families. Also, no Jr Ranger anything available at the NP Historic Site.

Opinion seems to be divided on this one! It’s basically a thermal pool with a view. It’s not a spa experience like the Blue Lagoon or the Thermae Spa in Bath so anyone looking for that would be disappointed. I like a soak in a hot pool so really enjoyed it and I liked the retro vibe. I went at about 10.45 on a drizzly Saturday morning. It was busy but no queue to get in. People tend to sit round the edge of the pool but it’s reasonably easy to find a spot and the atmosphere is quite chilled. It’s not expensive. I got a senior rate and paid just over £10 for admission, bus each way from downtown and towel hire. You can bring flip flops for the poolside but I didn’t use them as the floor was clean and non slippy. As other reviewers have said the staff are really nice. There’s a little cafe upstairs - very similar to swimming pool cafes in England.

We went in early summer in June. It was pretty hot day so we were sitting on the edges. It would be nice if they could have a colder pool to cool off on hot days. The swimsuit drying machine didn’t work which was a bummer. However, its a very cool experience. It is first come first serve so be there early. Gondola is a street down so if you can plan accordingly can go right after. They have a family price for 2 adults and 2 children which was nice and lockers come with the cost. You will need to bring your towels and swimsuit or pay extra. The view is amazing

It was okay, there’s just one pool and it was quite crowded when we went. The day was very hot, so we mostly sat on the sides, and a thunderstorm ended up closing the pool for safety. They did offer rain checks to those who had only just arrived, which was nice. The women’s locker room swimsuit dryer was out of order, but overall the facilities are good. I think it would probably be a much better experience in the winter.