Banff Hot Springs — How to Visit the Upper Hot Springs

The Banff Upper Hot Springs are the soak that started a national park. Perched at 1,585 metres (5,200 feet) on the flank of Sulphur Mountain, just above Banff townsite, they are the highest-elevation hot springs in Canada — a single open-air pool of warm, mineral-rich water with a front-row view of Mount Rundle and the Bow Valley. They are operated by Parks Canada, and the most important thing to understand before you go is this: there is no advance ticket. You don’t book the pool online. You turn up, pay a small admission at the door, and get in.

That one fact catches a lot of visitors off guard, because almost everything else in Banff — the gondola, the lake cruises, the guided tours — is something you reserve ahead of time. The hot springs are deliberately the opposite: a simple, walk-in public bath that has been welcoming bathers for well over a century.

How Much It Costs and When It’s Open

Admission is reasonable. As of 2026 — following the major renovation — expect to pay roughly CA$19.75 for an adult and about CA$17.25 for seniors and youth (ages 3–17), with children under 3 free. On top of the pool fee you’ll need a valid Parks Canada national park pass — either a day pass or the annual Discovery Pass — because the springs sit inside Banff National Park. Both are set by Parks Canada and can change, so it’s worth a quick check on the official site before you drive up.

After a seven-month renovation that updated the accessibility ramp and the tilework, the springs reopened in early 2026 and are currently open daily from 1 PM to 10 PM, with last entry at 9:30 PM. Hours shift with the seasons and the occasional maintenance closure, so confirm the day you plan to visit.

How Warm the Water Is — and What to Bring

The pool is kept between 37 and 40°C (98–104°F) — body temperature at the low end, properly hot at the top. The water surfaces from deep inside Sulphur Mountain carrying dissolved minerals, and on a cold morning the steam rising against the peaks is half the appeal. Soaking in 39°C water while snow settles on the surrounding summits is one of those quietly perfect Rockies experiences.

Facilities are straightforward, and you don’t need to arrive fully equipped:

• Swimsuit and towel — bring your own, or rent them on site (around CA$1.90 each in 2026).
• A locker — about CA$1.00 to stash your things while you soak.
• A water bottle — the elevation and the heat are dehydrating.
• Sandals or flip-flops for the walk between the change rooms and the pool.

Most people stay 45 minutes to a couple of hours. Early morning and later in the evening are the calmest; midday and holiday afternoons are the busiest, especially in summer and over the winter holidays.

The Cave and Basin — Where It All Began

A short distance below, on the other side of the townsite, is the Cave and Basin National Historic Site — and it’s worth knowing the difference. In 1883, three Canadian Pacific Railway workers (the McCardell brothers and Frank McCabe) came upon the thermal springs there, though Indigenous peoples had known the waters for thousands of years. The find set off a chain of events that, in 1885, led the government to reserve the land around the springs — and in 1887 to create Rocky Mountains Park, now Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park and one of the first in the world.

You can’t bathe at the Cave and Basin anymore; it’s preserved as a heritage and interpretive site, with the original cave, the emerald basin pool, and the story of how the parks system was born. The pool you actually swim in is the Upper Hot Springs, higher up the mountain. Many visitors do both: history at the Cave and Basin, a soak at the Upper Hot Springs.

Where the Tours Come In — Honestly

Here’s the honest part. Because the Upper Hot Springs are a walk-in Parks Canada facility, GetYourGuide does not sell a standalone entry ticket to the pool — and neither does anyone else. What you can book are guided sightseeing tours that include a stop at the hot springs as part of a bigger Banff day. These are the tours listed on this page.

A typical tour — like the most-booked Banff Gondola, Hot Spring and Three Lakes option — collects you in Banff, Canmore, or Calgary, includes your national park pass and round-trip transport, rides the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain, and visits alpine lakes like Lake Minnewanka and Johnson Lake, with the hot springs worked in as one of the day’s stops. Others fold in Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Bow Falls, or Johnston Canyon. One Calgary day trip even crosses the Continental Divide to the separate Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia, paired with Marble Canyon.

So think of it this way: if you just want a soak and you have a car, drive up Mountain Avenue and pay at the door — it’s cheap and easy. If you want the hot springs plus the gondola, the famous lakes, transport, and a guide who handles the logistics, a guided tour is the gateway. Either way, the pool admission itself is paid on the day; the tours simply get you there with the rest of the Rockies attached.

When you’re ready to pair the hot springs with the best of Banff in one well-planned day, check availability.