5 Hot Springs in BC That Cost Less Than a Spa Day

A Thermal Journey at Scandinave Spa Whistler starts at $138. That’s the regular season rate, Monday to Thursday. Every spring on this list charges less for an adult soak. Most charge a lot less.

The water here comes out of the ground hot. You’ll find a provincial park pool on the Alaska Highway, a cove on Clayoquot Sound you can only reach by boat or float plane, a pool the Village of Nakusp owns, a lakeside resort on Upper Arrow Lake and a cave pool on Kootenay Lake. For each one you get the 2026 price, the hours, how you get in and what to know before you go.

Two familiar cheap soaks are left off: both were closed at last report. Lussier Hot Springs has been under a BC Parks closure order since January 2026. The Harrison Hot Springs Public Mineral Pool was closed for renovations as of late April 2026.

5. Hot Springs Cove, Nism̓aakqin Park (Clayoquot Sound)

Geothermal water runs down a waterfall into rocky intertidal pools. The pools get cooler as ocean swells mix in, so you can pick your temperature by moving around. The Ahousaht name for the springs is mux̣ʷšiƛa, which means steaming from rock.

BC Parks renamed Maquinna Marine Park as Nism̓aakqin Park in 2025. From the dock it’s a 2 km walk on a cedar boardwalk through old-growth rainforest, about 40 minutes. BC Parks and Ahousaht members rebuilt that boardwalk for the 2022 reopening. The province says about 30,000 people visit the park each year.

BC Parks says most marine hot springs on the coast are free to visit. This one has fees. BC Parks charges $3 per person per day, and the Ahousaht stewardship society (MHSS) lists a recommended (officially voluntary, though many tour operators include it) $15 per person hot springs fee, collected by your guide or, from March 15 to October 15, at the park entrance, on top of a $15 per person daily Ahousaht access fee. Ask your operator whether these fees are already in your tour price. Your boat or float plane costs extra: Tofino tours run about $239 to $399 per adult, so this is the one trip here that costs more than a spa day once you add transport. The Ahousaht stewardship society (MHSS) lists the park as open to the public from dawn until dusk, with permitted commercial operators bringing guests between 11 am and 5 pm; confirm times with your operator. BC Parks says to avoid high tides and big swells, which in winter fill the pools with cold sea water.

Access is by boat or float plane only. Tourism Tofino lists about a 20-minute flight or a 1.5-hour boat tour from Tofino, and most people go with a tour. Leave the dog, glass, soap and shampoo at home. Pets can’t go past the start of the boardwalk, and camping and fires are banned in the hot springs area.

4. Liard River Hot Springs (Alaska Highway)

Liard River Hot Springs is a provincial park, and its public soaking pool is the Alpha pool. You reach it on a boardwalk that crosses a warm-water swamp in boreal spruce forest. BC Parks says the swamp and forest support rich plant communities as well as mammals and birds.

BC Parks says the hot springs complex is of national ecological significance. BC Parks requires visitors to stay on the boardwalk at all times to protect the sensitive habitat, and moose feed in the warm swamps.

The park is open year-round, according to BC Parks. From May 1 to Thanksgiving, day use costs $5 for adults, $3 for children and $10 for a family. Annual passes are $10 for an adult and $20 for a family. BC Parks doesn’t list a day-use fee outside that window. You pay at the staffed gatehouse in cash, credit or debit, and the gatehouse doubles as the local visitor centre.

This is a multi-day road trip, not a day trip. A winter soak means driving the far-northern Alaska Highway, so treat it as a serious winter drive and go prepared. In summer, BC Parks says the campground fills early each day, so start early if you plan to camp.

3. Halcyon Hot Springs (Upper Arrow Lake)

Halcyon is a resort on Upper Arrow Lake, and its hot springs take drop-in visitors who aren’t staying there. The resort says the water is rich in lithium. It also says Sinixt people knew these springs long before Europeans arrived.

Captain Robert Sanderson bought 400 acres of Crown land here in 1890. His hotel officially opened in 1894. The Arrow Lakes Historical Society records that the old hotel burned to the ground on February 19, 1955.

Day drop-in runs 9 am to 5 pm and evening drop-in runs 5 pm to 10 pm. The last hour, 9 to 10 pm, is adults only. Drop-in capacity is limited, and you buy passes at Guest Services. A single admission is $25, day or evening, and a family pass (1 or 2 adults with 1 or 2 kids aged 5 to 12) is $55. The resort’s rate page lists a Thursday rate of $18 single and $48 family. Kids 4 and under are free with a parent.

Drive north from Nakusp on Highway 23. Halcyon and Nakusp Hot Springs are on the same side of the Arrow Lakes, so you can soak at both on one trip.

2. Nakusp Hot Springs (West Kootenay)

The Village of Nakusp owns and runs these springs. Two pools are fed from mineral springs in the forest some distance away. The small pool is kept at 40°C. The large pool usually runs at 36°C, and the village cools it to 27°C for a week in mid-July.

The site is a 100-hectare parcel on the heritage register. The 8.5 km Kuskanax Creek Trail links it to town, and that trail was built in 1912. Walk the trails toward the Kuskanax footbridge and the original springs site after your soak. The village also rents rustic cedar chalets year-round and runs a creekside campground in summer.

The pool reopened Oct 23, 2026 after its fall maintenance shutdown. It’s open Sunday to Thursday 9:30 am to 8 pm, with last entry at 7:30 pm. Friday and Saturday it’s open 9:30 am to 9 pm, with last entry at 8:30 pm. The 2026 spring closure ran April 20 to May 8.

Adults pay $15 per dip or $22 all day. Seniors (60+) and youth (6 to 17) pay $14 per dip or $20.50 all day, and kids 5 and under are free. Wednesdays from Nov 1 to Mar 31 are the cheap day: the rates page lists $8.50 per swim. Take Hot Springs Road 15 km from Nakusp.

1. Ainsworth Hot Springs (Kootenay Lake)

The draw is a horseshoe-shaped cave pool you wade through. There’s also a main pool and a cold plunge. Do the cave first while you’re fresh, then cool off in the plunge.

The Ktunaxa call the water nupika wu’u, Spirit Water. The Yaqan Nukiy (Lower Kootenay Band) bought the resort in 2015, returning the site to its traditional stewards. The local tourism office says the resort has welcomed guests since the 1930s. The pool page says the pool water changes over more than 4 times a day and the cave water 6 times a day.

The pools are open to the public with no reservations. Hours are Wednesday to Sunday 10 am to 7:30 pm, with last entry at 6 pm, and Monday 10 am to 2 pm. The resort’s own pages list Monday hours differently, so check before a Monday trip.

Adults (18 to 64) pay $18. The rate card uses fish names: Fry (3 to 12) $12, Smolt (13 to 17) $14 and Spawner (65+) $17. A family of 2 adults and 2 kids pays $50, and ages 0 to 2 are free. Drive Highway 31 along Kootenay Lake, between Balfour and Kaslo.

What’s open in November 2026

• Nakusp reopened Oct 23 after its fall shutdown. The Winter Wednesday rate runs Nov 1 to Mar 31.
• Halcyon and Ainsworth are open on their regular drop-in hours.
• Liard is open year-round. BC Parks lists the day-use fee only from May 1 to Thanksgiving.
• Hot Springs Cove is open dawn to dusk, but BC Parks warns that winter high tides fill the pools with cold sea water. Check tide tables before you book.
• Lussier remains under a closure order issued in January 2026. The Harrison public mineral pool was closed for renovations as of late April 2026, and its current status isn’t confirmed.

When to go

For the lowest price at Nakusp, go on a Wednesday between November and March. For a quieter evening at Halcyon, the 9 to 10 pm hour is adults only. Hot Springs Cove runs on tour times, so expect commercial visitors between 11 am and 5 pm. Liard in summer means an early start if you want a campsite.

What to bring

• Cash and a card. Payment rules vary by site.
• Water shoes for rocky natural pools like Hot Springs Cove.
• A towel and warm layers for the walk back.
• Drinking water.
• A dry bag for the boat ride to Hot Springs Cove.

Etiquette and safety

At Hot Springs Cove, BC Parks bans pets, camping, campfires, glass containers, soap and shampoo. Pets can’t go past the start of the boardwalk. BC Parks warns against visiting during high tides and big swells: in winter, high tides fill the pools with cold sea water, and rough water and floating wood can injure you. Check tide tables and your operator before you go. The boardwalk can be slippery with frost or wet leaves in fall and winter, and BC Parks advises moving to high ground right away if you feel an earthquake. At Liard, BC Parks lists the Alpha pool at 42°C to 52°C, so ease in and get out if you feel dizzy. Stay on the Liard boardwalk: BC Parks requires it to protect the sensitive habitat, and moose feed in the swamps. Respect closure gates everywhere: BC Parks closed Lussier’s pathway and pool area under an order issued in January 2026. Go prepared for winter roads on any of these drives.

First Nations stewardship

Hot Springs Cove is in Ahousaht territory, and the Ahousaht stewardship fee helps pay for its care. Ainsworth has been owned by the Yaqan Nukiy (Lower Kootenay Band) since they bought the resort in 2015. Halcyon credits Sinixt knowledge of the springs. Part of what you pay goes back to the people who have looked after these places longest.

How you get in

Spring	Getting there	Entry	Good to know
Liard River	Alaska Highway, multi-day drive	Pay at the staffed gatehouse (cash, credit, debit)	Campground fills early each day in summer
Hot Springs Cove	Boat or float plane from Tofino	Tour groups 11 am to 5 pm; public dawn to dusk	No pets past the start of the boardwalk
Nakusp	15 km up Hot Springs Road	Drop in; per dip or all day	Chalets year-round, campground in summer
Halcyon	Highway 23 north of Nakusp	Limited drop-in passes at Guest Services	Adults only 9 to 10 pm
Ainsworth	Highway 31 on Kootenay Lake	No reservations needed	Monday hours differ between resort pages

Every soak here costs less than a spa day, and two of them cost less than lunch. The trade is the drive, or the boat. Check the operator’s page for hours before you leave, carry cash and a card, and pack for the walk back to the car.

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Photo credits

• Fairmont Hot Springs Resort entrance.jpg by Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Fairmont Hot Springs Looking northerly.jpg by Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Fairmont Hot Springs Business District.jpg by Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Liard Hot Springs (15570058464).jpg by Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Ainsworth Hot Springs F8H58545.jpg by Hontanar, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized; cropped for the featured image). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Hot Springs Cove (4163667539).jpg by Hardo Müller from Bonn, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Nakusp Hot Springs (19980393672).jpg by Fil.Al from Comox, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Halcyon Hot Springs (24275746082).jpg by Jennifer C., CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.