The Kootenay Hot Springs

The Kootenays sit on a fractured belt of rock that lets hot water up in dozens of places, and the result is a soaking circuit unlike anywhere else in the country. At one end are the developed springs: Ainsworth, where a horseshoe cave was blasted into a hillside so you wade through steam in the dark, Halcyon, Nakusp and Radium in its narrow canyon. At the other are wild springs that take work to reach, Halfway and Ram Creek among them, where pools are held by rocks and sandbags and cool as they run toward the river. The drives between are long, through mountain passes and across free cable ferries on Kootenay Lake and the Arrow Lakes.

What you actually see

• Ainsworth caves - a horseshoe tunnel of hot water inside the hillside.
• Radium Hot Springs - the pools in their narrow canyon at the park gate.
• Wild springs - riverside pools at Halfway and Ram Creek, free and rough.
• The lake ferries - free crossings linking the valleys.

When to go

Winter is the best time to soak, with snow on the trees and steam over the water, though mountain passes need proper tyres and can close. Summer is easiest for reaching the wild springs, since the access roads are often impassable in snow and the river levels drop.

Honest expectations

Distances here are deceptive: the valleys run north to south and getting between them means long drives and ferry waits. Wild springs have no facilities, and the rough roads to them defeat ordinary cars; some also attract late-night parties and litter. Developed pools are busy at weekends and in school holidays. Radium fills with park traffic in summer.

Nearby

Nelson is the cultural centre of the region; Kootenay and Yoho parks are to the northeast.