Our Story

Its history is steamy; its setting romantic! The mineral springs discovery dates back to 1884. Its been a "hot" visitor destination ever since.

Canada's Native people were the first to soak in the hot springs. These were sacred waters - a place to cure illness and maintain health
William McCardell and Frank McCabe, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) workers, claim to have discovered the Upper Hot Springs in January 1884. The pair dammed a small pool and likely had the first bath at this spot.
A rival claimant to the spring's discovery, CPR worker David O'Keefe, installed a ferry over the Bow River and blazed the original road.
The hot springs on Sulphur Mountain captured the attention of the nation which lead to the creation of Canada' s first national park, Banff, in 1885.
The Grand View Villa hotel was built near the hot springs in 1886 and rebuilt in 1901 after it was destroyed by a fire. A second fire levelled the Grand View in 1931 paving the way for the government to acquire the lease and build the current Upper Hot Springs bath house.
The new bath house opened in 1932 and rivalled other world famous spas of the time.
The pool was reconstructed and the interior modified in 1961.
1996 renovations faithful to the 1931 architecture bring the Upper Hot Springs into the 2000s

A centuries old phenomenon

Groundwater makes a long journey deep into the earth's crust. It is heated, pressurized, loaded with minerals ( 1 677 milligrams per litre) and travels back to the surface along the Sulphur Mountain Thrust Fault at a rate of 454 litres per minute (120 gallons).

What's in the water?

Sulphate 572 ppm*
Calcium 205 ppm
Bicarbonate 134 ppm
Magnesium 42 ppm
Sodium 6.6 ppm
Potassium 4.5 ppm
Chloride 6.5 ppm
Hydrogen Sulphide 2 ppm

*ppm = parts per million

How hot is hot?

The temperature at the source of the spring reaches 47.3° C (117.1° F) in the winter and is cooled to make it comfortable for bathers. The water is slightly cooler in the spring due to increased ground water from snow melt.