Our Story
The steam, the warmth, the soothing waters hidden within the Fiddle Valley lured bathers at the turn of the century. They made the strenuous 17 kilometre trip by foot or horseback for the pleasure of a soak. The arduous journey of yesteryear is today's pleasant trip up a winding road with spectacular views.
Miette Hot Springs, Hottest Hot Spot in the Rockies
The scalding hot mineral water of the Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park was first made known by Ewan Moberly in the early 1870's. The first visitors created a stone and log dam that allowed cool water from a nearby creek to mix with the mineral-rich water, the hottest of the Rockies' springs. The crude pool was replaced with an aquacourt in the mid 1930's. The ruins of this elegant historic building are still visible as you stroll the trail to the source of the hot springs.
From Horseback Access to Relief Project
- The three hot springs located in the narrow valley of Sulphur Creek were likely first used by local Native people.
- A crude pack trail accessible by horse or on foot was blazed to the site in 1910 and brought only the determined to bathe in its' waters.
- A makeshift log bathhouse and sleeping shelter was built in
1913.
- By 1919 a temporary bathhouse and two sweathouses were
built by striking coal miners from the nearby community of
Pocahontas.
- The increasing popularity of the hot springs lead to a decision to construct an access road and a permanent aquacourt with similar facilities to the Banff Upper Hot Springs in the 1930's.
- Built as a Depression unemployment relief project between 1934 and 1938, the aquacourt consisted of a concrete pool and bathouse. Several hundred men worked on the access road, parking lot, campground and acquacourt.
- A new facility was built in 1986 about a kilometre from the original building.
Miette Hot Springs water
The water travels deep into the earth and returns to the surface hot and loaded with dissolved natural minerals, 1 798 milligrams/litre, at a rate of 1540 litres (350 gal) per minute.
What's in the water?
- Sulphate 1 130 mg/l*
- Calcium 407 mg/l
- Bicarbonate 124.3 mg/l
- Magnesium 56.0 mg/l
- Sodium 10.5 mg/l
- Potassium 14.2 mg/l
- Chloride 4.2 mg/l
- Hydrogen Sulphide 6 mg/l
- mg/l = milligrams per litre
- *Varies throughout the year
How hot is hot?
The temperature of springs vary depending on the depth of the penetration (the deeper the water goes, the hotter it gets) and the type of rocks the water flows through. Miette boasts the hottest water of all the Canadian Rockies Hot Springs. The scalding hot springs reaches a maximum temperature of 53.9° C (129° F). The water is cooled for bathers to a comfortable 39° C (103° F).
