7 awesome hot springs in Ski Country

By Morgan Tilton

The only thing better than a powder day is waking up with fresh ski legs for round two. From British Columbia and Alberta to the Wild West, here are some soaking pools that make the top of the list for post-ski therapy.

Miette Hot Springs

Tucked in Alberta's Jasper National Park, Miette Hot Springs offers up the hottest springs in the Canadian Rockies. The water's high-concentration of minerals include sulfate, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium and sodium and the general temperature of the pools rests between 98–104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Photo: Travel Alberta

Banff Upper Hot Springs

For more than a century, visitors have enjoyed soaking in the therapeutic waters of Banff. Located in Banff National Park, Banff Upper Hot Springs rests at the highest elevation of any Canadian hot spring—5,200 feet high—according to Canadian Rockies Hot Springs. The pools are fed by a natural spring, which has an increased flow each spring (when the flow goes down, local municipal water is added to the pool).

Radium Hot Springs

British Columbia's Kootenay National Park and Radium Hot Springs is a family-friendly, popular spot for a soak. The Village of Radium Hot Springs is on the periphery of the park's west boundary. When you swing through, stop into the Kootenay National Park Visitor Center to check out the exhibits that illuminate the history of the park, Columbia Valley, and Ktunaxa First Nations' culture.

The kiddo's swimming pool is kept a bit cooler while the hot soaking pools are maintained at 98–104 degrees Fahrenheit. Radium's minerals include sulphate, calcium, bicarbonate, silica, and magnesium.

Granite Hot Springs

Next to the Gros Ventre Mountains, Granite Hot Springs is topped off with a campground—so you can soak as long as you want. As listed on AllTrips, the area features a swimming pool and a soaking pool and is about an hour south and east of Jackson—in the summer. In the winter, there's no vehicle access to the springs, so you'll need to roam in via snowmobile, dog sled tour, fat bike, or a four-hour round-trip skin. Get ready for an adventure!

Homestead Crater

A cave encapsulates this geothermal spring: a bean-shaped limestone crater. The ceiling reaches 55 feet high and an opening in the top allows a beam of light to shine down. The shell's formation dates back close to 10,000 years ago, according to Homestead Resort, located in Midway, Utah, just past Park City. The temperature of the water ranges between 90–96 degrees Fahrenheit. Visitors can soak, swim, scuba dive, snorkel or even take a stand-up paddle board yoga class.

Photo: The Homestead Resort

Fifth Water Hot Springs

A handful of hot springs bubble up along Fifth Water Creek, about an hour and half from Park City. From the Three Forks parking area, hike less than three miles up Diamond Fork Canyon to reach the collection of vibrantly colored natural pools, including three gorgeous waterfalls. Detailed directions are available via Utah.com.

Norris Hot Springs

These artesian springs are closest to Big Sky: Norris hot springs, located about an hour away in the Madison River Valley. These pools—a total of 38,000 gallons of hot mineral water—receive 60 gallons per minute from the spring source, which runs at a whopping 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Food from hot spring’s "50-Mile Grill" is created with ingredients from their local garden and the area’s farms or ranches. Each Friday-Sunday features live music performance. Come hungry and ready to dance!

About the Author, Morgan Tilton

An award-winning journalist, Morgan Tilton is a Bronze medalist and two-time Finalist of the 2015 North American Travel Journalists Association Awards Competition for her travel writing. She covers adventure travel and outdoor industry news with work featured in Outside, Teton Gravity Research, SUP Magazine, Backpacker, TransWorld Snowboarding, 5280 (Denver’s city magazine), and CoBiz among others. Raised in Colorado’s stunning San Juan Mountains, she's a mountain-ultra-trail runner and snowboarder that loves Bluegrass shows, avocados and trucker hats. Her most recent summit: she and four paddlers made the first SUP descent of Utah’s wild Escalante River. Follow Morgan’s trail @motilton and morgantilton.com.