Hot springs in a red canyon, Columbia Valley golf and the back door to the Rockies
Radium Hot Springs sits where the Columbia Valley meets the mountains — hot mineral pools in a narrow red canyon, bighorn sheep on the streets, championship golf in the valley below, and the whole of Kootenay National Park starting at the top of the hill.
| Day | Where | Plan | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radium | Arrive, evening soak in the Radium pools, sheep on the hill | Radium |
| 2 | Kootenay N.P. | Sinclair Canyon, Marble Canyon, the Paint Pots, Olive Lake | Radium |
| 3 | Golf & the valley | Radium Resort or Springs course, Invermere, Lake Windermere beach | Radium |
| 4 | Fairmont & Panorama | Fairmont Hot Springs, Panorama gondola or Toby Creek | Radium |
| 5 | Home | Last soak, drive out through the Columbia Valley | — |
The Radium Hot Springs pools are Parks Canada–run and sit right inside Sinclair Canyon, with red rock walls rising straight up either side — an odourless mineral hot pool and a cooler swimming pool beside it.
The highway climbs from the springs into the park. Marble Canyon is a short walk over a series of bridges above a limestone slot; the Paint Pots are ochre mineral springs long used by the Ktunaxa; and the road eventually meets the Banff–Windermere junction.
Down valley, Invermere is the summer town — a beach on Lake Windermere, a walkable main street, and one of the largest natural skating surfaces in the world once it freezes.
The Columbia Valley is one of Canada’s densest golf corridors — the Radium Resort courses, Copper Point, and more down valley. Up the hill, Panorama Mountain Village runs its lifts in summer for bikes and hikes.
Thirty minutes south, Fairmont Hot Springs has the largest natural mineral pools in Canada — an easy half-day if you want a second springs fix.
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