Radium Hot Springs
Radium Hot Springs is a village of about 800 people (2016) in the East Kootenays. It is famous for its hot pools.
For visitor information you can visit:
- 1 Radium Hot Springs Visitor Information Centre, 7556 Main Street East. Daily 9 AM-5PM, open until 7PM on Fridays in the summer.
Understand
The village is named for the hot springs located in the nearby Kootenay National Park. The hot springs were named after the radioactive element when an analysis of the water showed that it contained small traces of radon which is a decay product of radium. The radiation dosage from bathing in the pools is inconsequential; approximately 0.13 millirems (1.3 μSv) from the water for a half-hour bathing, around ten times average background levels. The air concentration of radon is about 23 picocuries (0.85 Bq) per litre which is higher than the level (4 picocuries per litre) at which mitigation is necessary at residences; but is also inconsequential (about 0.7 mrem or 7.0 μSv for a half-hour bathing) from a dose impact perspective.
Get in
Radium is at the entrance to Kootenay National Park, at the intersection of Highways 93 and 95. It is 3 hours from Calgary, and 3 hours north of the American border. It is 9 hours east of Vancouver.
Get around
By bus
- BC Transit (Columbia Valley Transit System), toll-free: +1-877-343-2461. Operates bus routes Monday to Friday, traveling between Invermere and Edgewater via Radium Hot Springs. Another bus route operates between Invermere and Fairmont Hot Springs.
See and do
- 1 Kootenay National Park (east of town, Highway 93 travels through the park). Features hot springs and scenic geography formed by glaciers.
- 2 Radium Hot Springs, 5420 Hwy 93 (just north of Radium in Sinclair Canyon at the entrance of Kootenay National Park), ☏ +1 250-347-9485. Mid-May to mid-Oct: 9AM-11PM; otherwise: Su-Th noon-9PM and F Sa noon-10PM. Radium's most famous attraction. There is a hot pool and a cool pool for swimming. $7.50/adult, $6.50/youth(3-17), $6.50/senior.
- 3 Bugaboo Provincial Park (accessible via a 50-km dirt road from Brisco, 27 km north of Radium on Highwy 95). Open for the summer (exact dates depend on snowfall). A wilderness park, great for climbing (rock or ice) or hiking. Backcountry camping is permitted at Boulder Camp and Applebee Dome, near the Conrad Kain Hut. You can also stay in the Hut at a fee of $22/person or $44/family. Reservations can be made at +1 403-678-3200 through the Alpine Club of Canada. This is a wilderness park, no supplies are available. Please pack suitably, and take appropriate safety precautions. Backcountry camping fee: $5/person.
- 4 Old Coach Trail. 4.7-km trail off Main St. From the Visitor Centre car park, walk down Main Street West towards Invermere (past the library and an art shop), then follow the trail. At the gate there is an information board and trail maps (also available online) highlighting features of interest at the numbered posts. At the other end, there is a car park about half way between Radium and Invermere.
Buy
Eat
- 1 Helna's Stube, 7547 Main St. W, ☏ +1 250-347-0047, mail@helnas.com. W-Su 5PM-10PM. German cuisine. Mains $26-40.
- 2 Citadella Restaurant, 5067 Madsen Rd, ☏ +1 250-347-9548, toll-free: +1-877-457-1117. Easter-mid-Oct: daily from 5PM. Hungarian cuisine.
- 3 Old Salzburg Restaurant, 4943 Hwy 93, ☏ +1 250-347-6553, info@oldsalzburgrestaurant.com. W-Su 5-9PM. Bavarian cuisine.
Sleep
- 1 Prestige Radium Hot Springs Resort (Best Western), 7493 Main Street W, ☏ +1 250-347-2300, toll-free: +1-800-772-7081. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. Renovated, featuring pool, spa and fitness facilities, and an on-site restaurant. Double room $175.
- 2 Destination Inn, 4881 St Marys St, ☏ +1 250-347-9111, destinationinn365@gmail.com. A classic highway-side motel with comfortable rooms, also offering a guest BBQ area and fire pit. Double room from $149 ($109 in winter).
- 3 Apple Tree Inn, 4999 BC-93, ☏ +1 250-347-0011, appletreeinnradium@gmail.com.
Go next
- Visit one of the nearby ski resorts: Panorama (Invermere), Fairmont (Fairmont Hot Springs) or Kicking Horse (Golden).
- Head along Highway 93 into Kootenay National Park and continue along Highway 1, entering Banff National Park and Yoho National Park. Make it a day trip and circle back along Highway 95.
- Go south and visit Fort Steele near Cranbrook
| Routes through Radium Hot Springs |
Kamloops ← Golden ←  N ← |
W  E |
→  N → Kootenay N.P. → Banff |
| Banff ← Kootenay N.P. ← | N  S |
→ Invermere → Cranbrook |
| END ← Golden ← | N  S |
→ Invermere → Cranbrook |