Banff Upper Hot Springs tickets, hours and prices.
There are no online or advance tickets: admission is first-come, first-served and sold in person. Check current hours, prices, and how to get there without a car.
The short answer
Banff Upper Hot Springs
The one you can actually soak in. An outdoor mineral pool on the Sulphur Mountain corridor, open year-round.
Hours
- Year-round
- Daily, 10 am to 10 pm
Last entry is at 9:30 pm. Parks Canada notes hours are subject to change.
Pool admission
- Adult
- $19.75
- Senior
- $17.25
- Youth (3–17)
- $17.25
- Child (under 3)
- Free
- Family
- $64.25
- Extra youth
- $9.75
Forgot something?
- Swimsuit
- $5.00
- Towel
- $3.00
- Locker tokenOne token is included with single entry
- $2.00
You can’t book ahead.
First-come, first-served. Admission can only be purchased in person at reception — there are no online bookings, reservations, or advance tickets.
Water temperature.
Kept between 37 and 40 °C (98 and 104 °F)
Hours, rates, and closures are set by Parks Canada and can change seasonally. Confirm before you go. Confirm current hours and rates with Parks Canada.
The other one
You can’t swim at Cave & Basin
The birthplace of Canada's national parks — a museum and boardwalk site, not a place to swim.
Bathing is prohibited.
Entering the thermal springs at Cave & Basin is prohibited at all times under a superintendent's closure order, to protect the endangered Banff Springs snail (Physella johnsoni), which lives nowhere else on earth. The closure covers the spring in The Cave, the springs along the outdoor boardwalk, The Basin and its enclosure, and Kidney Spring.
Hours & admission
- May 15 to October 15
- Open daily, 9:30 am to 5 pm
- October 16 to May 14
- Thursday to Monday, 11 am to 5 pm
- Adult (18–64)
- $10.00
- Senior (65+)
- $8.50
- Youth (6–17)
- Free
- Commercial groupPer person
- $8.50
Closed December 25, plus scheduled maintenance closures. Parks Canada notes hours are subject to change.
Before you go
Two tickets, not one
Pool admission is separate from your park pass.
Parks Canada admission covers stopping inside the national park. Hot springs pool admission is its own charge on top — the 2026 free-admission window makes park entry free, not the soak. See Banff park pass prices.
On the Sulphur Mountain corridor.
1 Mountain Ave, Banff, AB — near the Banff Gondola, so the two pair well without turning the whole day into a drive.
How to fit it in
Plan it as the reset
The Banff Gondola and Upper Hot Springs pair well because they share the corridor. Do the view first if the sky is clear, and save the hot springs for later when tired legs matter more than perfect light.
Use it as the recovery stop.
Use Upper Hot Springs as the recovery stop, not the thing that forces the whole schedule. It works well as a low-effort winter or recovery-day plan.
No-car access via Route 1.
Route 1 is the cleanest no-car access lane for the corridor when it fits your timing. Check the current route page for service status before relying on it.
Before you go
The useful details
Treat these as current planning anchors, not permanent rules. Re-check the official pages before travel if your day depends on exact hours, fees, parking, or access.
Budget the current admission.
Current single-entry fees are listed as $19.75 adult, $17.25 senior or youth, child under 3 free, and $64.25 family. A locker token is included.
Bring the basics.
Pack swimwear, a towel if you have one, water, and warm layers for the wait or the ride back. Towel and swimsuit rentals are usually separate.
Use Route 1 if timing works.
Route 1 links downtown Banff with the Gondola and Upper Hot Springs. Service status and construction delays can change, so check the route page first.
Avoid peak waits when you can.
Weekends, statutory holidays, and school breaks tend to mean longer lines. Paid parking can also apply in the Upper Hot Springs lots during the busy season.
Common questions
Hot springs basics, answered
What are the Banff Upper Hot Springs hours?
Banff Upper Hot Springs is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm, with last entry at 9:30 pm. Parks Canada notes hours are subject to change, so confirm before you go.
How much does Banff Upper Hot Springs cost?
Single-entry pool admission is $19.75 for an adult, $17.25 for a senior, $17.25 for youth aged 3-17, and free for children under 3. A family pass is $64.25. A locker token is included with single entry.
Can you rent a swimsuit and towel at Banff Upper Hot Springs?
Yes. A swimsuit rental is $5.00 and a towel is $3.00. An additional locker token is $2.00 — one is already included with single-entry admission.
Do you need to book Banff Upper Hot Springs in advance?
No, and you can't. Entry is first-come, first-served, and admission can only be purchased in person at reception. There are no online bookings, reservations, or advance tickets. Expect waits at busy times.
How hot is the water at Banff Upper Hot Springs?
The water temperature is kept between 37 and 40 °C (98 and 104 °F).
Can you swim at Cave and Basin?
No. Entering the thermal springs at Cave & Basin is prohibited at all times under a Parks Canada closure order, to protect the endangered Banff Springs snail, which lives nowhere else on earth. Cave & Basin is a museum and boardwalk site — Banff Upper Hot Springs is the one you can soak in.
Is a park pass needed as well as pool admission?
They are separate charges. Pool admission gets you into the hot springs; Parks Canada admission covers stopping inside Banff National Park. During the 2026 free-admission window park admission is free, but hot springs pool admission is not.
Where is the Banff Upper Hot Springs?
It sits on the Sulphur Mountain corridor near the Banff Gondola, at 1 Mountain Ave, Banff. Route 1 is the cleanest no-car access lane when it fits your timing.
What should you bring to Banff Upper Hot Springs?
Bring swimwear, a towel if you have one, water, and warm layers for the wait or the trip back. A locker token is included with single-entry admission, and swimsuit and towel rentals are available for a separate fee.
Can you visit the hot springs in bad weather?
Yes, it can be a strong bad-weather or recovery-day stop, but cold-weather closures, maintenance, and capacity waits are possible. Check current operation before building the whole day around it.
Plan the corridor
See the activity details, or read the full Banff Gondola + Hot Springs corridor guide for ticket decisions, visibility checks, food pairings, and links to confirm current details.