Banff Upper Hot Springs are commercially developed hot springs located in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, near the Banff townsite. Europeans first became aware of the springs in 1883. As it has been developed since, the hot pool is outdoors and while in the pool, visitors can look across the valley to Mount Rundle. It is located at 1,585 metres (5,200 ft) of elevation, which makes it the highest hot spring in Canada. [1]
The Upper Hot Springs are one of nine naturally occurring hot springs in the Banff area. The hot spring water flows naturally through a big crack in the rock called the Sulphur Mountain Thrust Fault. The source of the water is located at higher elevations on either Sulphur Mountain or Mount Rundle. The springs are created by water passing through cracks in the mountain from Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain. [1] As the water flows down the mountain it picks up heat and minerals. The flow rates fluctuates seasonally depending on when the snow melts. In the spring the water flows at over 900 litres per minute, which is the highest flow rate of the year. [2] Highest water flows are in the spring and are lowest during the winter. Since the early 2000s, flow to the Upper Hot Springs has stopped for several months of the winter. During these times, municipal water is substituted for the recreational pools. [3] Water temperature is kept at approximately 38 °C (100 °F), which is the hottest of the springs in the Banff area.
The Banff Springs snail is absent from the Upper Hot Springs region.
Hot springs around the world are known for their mineral water and healing effects. Each hot spring around the world is unique to its blend of minerals, gases and temperature. [1] Even all of the different hot springs in Banff have a different variations of mineral content and temperature. [2]
The minerals found in the Banff Upper Hot Springs are:
Mineral | Amount (mg/L) |
---|---|
Sulphate | 572 |
Calcium | 205 |
Bicarbonate | 134 |
Magnesium | 42 |
Sodium | 6.6 |
Prior to the 1880s, the Indigenous Peoples first found and used the hot springs. [1] They used it for healing and wellness. In 1883 the hot springs were discovered by workers working on the Canadian Pacific Railway. This discovery led to the development of Banff National Park. [4] Planning for hot springs facilities in western Canada started in 1884 with the visits of the Europeans to Canada. [5] Hot springs were popular in European countries at this time such as Bath, which is located in England and known for its natural hot springs. These European trends had an influence on the design and development of Canadian hot springs. Originally all Banff hot springs were a privately owned entity; however when the Canadian Government purchased the land to create Banff National Park in 1885, they took over ownership of the hot springs since it was now located on their land. The first construction of the site was in 1886. The first development was a building called the Grand View Villa and a log bathhouse. [5] With the expansion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1888, the popularity increased. The government started to create roads and paths to make it easier for tourists to travel to the area. [6] In 1915 the Upper Hot Springs road was opened to motorists and now tourists could drive up to the site. [4] In 1931 the Banff Upper Hot Springs bathhouse was declared a Registered Federal Heritage Building by the Government of Canada. [4] Since then it has gone under many renovations to make it one of the most popular hot springs in its region, hosting to over 300,000 visitors annually. [7]
The original building was a large building called the Grand View Villa, located to view the town of Banff. The first construction was in 1886 with upgrades to the Grand View Villa and construction of a log shack called a "bathhouse". The Grand View Villa suffered from a fire in 1901 and 1931 and had to be rebuilt both times. Today the Grand View Villa is known as the Grand View Hotel. In 1904 the Government of Canada did construction on the side of today's Rimrock Resort, adding two cement plunge basins, bath tubs and a swimming basin. [4] In 1931 after the second fire, the government of Canada began to renovate the Upper Springs bathhouse. In 1932 the newly renovated bathhouse opens, with additions of sulphur water swimming pool, plunge baths, steam rooms, tubs, showers and dressing rooms. This renovation was an attempt by the government to modernize park facilities by adding luxury upgrades that would rival other international spas. [8] In 1961 the large basin was reconstructed and the interior bathhouse was updated. In 1995 the bathhouse was renovated again and opened in 1996 with a new spa, restaurant and gift shop to keep up with all of the tourist activity. [1]
The springs started to become popular in 1888 when tourists would travel to be able to relax and take in the health benefits in the hot mineral water. Tourists from all around the world would travel for the "cure" which they believed was in the water. Tourists would soak in the water and drink it as well. [9] With the development of the Trans-Canada highway came the popularity of Banff national park. With Banff being a Canadian Hub for many outdoor activities, the Upper Hot Springs became more popular as a place to soak in the minerals soothe sore muscles. The Banff upper hot springs have always been popular but tourism has increased rapidly since the 2000s and it is estimated that over 300,000 people visit the springs every year. [7]
Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada, is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains, spanning 11,000 km2 (4,200 sq mi). It was established as Jasper Forest Park in 1907, renamed as a national park in 1930, and declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984. Its location is north of Banff National Park and west of Edmonton. The park contains the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, springs, lakes, waterfalls and mountains.
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. The Icefields Parkway extends from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.
Banff is a town in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise, 1,400 to 1,630 m above sea level,
Kootenay National Park is a national park of Canada in southeastern British Columbia. The park consists of 1,406 km2 (543 sq mi) of the Canadian Rockies, including parts of the Kootenay and Park mountain ranges, the Kootenay River and the entirety of the Vermilion River. While the Vermilion River is completely contained within the park, the Kootenay River has its headwaters just outside the park boundary, flowing through the park into the Rocky Mountain Trench and eventually joining the Columbia River. The park ranges in elevation from 918 m (3,012 ft) at the southwestern park entrance to 3,424 m (11,234 ft) at Deltaform Mountain.
Mount Rundle is a mountain in Canada's Banff National Park overlooking the towns of Banff and Canmore, Alberta. The Cree name was Waskahigan Watchi or house mountain. In 1858 John Palliser renamed the mountain after Reverend Robert Rundle, a Methodist invited by the Hudson's Bay Company to do missionary work in western Canada in the 1840s. He introduced syllabics there—a written language developed for the Cree, as part of his missionary work. He only visited the Stoney-Nakoda of the area around what is now called Mount Rundle in 1844 and 1847.
Hot Springs National Park is an American national park in central Garland County, Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Hot Springs, the county seat. Hot Springs Reservation was initially created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, to be preserved for future recreation. Established before the concept of a national park existed, it was the first time that land had been set aside by the federal government to preserve its use as an area for recreation. The hot spring water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess medicinal properties, and was a subject of legend among several Native American tribes. Following federal protection in 1832, the city developed into a successful spa town.
The Fairmont Banff Springs, formerly and commonly known as the Banff Springs Hotel, is a historic hotel located in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The entire town including the hotel, is situated in Banff National Park, a national park managed by Parks Canada. The hotel overlooks a valley towards Mount Rundle, both of which are situated within the Rocky Mountain mountain range. The hotel is located at an altitude of 1,414 metres (4,639 ft).
Sulphur Mountain is a mountain in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains overlooking the town of Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Radium Hot Springs, informally and commonly called Radium, is a village of 1,339 residents in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. The village is named for the hot springs in the nearby Kootenay National Park. From Banff, Alberta, it is accessible via Highway 93.
Highway 93 is a north–south highway in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway south of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) and the Icefields Parkway north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It travels through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park and is maintained by Parks Canada for its entire length. It runs from the British Columbia border at Vermilion Pass in the south, where it becomes British Columbia Highway 93, to its terminus at the junction with the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) at Jasper. The route takes its number from U.S. Route 93, which runs uninterrupted south to central Arizona, and was initially designated as '93' in 1959.
Alberta has been a tourist destination since the early days of the 20th Century, with attractions including national parks, National Historic Sites of Canada, urban arts and cultural facilities, outdoor locales for skiing, hiking and camping, shopping locales such as West Edmonton Mall, outdoor festivals, professional athletic events, international sporting competitions such as the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Winter Games, as well as more eclectic attractions.
The Vermilion Lakes are a series of lakes located immediately west of Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
The Cave and Basin National Historic Site of Canada is located in the town of Banff, Alberta, within the Canadian Rocky Mountains, at the site of natural thermal mineral springs around which Canada's first national park, Banff National Park, was established.
Alberta's Rockies comprise the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. On the southwestern part of the province along the British Columbia border, the region covers all but the south of Census Division 15.
The Banff Springs snail is a species of small air-breathing freshwater snail in the family Physidae.
Castle Rock Springs was a resort Lake County, California built around a group of mineral springs, including one hot spring with relatively high volumes of water.
The Banff-Windermere Highway, also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway, is a 105 km (65 mi) highway which runs through the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta in Canada. It runs from Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia to Castle Junction, Alberta, passing through Kootenay National Park and Banff National Park. It is designated as part of British Columbia Highway 93 and Alberta Highway 93.
The Cathedral Formation is a stratigraphic unit in the southern Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia, on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. It is a thick sequence of carbonate rocks of Middle Cambrian age. It was named for Cathedral Mountain in Yoho National Park by Charles Doolittle Walcott, the discoverer of the Burgess shale fossils.
The Sulphur Mountain Formation is a geologic formation of Early to Middle Triassic age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the foothills and Rocky Mountains of western Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. It includes marine fossils from the time shortly after the Permian-Triassic extinction event.
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