(Last updated October 2022.)
Tucked away you will find one of the most epic hot springs in Kananaskis Provincial Park called Mist Mountain Hot Springs. I have been to many hot springs and I have to say this one takes the cake so far. The surrounding mountains in the background, the stunning rock formations and the beautiful roads leading towards the trailhead. These hot springs are sitting on a mountain side, there are two small pools big enough to fit 2 people each, the bottom one perhaps you could get cozy and fit three.
GETTING THERE:
The best directions and the ones I followed are right here. AllTrails is very accurate and we had no problem finding where to park and where to start the hike. Lots of reviews on AllTrails say it's hard to find and I didn't think that whatsoever - it was pretty straight forward. Make sure to download the map from AllTrails for offline use, as you will have no cell service out here once at the trailhead. I have a photo below from AllTrails and you will be parking just off the highway (AB-40S) from Canmore, I believe it was just over an hour to arrive at the trailhead. Note there isn't any obvious trailhead signs, so make sure you have that map downloaded for reference and accuracy. There's a little pullout for parking, if coming from Canmore or Calgary it'll be on the left. There is also a huge shoulder where you could park on that side as well further down. This is where we parked, just had to walk to that little pullout.
There will be a few different trailheads, but the most obvious one will be a trail heading into the woods, someone said there is flagging tape but we didn't see any. I think a lot of people don't want people to find this one. It's already pretty busy however. But no trailhead signs somewhat make it under the radar for now.
THE HIKE TO THE SPRINGS:
I'm not going to sugarcoat it - this is a harder hike. For me personally I'm a pretty advanced hiker and I've done some mountaineering stuff, so in reality this wasn't hard for me. I read a lot of reviews the night before for my friend stating it was difficult, I "the hardest hike I've ever done" reviews such as that. So I really prepped her and asked if she was comfortable as our levels & experience are much different. She was up for the challenge and we decided that it was still on.
KMS: 3.1KM one way, being a total of 6.2KMS
ELEVATION: You begin at around 1847M - 2314M, so you gain approx. 467M of elevation during your trip. (NOT THAT BAD) trust me the payoff is so worth it.
TIME/DURATION: I expected this to take 4 hours one way for being that I was with my friend, but we got to the springs in just over 2 hours, spent 1 1/2 hours in the springs and got down just over an hour & 1/2. Total time = 5 hours. If you're an advanced hiker this would probably take you just over 1 hour maybe even 45 minutes one way, I swear it felt like I could have.
It's interesting to go with someone so different in fitness levels as my review will be so different for us both. The elevation in the beginning was not expected, the reviews made it seem like it's flat for awhile - not the case. You gain elevation right away basically, you will be in the trees, head out and you will see the saddle between Eagle Ridge on the right and Mount Lipsett on the left. That is where you will hike up (it really does seem far away but I promise you it's not) my friend might punch me for saying that.
This part is really beautiful it's open and the colours in October were so pretty. We got up really early around 5:30AM to head out. We got to the trailhead just after 7AM, and nobody was there. This hike is really popular, I've heard it gets really crowded and while I'm up for meeting people - I really don't want to be rushed and watched while I'm in a hot spring lol. So we opted to get out really early to beat the crowds. My biggest tip GO EARLY.
Once you get up the ridge there, it's all pretty much downhill from here. You will get some exposure and walk on some scree (loose rocks) make sure to take your time here, take in the views. You can kind of see where the hot springs are in the distance, which I will circle them in the photo below. If you know hot springs - look for the sulphuric trail that beads down, you know that weird green goop. You can see the springs head towards the right side of Mist Mountain. Can we just say damn to that mountain. You are sexy.
My friend was pretty much dying, the ridge was the hardest part for her and we played a little game of tag to keep a light pace. My friend probably puked a handful of times, but she was a champ. Again do your research and make sure you're feeling capable to do something like this - especially if you aren't groomed - we don't need anyone having a heart attack.
Once you pass the scree you will have to do some uphill grinds again but then you will be walking alongside the mountain after that and you will now be nearing the springs. The last final ascent to them is a little sketch, especially if it's dry - wear proper hikers and watch your footing here it's steep.
My adrenaline was running now, I couldn't believe we got there - I knew we would and my friend Dallis kept a good pace. Super proud of her for overcoming those doubts during the hike. Best of all we were all alone out here. Nobody in sight yet - perhaps this was because it was a Wednesday and roughly 10AM anyways I wasn't complaining.
We soaked in these springs for an hour and a half until we had company which was perfect because at that point we were done. I recommend bringing the gear to have a coffee here, that was honestly such a nice way to start a morning. These springs are warm. About 33 degrees, basically it's like a warm bath. Feels amazing because unlike some you can actually soak in these for hours and not overheat.
I'm not kidding when we left there must have been 14-15 people show up. I couldn't help but to think how lucky we got. Getting dressed there was so many people just waiting there, watching and hoping to get into one of those pools. I wouldn't be surprised if people have to wait an hour or longer. I really hope you get lucky like we did.
What else can I tell you about this amazing place, other than it was purely a moment I will take to the grave with me, watching the sun come up from the trail and looking at the jagged rocks in the spring and be sure to fully submerge yourself in the second pool where the tiny waterfall is. I think I floated for almost twenty minutes with that waterfall going on my head. Nothing but the sound of water and mountain air.
This is where my hippy side comes out, I really felt like I was apart of that mountain taking the views in and just being so stoked that I am out here living my life. Seeing these places, it was just beautiful. There were signs for a bear in the area while we were there and we didn't bring any bear spray, perhaps we should have. Some people were double packed with the spray and asked if we had seen any while going down. We never saw any, being that we are out here, we are in their territory, expect it. Be prepared it's probably not a bad idea, I'm just not really concerned as much as the regular person about it.
As always please Leave No Trace, pack out what you pack in, the reason these places are so beautiful is because people pick up after themselves and please don't bring any glass. I've seen people shave their legs in photos here and I think that's gross, save that for your shower. There is also not much privacy to change in or out of your bathing suit here. I had my bathing suit on for the hike and just used a towel for coverage to take it off. I mean you are in the middle of nowhere do I really care if someone sees my bum - not really. We are hot-springers, we don't care. Have fun and most of all ENJOY!