Miette Hot Springs

Trailhead: Park at the Miette Hot Springs parking lot 61kms north of Jasper in Jasper National Park.15kms east of the Pocahontas campground.

Description: The Miette Hot Springs are located in the Fiddle Valley. This is the hottest natural hot spring (54 Degrees C) in the Canadian Rockies. They say the natural minerals in the water can be very therapeutic. Besides the hot pool there is a resort, restaurant and a second large outdoor pool where the water is cooled to a comfortable temperature.

Bighorn Sheep are everywhere. They seem to like licking the bottom of vehicle bumpers, I’m guessing for road salt. The short walk up to the old hotel ruins is well worth the effort. You’ll smell the sulphur in the air and see several natural hot springs flowing out of the ground and rock faces. These hot springs are beautifully stained with minerals and algae’s and it’s surprising how hot the water from these springs are.

The old ruins were built in 1934. They look very similar to the resort at Banff Hot Springs. This must be a magical place in the winter time when steam clouds are venting through the snow.

There is a short 2.5km hike past the ruins to Utopia pass that is somewhat disappointing, not sure why it was named Utopia? However it is a good spot to escape the crowds and eat a pack lunch. The Miette Hot Springs has a nice picnic area located next to the parking lot at the start of the ruins trailhead. On your way towards Miette Hot Springs you can stop at Punch Bowl Falls which is 18km west of here just before the Pocahontas Campground. You are in bear country PDF

Jasper National Park Hiking PDF

Icefields Parkway Area Map PDF