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Ainsworth Hot Springs: The Cave-Soak Weekend

Day Trips & Getaways

Ainsworth Hot Springs: The Cave-Soak Weekend

Wade waist-deep through a natural 150-foot cave at 42°C above Kootenay Lake, and give yourself a reason to drive to the Kootenays.

There's nothing else quite like Ainsworth in the entire province, and anyone who's been there has that particular expression on their face when they describe it. The setup: you wade waist-deep into a dim, 150-foot horseshoe-shaped cave, mineral water dripping from the ceiling at a steady 42°C, before staggering out to a cold plunge fed straight from the mountains and a soaking pool perched above Kootenay Lake. It is run by the Yaqan Nukiy of the Lower Kootenay Band and is open year-round, which makes it quietly magical in shoulder season and outright cinematic in winter when steam pours off the lake in great dramatic curtains. It's a proper commitment from Vancouver, a real West Kootenay trip. Pair it with Nelson 40 minutes south, and you have a weekend that will be genuinely difficult to stop talking about for months.

relaxingromanticcozyscenicoff-the-beaten-pathwellness
Duration
Full day
Best time
Daytime
Price / person
~$400–800 / person
Setting
Indoor / Outdoor
Neighbourhood
Ainsworth Hot Springs
Best season
spring, summer, fall, winter

Estimated ~$400–800 / person for per person for a weekend (travel, a night's stay, food), as of 2026-06-22. A ballpark, not a quote. Call ahead or check the website for exact pricing.

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Plan your getaway

Ainsworth Hot Springs, BC (Kootenay Lake) · from Vancouver

door to door

~8 hours

from Vancouver

700 km

how long

2 nights

best window

Year-round

Getting there

Drive Hwy 1 → Coquihalla (Hwy 5) → Kamloops → Hwy 97/3 east, then north up the west shore of Kootenay Lake. Much easier: fly YVR→Castlegar (YCG, ~1 hr 15 min) and rent a car for the ~1 hr 20 min drive north via Nelson. Kelowna (YLW) is an alternative with a ~4-hr drive.

Fly to Castlegar (YCG) and rent at the airport, there's no transit to Ainsworth and you'll want the car for Nelson and lake side trips. From Vancouver, bring your own.

No car? There's a route for that↓

No transit to Ainsworth. A car is essential once in the region.

books out

Suites and spa treatments book out fast on weekends and over winter holidays, reserve 3 to 4 weeks ahead and check the reduced Wed to Sun hotel/restaurant schedule before you rely on dinner on-site.

Don't miss

  1. 1Float the 150-foot horseshoe cave at 42°C, then hit the cold plunge
  2. 2Sunrise or candlelit night soak when the pools are quietest
  3. 3Spirit Water Spa treatment (book ahead)
  4. 4Walk the historic Ainsworth ghost-town main street
  5. 5Day trip 40 min to Nelson for galleries, coffee and dinner
  6. 6Cody Caves Provincial Park tour (summer) just up the road

Where to eat

Ktunaxa Grill (Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort)restaurantdinner★ 4.4

The only restaurant in the village, and mercifully a good one: bison French onion soup and herb-crusted walleye, Kootenay Lake out one window and the steaming pool out the other. Book dinner, then go float about it. Open Wednesday to Monday; evening reservations required

~$25-45/person
Bluebelle Bistro & Beanery (Kaslo)cafelunch★ 4.4

A hundred-year-old former saloon on Kaslo's Front Street, now doing comfort food with house-baked bread and desserts reviewers call out of this world. Ranked first of ten restaurants in town, and the town has opinions.

~$15-25/person
The Waypoint at the Kaslo Hotelpub fooddinner★ 4.3

The pub in Kaslo's grand old lakefront hotel, where the beef dip arrives on rosemary bread and the patio stares straight down Kootenay Lake. BC craft taps, mountain scenery, and no compelling reason to leave before dark. Recent listings show the kitchen closed Mondays and Tuesdays; check hours

~$20-35/person
Angry Hen Brewing (Kaslo)pub foodsnack★ 4.3

A tiny brewery on Front Street with a patio across the road from the lake, where the beer travels roughly six metres from tank to glass and the mountains handle the decorating. They cheerfully let you carry pizza in. Taproom with minimal food; bring takeout from a nearby spot

~$8-15/person
Buddy's Front Street Pizzeria (Kaslo)restaurantlunch or dinner★ 4.5

Thin-crust pizza one reviewer swore beats New York's, which is a sizable claim for a village of about a thousand people. Half-and-half toppings are permitted; disputes over the final slice remain your own affair.

~$15-25/person

Where to stay

Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort, Yaqan Nukiy Suiteslakeview resort suitesromantic

14 modern suites with private balconies over Kootenay Lake and easy access to the cave; stays include pool access. Confirm 2026 rates/dates (reduced Wed to Sun operation in shoulder season).

see this spot →book / details →
from ~$309 CAD/night (Yaqan Nukiy Suites)
Kootenay Lakeview Resort (Balfour)lakeside resort & cottages

About 15 min south at Balfour with lake views and a spa, a good-value base near the springs. Verify current rates.

see this spot →book / details →
from ~$156 CAD/night
Dancing Bear Inn (Nelson)hostel with private roomsbudgetsolo

40 min south in Nelson, cheap, central and social for a solo soak-and-explore weekend. Confirm 2026 rates.

see this spot →book / details →
from ~$40 CAD/night (dorm); ~$68 private

Trip details as of 2026-06-22. Prices and ferry schedules change, so confirm when you book.

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