By Trish Gair
On March 22, 2023 I went on a hunt to find the elusive hot springs at Kinbasket lake. The hot springs are only visible on years when the reservoir draw-down is low enough.
To get there you will need a 4×4 with high clearance. From the East Canoe Forest Road, turn off at 5km and head down the West Canoe Forest Road to about 26km. There you’ll find a driveway that heads
down towards the lake.
I had to walk on foot from the road to the hot springs. It took about 30 minutes on the way down and 45 minutes on the way up. If you have a side-by-side or sled or quad you could definitely make the trip from the road to the hot springs a lot quicker.
I would recommend wearing a good hiking shoe or boot that can get wet and dirty. Once you walk down the road it makes a left turn and then you follow that until you reach a hunting cabin. There is a trail off
to the right before the chain across the driveway. Follow this trail until you reach the lake water. Try to stay to the left as much as possible on the way down and look for the steaming water close to the lake.
You might have to make your own pool by using the shovels left on the muddy banks, or by hand bombing the clay mud to create a wall to pool the hot water. If the water is too hot, let a little lake water in to make the temperature to your liking.
The lake level is at 719.20 as of March 27, 2023. The main pool that was dug by excavator is out when the lake drops to 717.
You can check the lake levels here.
Please pack in what you pack out and respect the private property.
