The "adult" pool at Harrison Hot Springs

To unwind from an action-packed summer or to soothe the aches from a day on the ski hill, nothing beats a massage and a soak. Arguably the best time to visit one of British Columbia’s many hot springs is in fall, as leaves turn to gold, bronze and red, and snow dusts the ranges. Here are some of our favourites.

Harrison Hot Springs
STAY The Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa (100 Esplanade Ave., 800-663-2266, harrisonresort.com) sprawls along the beachfront at the southern end of Lake Harrison. Inside the resort, the grandeur-hinted at by the open fireplace and the copper piano-comes to a crescendo as you experience the Copper Room, the hotel’s restaurant-cum-ballroom.

SPA The resort’s buildings encircle two of the three outdoor hot pools, creating a feeling of seclusion. But in the night’s steam, the buildings disappear and the poolside plants and rocks loom large. Inside, a terraced circular pool sits beneath a Pantheon-esque skylight. The other half of the round building comprises the Healing Springs Spa. Of all the treatments on offer amid the wooden pillars and cedar perfume of Healing Springs, the stone massage elicits the most rapture and yen to return.

SEE From the pier directly in front of the resort, Harrison Eco-Tours (100 Esplanade Ave., 877-796-3345, harrisonecotours.com) takes you on a wildlife safari along the Harrison River-athrong with bald eagles in the winter-or, for the brave, you can battle,tag and release sturgeon up to three and a half metres long.

GETTING THERE Surrounded by mountains, the small town of Harrison Hot Springs hides away like a hidden retreat, an easy drive of about 90 minutes east from Vancouver.

Radium Hot Springs, Kootenay National Park
STAY On your way from Calgary to Radium Hot Springs, stop at Emerald Lake Lodge (250-343-6321, crmr.com/emerald-lake-lodge.php). The secluded waterfront lodge offers private cabins overlooking a glacier-fed lake and the awe-inspiring nature of Yoho National Park. A quintessential Western Canadian experience.

SPA Moving between the sheer cliffs at the entrance of the gorge feels like a rite of passage as you near historic Radium Hot Springs (northeast of the junction of highways 93 and 95, 250-347-9485, hotsprings.ca/radium). The modern aquacourt feels very structured, in stark contrast to a view up Sinclair Canyon that is 100 percent natural. The Pleiades Spa, in the Heritage Building, benefits from the natural riches of this site and is an ideal setting for organic treatments like the Glacial Clay Wrap.

SEE Between Emerald Lake and Radium, Golden’s Canadian Off-Road Adventures (910 9th St. N, Golden, B.C., 250-344-4640, atvgolden.com) provides a great opportunity to explore the mountains without stressing the muscles you’ve spent hours relaxing. The quad-bike tour takes you up as high as the snowline to get a closer look at the scenery and epic views of the landscape.
getting there Just west of the B.C.-Alberta border, Radium is less than three hours’ drive from Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Fairmont Harrison Hot Springs, B.C.
STAY Not to be confused with the hotel chain of the same name, the historic Fairmont Hot Springs Resort (5225 Fairmont Resort Rd., 250-345-6070, fairmonthotsprings.com) perches on the side of the Columbia Valley. The breakfast menu is divided into categories, giving you "high protein" or "low carb" and "low fat" options-perfect preparation for a day of exploring or exfoliating.

SPA The resort’s two large outdoor pools, one reserved for hotel guests, allow for sociable relaxation. The indoor steam room and hot and cold plunge pools, accessible via a subterranean gallery, offer a more contemplative repose. Upstairs, the Natural Springs Spa’s treatments feature Swedish, shiatsu and reiki relaxation techniques, and a spa menu for men.

SEE BC Rockies Adventures (5225 Fairmont Resort Rd., 250-345-6049) offers a great night-time hike, including a discussion of the legends of the constellations in the clear skies above the Rockies. Follow that with the "More than S’mores" campfire, where the guides will show you some creative campfire desserts.

GETTING THERE The resort is less than three hours’ drive from Calgary along highways 93 and 95, or an hour from the Canadian Rockies International Airport in Cranbrook. wl