Hot Springs Cove

A Natural Hot Spring That Flows Through A Series Of Rock Pools And Waterfalls Into The Pacific, Reached By A 2 Km Boardwalk Through Old Growth Forest From The Dock, In Maquinna Marine Provincial Park. One Of The Best Known Hot Springs On The BC Coast, Reached Only By Water Or Air · Tofino, British Columbia

Hot Springs Cove is a natural hot spring in Maquinna Marine Provincial Park on the west coast of Vancouver Island, about 40 km north-west of Tofino across the open water of Clayoquot Sound (confirm). No road reaches it. Visitors come by water taxi in roughly an hour and a half or by floatplane in about twenty minutes (confirm operators), step onto a small dock in the cove, and follow a boardwalk of about 2 km through old-growth cedar, hemlock and spruce to the pools. Water rises from the rock at a scalding temperature, spills over a lip in a small waterfall and runs through a chain of stone basins before it meets the cold Pacific, so bathers can choose a pool from hot to mild. The cove lies in the territory of the Hesquiaht First Nation, whose community sits beside the dock (confirm). Whales, sea otters and bears are often seen on the trip. Fees, sailing times and access rules change from year to year, so confirm all details with an operator before you go.

Hot Springs Cove, a natural hot spring in Maquinna Provincial Park on the west coast of Vancouver Island, reached by boat or floatplane from Tofino about 40 km to the south-east; coordinates approximate, Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

The springs are generally open for day use all year, and the boats and floatplanes run on their own schedules, with the most trips from about May to October and fewer sailings in winter storms, so confirm times with an operator before you pay. The pools follow daylight, and the last boat back leaves while light remains, so ask your skipper when to be at the dock. Tide and swell change the lowest pools through the day, and rough seas can cancel sailings without much notice (confirm refund rules). Access fees for the site are collected at the dock or on the trail (confirm).

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