March 30th. Fairmont Owl Loop.

After a day of wallowing in the hot pool we decided that we should do something active the next day because that would easily justify more guilt free wallowing……so a hike was duly researched and appointed. Then back into the hot springs…for more wallowing. One of the guys we met told us he has a membership so he comes regularly…and in the summer he brings his binoculars…and sits in the hot pool watching the bears and other wildlife on the mountain……!!!

There are quite a few interesting looking hikes around Fairmont Hot Springs Resort…but its a little too late in the season for the snow to be stable, and a little too early for the ice to be safely gone at the higher elevations.

There are also a couple of lower level hikes…I picked out the Owl Loop b/c from the pictures it looked like there might be a natural hot pool on the hike. I could not find any other information on it and where it actually was…so we packed some microfibre towels, dry undies, great hopes and set off.

It was a brisk but clear morning. Perfect hiking weather really.

There were patches of the trail that were still a bit icy and snow covered…but it was mostly clear giving us a very nice little forest walk.

…and not another soul around…….

Theres an additional loop called Montezumas revenge……if anyone has any notions on that ..I’m curious……its an easy extension of the Owl loop…adds about a km….nothing scary.. nothing hard…..

It was a lovely walk…but the mountain views promised in the reviews on Alltrails were not forthcoming….until we got almost to the bottom of the hill.

The path back up was a little more challenging…….

…..and then we ended up following the creek back up towards the resort.

As you follow the creek…the water is very clear…and further up you can start to see the mineral deposits on the rocks……Very hopefully (actually a little gleefully..) we clambered down to check the water….it looked amazing…but it was cold. So we carried on up the path

Closer to the top…actually almost to the end of the loop we scored, if we had come anticlockwise (not our tradition..LOL)…we would have run into it almost immediately..

Its a vey dramatic waterfall over the cliff. Apparently its actually the overflow from the Fairmont resort……but the rock pools below are so heavily mineralised that the pools are almost like tinted concrete.

Its a bit of a scramble down across the creek and clambering up those smooth surfaces to get to the pools…

The water is lovely. Not as warm as the official hot pool…which actually means you can stay in for much longer without needing a break. The bottom of each pool is full of mineralised gravel…so its kinda like little layer of pumice stones on the bottom……so by the time you get out the skin on your feet is completely smooth (assuming it wasn’t when you got in…!!!)

There were a few family groups with little kids…it was amazingly cool watching the little people in the water.

Eventually we dragged ourselves out and dried off a bit…to get back to the trailer and have a bit of supper….before returning for our last evening wallow in the hot pool. Its not like any artificial hot pool you have ever been in…..its a bucket list item for sure…….gotta try it……its amazing If the hot tub at the gym was fizzy pop (7-up)…The natural hot spring pool is a quality champagne.

Sadly it was time to move…diversion over and back on the road headed for Calgary and the bairn.