This community is on the northern end of Columbia Lake, the source of the mighty Columbia River. The hot springs here were discovered around 1840. The wife of John Galbraith, the area’s original owner, named this town after a Philadelphia suburb. The local springs were a popular resting spot for travellers along the Columbia River in the 1890s. In 1889, a stagecoach rest stop was built, and in the early 1900s the resort was further developed. It wasn’t until the late 1950s that the Wilder Brothers bought the resort that it was developed into its present form. The local hot pools are serviced with over a million gallons of mineral water bubbling from the ground every day. These are the largest odourless mineral hot springs in Canada.
Fairmont Hot Springs Annual Events:
Mountain Music & Arts Festival (August)
Fairmont Hot Springs Attractions
Fairmont Resort
250-345-6311 toll-free 1-800-663-4979
The Fairmount Resort has a 4-1/2 star hotel with 140 rooms, a conference facility, the 18 hole Mountainside Golf Course (open from March to November), horseback riding, and helicopter sightseeing tours. The Fairmont ski hill rises 300 m (1000 ft) above the valley and can handle 2,400 skiers per hour.