British Columbia · Remote access
Bishop Bay Hot Springs
Bishop Bay–Monkey Beach Conservancy protects a marine hot-spring destination along the Inside Passage. Boaters know the bay as a place to pause for a soak, picnic or overnight stay in a forested coastal setting.
Historical source coordinate; not a trailhead. Accuracy and datum have not been independently verified. Historical water readings describe source samples, not safe soaking temperatures.
A yacht club built the bathhouse
The bathhouse at Bishop Bay was originally put up in the 1960s by volunteers from the Kitimat Yacht Club, and that volunteer character still defines the place. Inside is a concrete block pool roughly 2.8 by 5.5 metres — about 8 by 16 feet — sitting just above the high tide line, with two soaking pools.
Measured flow is around 32.4 litres per minute. Source temperature is approximately 41.3 °C, arriving in the bathhouse at about 38.8 °C, which is close to ideal soaking temperature without any mixing required.
Boat or floatplane only
Bishop Bay lies about 25 km east of Hartley Bay and 75 km south of Kitimat, reached along Ursula Channel. There is no road and no trail in; access is by boat or floatplane, and that is the whole gatekeeping mechanism for the site.
For cruisers this is one of the classic stops on the Inside Passage run, and Hartley Bay near the entrance to Douglas Channel is the usual reference point.
More than a pool
The site is better equipped than most remote coastal springs: a boat dock and ramp, boardwalk, tent platforms, a picnic shelter and a pit toilet alongside the bathhouse. You can stay rather than just stop.
It sits within the Bishop Bay–Monkey Beach Conservancy, so the protections and expectations of a conservancy apply. Pack out everything, and treat the volunteer-built facilities as something to leave better than you found.
Opening hours & season
No verified visitor timetable
Access depends on land-manager permission, closures and local conditions. No published timetable should be interpreted as 24-hour access.
All times are local to the spring. Checked 2026-10-01; this is not a live opening-status display. Closure notices override regular hours.
Our take
A natural fit for a coastal boating journey. The spring’s appeal is tied to the anchorage and surrounding seascape, with marine logistics setting it apart from an easy roadside visit.
Editorial assessment based on published information. No firsthand visit or customer score is implied.
Before you go
Sources & record notes
Geoscience BC’s 2016 compilation · 1 historical sampling record · Source name: Bishop Bay. References recorded in the dataset: Souther 1973.
Sources used for this guide
- BC Parks — Bishop Bay–Monkey Beach Conservancy
- BC Parks blog — a magical place: Bishop Bay
- Hot Springs of BC — Bishop Bay Hot Springs
- Wikipedia — Bishop Bay–Monkey Beach Conservancy
Written from the published sources above. Operator hours, access rules and closures change; the official link is authoritative.