British Columbia · Remote access
Dewar Creek Hot Springs
Dewar Creek is a geothermal feature within the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy. Reaching the area involves wilderness travel, and the hot source water should never be confused with a controlled bathing-pool temperature.
Historical source coordinate; not a trailhead. Accuracy and datum have not been independently verified. Historical water readings describe source samples, not safe soaking temperatures.
Water hot enough to injure you
Dewar Creek deserves a blunt warning before anything else: some pools here exceed 80 °C. That is not a hot soak, it is a scalding hazard, and water at that temperature causes serious burns quickly.
A soaking tub has been built at the site with valves allowing the temperature to be adjusted to something usable. Use that rather than the source pools, and test any water carefully before entering it.
A hard day's hike in, after 74 km of gravel
The springs lie in Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park, and getting there is a two-part problem. Reaching the trailhead near Kimberley takes roughly 74 kilometres of forest service road, and from there the trail is about 18 kilometres round trip with some 540 metres of elevation gain — generally rated hard, and taking most people five and a half to six hours.
There is no vehicle access to the springs themselves. It is hiking or horseback, and the usual approach is to camp rather than attempt it as a single long day.
Genuine wilderness, by design
The Purcell Wilderness Conservancy is one of British Columbia's larger protected wilderness areas, and Dewar Creek sits well inside it. There is no development, no supervision and no quick exit if something goes wrong.
Come self-sufficient, carry out everything, and be realistic about the combination of a long forest service road, a hard trail and water hot enough to hurt you. The reward is one of the most genuinely remote soaks reachable on foot in the southern half of the province.
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
Suited to experienced wilderness travellers whose interest extends to the landscape and geology. The access effort and very hot source water make it a poor substitute for a casual resort soak.
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: Dewar Creek. References recorded in the dataset: Grasby 2000.
Sources used for this guide
- BC Parks — Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park
- AllTrails — Dewar Creek Hot Springs trail (distance, gain, time)
- Wikipedia — Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park and Protected Area
Written from the published sources above. Operator hours, access rules and closures change; the official link is authoritative.