Revelstoke Travel Photographer - Snowshoeing and Winter Camping at Halfway Hotsprings

I first visited Halfway Hotsprings 2 summers ago on the recommendation from a friend in Revelstoke. The 11km logging road to get to these natural springs is about an hour and a half south of town, including a ferry ride across the lake. They are located along Halfway River, which runs halfway between the south end of the ferry and the town of Nakusp. When I visited in 2018 the site had only recently been taken over by BC Parks and has undergone a few development improvements since.

An outhouse burried in snow. Captured on 35mm film.

I rate it a 1 for accessibility but 9 for cleanliness. All out of TP though.

The campground has 22 first-come first-serve sites which cost $15/night in the summer. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit and there are a couple outhouses throughout the overnight and day use area. There is a campground host on site from May to September who collects the cash fee and keeps everything in check. There is no garbage collection at the site so you need to be sure to pack out what you bring in. From the campground it’s a 5 minute walk down a steep incline to the pools where you’ll also find a new wood frame change room. There are 4 pools of different depths and temperatures which are beautifully pieced together with rocks from the riverbank and supplemented with cement. If you continue past the main pools you’ll find yourself at the river which you can follow to find additional shallow hot pools built up by users. You can learn more about the recreation site here.

Long exposure of Halfway River, captured by Bryce on his Sony A7III.

Bryce moved to Revelstoke on a Friday and we figured what better way to celebrate the start of his new life in the mountains than a little weekend adventure to the hotsprings. It was nearly mid afternoon by the time we reached the turnoff to the logging road on Saturday. It is left unplowed over the winter so we planned to snowshoe to the campground. The recent snowfall meant the small parking space had yet to be cleared, so we found a spot along the shoulder of the highway about half a kilometre away. We loaded our overnight packs, strapped on our snowshoes, and started the hike.

Me on digital.

Bryce on film.

We quickly realized that snowshoeing was not nearly as efficient as summer hiking and understood that our goal of setting up camp in the daylight was not going to happen. It took us around 4 hours to travel the 12km uphill from our truck to the campsite, watching the sun set along the way. A number of snowmobiles passed us in both directions as we hiked, including a few that were pulling a skier behind. We also met a couple on their way out who had ski toured in, which we figured would be an easier human-powered option than snowshoes. Our headlamps were essential in allowing us to both see in the dark but also make our presence known to the snowmobilers who passed by.

Please note that this is a restricted access snowmobile area in efforts to limit disruptions to local caribou herds. Please visit https://snowmobileselkirks.ca/home-1 before visiting to learn more and become a member to access daily closure maps.

Arriving at the recreation site. The only photo we took in the dark that night.

Hotsprings on film.

Arriving at the campsite there was only one other group there, which consisted of about 8 people and 2 dogs, with a few tents and a big fire going. We noticed some others heading back for the highway on snow machines as we stomped down the snow and set up our own camp. Melting snow and heating up our dehydrated chili dinner was slow going with our pocket rocket stove, but it did the job. Even though it was only a degrees or two below freezing, we definitely went through fuel much quicker than in the summer. After enjoying our hot meal we made our way down to the springs.

Before getting wet we stopped by the river to filter some fresh water to drink. Although I’m always quick to complain about the weight and effort required of my pump filter, it was a better system than boiling snow. It was quite dark that night and there was only one other person in the pools, so we opted to skip the hassle of dealing with wet swimsuits and found a private spot in one of the deeper pools. After the long trek earlier that day there was nothing better than relaxing in the 100 degree water as a fresh blanket of snow fell all around us.

Bryce on film.

After a while the other person came over to chat for a bit. Turns out he is the site manager throughout the summer and makes a visit to the pools on his sled once a week to make sure everything is in order. We talked more about the area for a bit but it wasn’t long before he headed out and we dried off and changed into our warm clothes in the new shelter. We filtered another bottle of water at the river and then headed back to the tent to call it a night.

Our campsite on film.

Though I had camped out in a quinzee once before, it was both of our first time winter camping in the back country. My four season tent is technically meant for two people, but I’d only ever slept in it on my own before. It fits me and my pack perfectly but is a very tight squeeze for two. We squished our sleeping pads side by side on top of an insulated ground sheet but there wasn’t enough room for both of them, so half of mine ran along the wall of the tent as well. Bryce’s therm-a-rest is rated for winter but mine is only a summer pad so I stuffed my extra clothing layers under it as well. For sleeping bags Bryce brought a -18 synthetic bag and a -5 down one which we zipped together and then I put my -10 down bag inside of the -5 one. We both slept in base layers and were a comfortable temperature all night.

In the morning there was a lot of condensation built up inside the fly, along with a good inch or two of snow on the outside. Our boots stayed dry, albeit cold, in the vestibule and our packs were alright zipped up out in the snow. It was after 10am by the time we crawled out of bed and headed back to the hot springs. We brought the stove and our breakfast with us, boiling water from the river for our oatmeal. We had the pools to ourselves again that morning, and the place was even more magical in the daylight. Big fat snowflakes fell on us and it honestly felt like a fairytale (or Hallmark movie).

We wanted to make it back to the truck before dark, so we got changed, packed up camp, and hit the trail. The whole process took longer than we expected and it was close to 1 before we left the campsite. We also didn’t plan ahead very well, forgetting to pack lunch for the afternoon. Though it was downhill and easier than the way in, our bodies were tired, dehydrated, and a little hungry. It was a long, quiet hike back but we moved quickly, arriving back at the highway as the last bits of light left the sky.

Sitting on the ferry on our way back to town I looked over at Bryce and thought about how lucky he was to be living in a place where surreal experiences like this one were soon to become an ordinary weekend. I hoped that one day I’d be able to call that life my own as well.