A legendary stop on the Inside Passage where a free, community-maintained bathhouse pipes natural hot-spring water into a soaking pool a short boardwalk from the public float at the head of a deep, narrow inlet off Ursula Channel.
Bishop Bay Hot Springs sits at the head of a small inlet on the east side of Ursula Channel, deep within the Bishop Bay-Monkey Beach Conservancy on BC's remote North Coast. The big draw is the natural hot spring: water emerges from a crevice in the bedrock and is channelled into a tidy bathhouse and an outdoor pool, all reached by a short boardwalk through moss-draped cedars. The facility is maintained by volunteers (long associated with the Kitimat Yacht Club) and is free to use.
A small public float lets a couple of boats tie up right at the trailhead, and three mooring buoys lie off the head of the bay. The float is rated for smaller boats (roughly 30 ft), and vessels over 11 m (36 ft) are asked to anchor offshore to avoid overcrowding the dock. In summer the spot is popular and the float fills quickly.
The surroundings are classic North Coast fjord country: steep forested walls, waterfalls, and near-total wilderness reached only by boat or floatplane, about 25 km east of Hartley Bay and 75 km south of Kitimat.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
Approach from Ursula Channel (off Verney Passage / Gardner Canal), turning into Bishop Bay and running to its head where the float, buoys, and bathhouse are located. The inlet is deep and steep-to, with generally clean approaches, but it shoals abruptly near the head.
Anchoring is the chief difficulty: the bay is deep almost to shore and then shallows quickly, leaving little room to lay out scope or swing. Larger boats that cannot take the float or a buoy should expect to anchor in deep water close to the steep shore and may prefer a stern-tie. Confirm depths against CHS chart 3742; soundings here are not well documented in cruising guides, so sound carefully on arrival.
Wind protection summary and tide planning at a glance. Full per-direction and 7-day detail with Plus.
Live readings from the nearest OpenWeather station and WorldTides; refreshed every few minutes.
Source: OpenWeather One Call API + WorldTides.
A curated photo + map walkthrough showing approach, mooring options, and points of interest.
A guided walkthrough of Bishop Bay Hot Springs with approach photos, depth notes, and points of interest — written by members who have been here recently.
Real first-hand reports and questions answered by members who have actually been here.
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Cruising-distance picks near this anchorage.
