Why We LOVE Camping at Redstreak, Radium Hot Springs, BC

We have a lot of of favourite campgrounds, but Redstreak in Radium Hot Springs is definitely in the "top five" for our family. Located in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, we can drive here for a weekend in a short drive Friday afternoon.

You can't visit Radium Hot Springs without seeing at least one herd of sheep

 

Five Reasons we LOVE Camping at the Redstreak Campground

1. You can hike out the door of your trailer or tent

There are beautiful hiking trails that leave right from the Redstreak Campground. On our recent trip this past month, we discovered the Redstreak Loop Trail which ascends to a beautiful viewpoint from the E loop (the same loop we always camp in.)

Views over the Columbia Valley from the Redstreak Loop Trail

2. Easy access to the cute village of Radium Hot Springs

Bike down to the village below the campground, visit the pump track, bike to the big playground (located two blocks back from Main Street on St. Joseph Street,) get coffee or ice-cream on the main street, and then hopefully somebody will give you a ride back up to the campground. (It's a long climb back up if you don't have a vehicle parked in town.)

Enjoying the large playground in Radium Hot Springs

My husband drove the truck down into town while my son and I biked down from the campground so we could enjoy the screamer of a descent on the paved campground access road.

Biking down to the Village of Radium Hot Springs from the Redstreak Campground

There's parking for trailers behind the Visitor Centre in town so we enjoyed biking around town on Sunday before driving home.

Playing around at the Radium Hot Springs Bike Park and Pump Track

3. Beautiful Campsites!!

We love camping in the E loop and have a couple of favourite sites on a sunny bench. They offer private views and are ideally situated for quick walks to both the bathrooms and the playground. We also love that every site in this loop has power so we don't have to listen to generators. (Trust me, birds are much more peaceful at 7am!)

Our beautiful campsite at Redstreak. (We liked it so much we're going back this fall)

4. Hot Springs!!! 

I love hot springs and there's no better way to spend the morning when you're camping in the spring or fall. We visited the Radium Hot Springs pool Saturday morning when it was still too chilly to go biking. We returned to our campsite for lunch and then spent the afternoon out exploring the nearby Old Coach Trail and biking the single track trails off of it.

Having hot springs nearby is also a blessing when it turns out to be a rainy weekend.  We know that regardless of the weather forecast, we'll always have a good time if we're camping a short drive or hike away from a giant heated swimming pool!

And yes, you can hike to the hot springs from the Redstreak Campground.

Note for 2023, the cold swimming pool is closed for repairs. Opening date is TBD.

You can't go wrong with hot springs that also have a separate warm swimming pool for the kids!

5. Camping in the sunny Columbia Valley! 

The Columbia Valley gets spring-like weather when the mountain parks are still buried under snow. We love camping in this valley in spring when we are longing for green grass, dry bike trails, and sun! Glorious sun!!

Mountain bike season starts earlier here in the Columbia Valley

Bonus Reason 6. You're close to everything here!

- Amenities, stores, groceries (cause you know you'll forget something!)
- Beaches and lakes for water sports
- Great bike trails
- Other hot springs in the valley (you can never have enough hot springs!)
- More awesome hiking trails

And, everything a family could ever need for an entire week of summer camping fun!

Mount Swansea lookout hike

Recommended Reading

The Best of the Columbia Valley (Radium Hot Springs to Invermere - and beyond)