I worked the Front Desk at the hotel from 1993-1998, learned the world of Hospitality there. Bert and Marlene fought for years for that place. All those timbers were milled right there on site I believe.
Omgosh. Can’t believe the chaos that is there. I am a daughter of the man who really built the hotsprings into a beautiful resort in the early sixties through the 80’s. My dad was a man with drive and a vision He got things done. When his vision grew and he reached out for financial input the consortium he got involved with did not have his vision nor did they care about the family owned and run aspect that was a huge part of the success Unfortunately it floundered after dad was not at the helm anymore. Burt is not the same entrepreneur my dad was. Hopefully one day someone with vision and ambition will come along. Sad to see. Millions of dollars of material there.
By consortium I assume you mean the idiotic Canadian government?! “You have to treat rapidly recharging water with chemicals because we say so! The chemicals that we made you use to clean rapidly recharging springwater are contaminating the environment now you’re gonna have to spend millions more dollars to fix the problem that we created in the first place” Why? cause The Canadian government is full of idiots who are too stupid realize that rapidly recharging Hot Spring water doesn’t need to be treated it just needs to be drained and the pool cleaned periodically. But hey, We’re from the Canadian government and we’re here to help. 🤦♂️
That place is a dream. Your dad did an amazing job. You have no idea what I would do to own a property like that even in that shape. I’d fix it up but by bit. First fir friends (and possibly those whom had been before in the early days) and work towards making such an amazing place available to the public again even if it had to be like a hitting lodge and small numbers. Just the materials that could be reclaimed! Your dad was an amazing visionary and it true,y is a shame it was let go. Wonder what it would take to be able to go there, live there, and fix it up?
@@tetonriver6068 Wasn't it the BC Government? Either way, both levels frequently managed to find ways to royally screw up a good thing. Very sad, because this place looks freaking awesome, and if it was still running today, I'm sure it would be a massive success.
Wow this hits me right in the feels. The pic at 3:10 is of my family at the bottom of the turtle slide would love to be about of rebuilding the treasure of a place
Oh my god thank you so much for doing this adventure to the old Hot springs I used to go their so many times when I was growing up and yes I'm the wife that wouldn't shut up ☺️
Lol maybe you n knew my mum then she worked there when she was younger cause bart and marline were her great grandparents. Hah maybe this summer when i go up to Rupert i'll go check it out.
@@0NYX1A374 yes I do remember the names, my grandpa Ron Parker took me and my sisters also cousin to Swimming their all the time until the shut down the pools side and old high student was working their as well we were all sad that they slowly shut down the pools side 😭💔
Perfect vibration harmony, we need investors,💯 hands on. 💯Yes wellness light vibration. 💥Be service to other's . 🫂I care deeply abouth this, place. Iam in luv. But truthfully, ive had this idea for year's. We will it is free ✋ hands on work live there . We as a tribe . We like minded, we will investors too. Wow dreams will come truth🙏🫂💞
If you mean back in the 70s yes I remember the Pinball Machines ( arcade). but I also went there before that building was built, in the Old Hotel that had a large dining area a two pools as well as about 20 -30 rooms
From someone the grew up in Kitimat and went here so often, thank you for this! Lots of the things you’ve shown weren’t actually ever open for the public, like the round building and the UFO waterpark, so so cool to see what could have been.
I remember staying at Lakelse hot springs as a child in the 60's. It was a big vacation for my parents at the time, we drove from Vanderhoof up to the hot springs and stayed for 4 days. We had a room with patio doors that opened to the outdoor pool, and I could just run out and play in the pool. A very fond memory from my early childhood.
Growing up here in BC and watching things change over the years places like this are interesting but also sad. The more I have seen and learned about our province the more I have seen how so many opportunities, such as this place, have been lost due to government interference and regulation. Thank you for showing us these places and hopefully getting people to realize the opportunities we are loosing out on or at least get to see the cool locations before they are gone!
I played in the UFH2O fountains in 1986 when it was at the Expo in Vancouver. The water bubbled up at various heights and would sort of leap from one spot to another. It was a lot of fun for 10-year-old me. I have pictures of it.
@@machinesnmetal it's the same one. It's one of a kind for sure. It sounds like they never got it working at the hot springs either. So we were pretty lucky!
Okie dokie. I want to say thanks for allowing us to see inside the round building, that staff used to joke was Bert's potato barn. I worked at Mt Layton as a lifeguard for a year just after it opened, and primarily in the lounge with stints in the dining room and rooftop garden after that. So, I knew the place quite well. And there are more people in the area from whom you could get accurate information. My first bone to pick is the title is misleading. It's not abandoned, but closed and allowed to go fallow with the exception of the farm. You go into areas that are obviously in use still (why is the back bar still stocked and the plants looking healthy in the lounge?). To me, the tools and sawdust in the conference building still look fresh (and if people knew they could get in there with the price of lumber these days???), plus that equipment is not cheap and would not get left behind. The area is only half way up the province, and has had summer temperatures in the mid-30s. One Father's Day weekend we hit a high 38C... Doesn't get too warm? Bwaahahahaha! My understanding is the switch from ozone to chlorine for the pools was more to control algae as we had so much trouble managing it. It would have been great to have been able to stick with the ozone system (I am not certain why it wasn't effective), especially as the system was imported from Europe, was environmentally better and not cheap. As noted in previous comments, the UFO H2O was purchased after Expo 86 where it was a hit. It never really worked after being installed at the hot springs as there were problems with the computer program/system. There was a lot of controversy regarding covering the natural hot spring when the current rendition of the complex was being constructed. It is located to the right behind the fence when coming into the parking area and apparently had an uncommon and highly-specialized biome that lived in and around it. The water was cooled to 104F for the hot tub and around 85-87F for the pools. The waterslide tower was hell to maintain, as there were constant battles with mildew buildup due to the high humidity from the slides. Fun fact, the water cannon was shut down after someone got a fiberglass sliver up their back. The deck tile was a major accident waiting to happen due to it's slipperiness. I am glad I stopped guarding there before having to deal with a major. I dealt more with pressure cuts and getting kids and adult kids to slow down on the deck, especially in the winter, and especially when they stepped off the little lip when exiting the changerooms. The pool-side changerooms were disgustingly humid to the point it seemed you could not dry off to get dressed. They were also pretty small and were the main changerooms in comparison to the larger and newer changerooms adjacent to the Splashdown pool. Numbers in the lounge began to drop after the no drinking and driving campaign and legislation (a really good thing!). In the first few years after opening in the late 80's there were two staff working the floor and one behind the bar, and we still had trouble keeping up. Then it went to 2 staff. Then the pool table was put in as there were fewer people so the extra tables were not needed. Then only one staff person even on Friday nights. I worked through this change. But I have to say, we had kick ass staff, the bar was kept extremely clean, we had some pretty awesome regulars (some even helped us with setting up banquets for the next day XD), and I had some pretty damn good times there. There used to be excellent chefs in the dining room, but they were lured away for better wages, conditions, and opportunities. (Even Dale's 'mistakes' were awesome and the staff got to enjoy those XD) The resort was not maintained properly, there became issues with water quality in the pools, the tower was in serious trouble structurally due to the humidity, projects became eyesores, plans like having a rodeo went by the wayside, and cleared land which was intended to be a golf course is... I have no idea. Wages were minimal, staff didn't get benefits (at least when I was there), and people didn't see the point in driving from Terrace or Kitimat to work there. Good reason why it was sometimes called "Bert's tax break". I really do hope someone will take up the reins and properly take care of the property. There is so much history and beauty in the area (Al Capone hideout!) that it is a shame this eyesore is allowed to be in the state it is.
I’ve been trying to stay out of the comment section recently. I have a hard time behaving myself sometimes 🤦🏻. Something I’m working on. Regardless, your comment drew me in. I’m not sure if it was the insults, the compliments or the flurry of personal stories - both equally bad as good - but I enjoyed reading. It seems you have some stories that I would honestly like to hear and laugh about. Also some history id love to learn contrary to what I have seen. Anyways, I’m camped in prince Rupert right now. I’d be happy to light up a fire one evening if you wanna chat. Thank you for commenting an educated opinion, rather than an insult.
@@Destination_Adventure I apologize if some of the comment came out as an insult :-( Apparently I should have stepped back a bit more before hitting "send". It may have been partly due to hearing so many misconceptions about the area. Not quite as bad as Rick Mercer's "Talking to Americans", but... I am glad you are in PR as it means your have driven probably one of the most gorgeous sections of highway to be found anywhere. Even when it is raining ;-) I am on FB and LInkedIn. Feel free to pm me through either of those platforms.
Wow, some strong nostalgia watching this! Good memories. In my mind I can still hear the lifeguards yelling “Go!” for the next kid to launch into the waterslide.
That was me! Must have said 'Go' four thousand times a day. And scrubbing each and every step up the tower was the worst part of the job. Still good memories, aside from the scrubbing!
Swam here in the from 1965 to 1970 when it was known as Lakelse Hot Springs. We would have snowball fights in the big pool after swimming laps for our swim club.
I was in Kitimat for work last summer and drove past this place. Saw it briefly as I passed it and I had to turn around and check it out. Looks like it was pretty sweet back in the day. Gotta love the government for ruining a good thing.
This is a natural resource that belongs to all the residents of the region. I wish it could become a Provincial or Federal Park. It should be bought and developed like Liard River Hot Springs. The benefits would flow to everyone living here.
so crazy you dont clorinate hot springs theres a resort in va or west ba salk springs forgets a name it has to do w a us presidernt they dont clorinate the water ,
When he revealed the top floor of the conference center the first thing that ran through my mind was " Welcome to Jurassic Park!". Awesome Explore!👍 Hello from Phoenix Arizona!🔥
I grew up in terrace and I have so many memories of going here as a kid and saving up change so I can get candy from the vending machine. School field trips at the end of the year here was a true celebration...wow simpler times... Now i really respect the wood work and resourcefulness of the builders. Super amazing property! Id love to live there again
Amazing place. Kind of made me sad to see all the obvious effort that once went into this place and now it’s been left to rot. Thanks for the cool video
Wow you're so lucky you got this tour! I'm so grateful for my memories here, we don't have much in the north so this place meant a lot and it's a shame there couldn't have been a way to save the place.
On some wood projects they will build from the top down, so they can sand and stain the wood as they go. They can then build the lower levels and bring in needed materials without damaging the finished wood
I want to thank you for this. This place is a special part of my childhood, I've spent many weekends here as a kid when visiting my grandparents, seeing what it has become so heartbreaking, knowing it could have been easily avoided is worse. I'm hoping its not too late and we can still save it somehow. Thank you for coming here, you have no idea what it means to me to get some attention to it.
I don't have to imagine what it was like in the 90s going to these hot springs. It was my childhood. I grew up there, and every weekend we'd go to the hot springs, or I'd at least ask my mom to. It didn't matter what time of year it was. Hop in the snow, jump in the water. I couldn't even remember if I'd ever been in the restaurant, but as soon as I saw those plastic red chairs, I remembered. I even remember that horse, and that I'd even ridden on it once. It's amazing how just seeing it again, the memories come flooding back. I was devastated when they shut down the pool areas. I thought it was only going to be temporary, but now that it's been so long, seeing the state the place is in, it's surfacing a lot of melancholic feelings. It's a place that meant so much to me as a kid, and to see it waste away like that makes me indescribably sad.
I have such great memories of going here as a kid. Being SO SCARED going down that water slide, because at the time, it seemed HUGE. It is surreal driving by and seeing the resort in this state. I would love to see life breathed back into it so I could take my kids and make new memories. Happy exploring ✨
Our school used to go to mount layton hot-springs every year in elementary school. I have many memories with friends of all the fun we had!! 💕 its so sad to see it left like this :(
I think the majority of the moisture would be coming from the steam in the center the hot spring. It's a big giant humidifier a broken skylight can't touch the amount of humidity and moisture a hot spring puts out
This fills me with memories!! My mom worked in that lounge, and my best friend and her family lived in one of the suites and all worked there. My nephews middle name is Bert after the owner! He helped my teenage pregnant sister work. She worked with the livestock, we lived a 15 minute bike ride away I used to explore and play man hunt in the half finished “round house” we called it which I’m pretty sure was made for conferences to be held and a travel destination for business. Thank you for making this video! Re experiencing it is so surreal.
This is wonderful, and heartbreaking at the same time. All this beauty, going to waste. All this potential, unused and ignored. I mean, the greenhouse! With that place abandoned, there's still thriving plants there! This feels like pearls thrown to swine :-(
I remember all this. I was maybe 6 when we stopped going there. We would spend hours there, and then enjoy the food. Thank you SO much for making this video. Brings back SO many memories. We would also usually play the arcade for 15 min while the adults had afternoon coffee.
What a beautiful place. Get to see no or very very little vandalism. It does sadden me to see a once busy place now left to rot. Would have loved to see it in its hay day
That's amazing. I'm quite shocked that no-one has bought it to supply Northern BC, Alaska and more with produce. This place is ripe with opportunities. Great find, great showing Dustin. Safe travels 🤙
Growing up in Kitimat was an interesting time of my life but going to this hot springs was the best part. So weird to see it all in ruin and disrepair. Such happy and blissful memories and if I had the funds I would bring it back to life
Aww i loved going to swimming there it was soo nice. I love the UFO that was from Expo 86 if anyone remembered going to Expo 86 i also lived in Vancouver BC Canada. The hotsprigs bring back so many memories of my preteen years. So sad to drive by and see the hotsprings rundown
Remember learning to swim here. My uncle got the worst road rash from the cannonball water slide as back in the mid 90s the water pressure was not up to par on slides.
While this video is amazing (it certainly lived up to the high caliber of film making that we have come to expect and appreciate from your work), it made me sad. This place had/has such great potential that it is a shame that it is abandoned.
Rather amazing to see how well preserved this building has been kept over the years, the place still has power and everything now they need some good owners with financial resources to complete this project.
I grew up in Prince Rupert in the 70's and 80's. Every summer my family and our cousins and Grandparents would all head up to Lakelse to camp at Water Lily Bay. We would always head over to the hotsprings to play on the slides and also to play in the mud spring that was just a klick down the road from there. So many great memories of this place with my brother and cousins, running around up and down those slides. Feel a bit melancholy seeing it all shut down like this. Hopefully it does get bought and refurbished one day though. But man, some of that looks like it will take a huge investment to get it back in shape. Thanks for the video, this was a nice little walk down memory lane. 😊👍
Man, I absolutely adored this place and was so heartbroken when it closed down. Years and years of asking why we it can't just come back. Your video does an excellent job of explaining it all~
I have sooo many memories from my childhood going here with the family in the 90’s....incredibly nostalgic to see this place. Unreal how it looks now. What a tragedy. I grew up in Terrace BC
My first job was here as a life guard. Many memories of sliding down the slides after hours once the water was turned off. With just a trickle of water going down, we would get crazy speed and come out the bottom just flying! We would actually land right near the stairs to climb out of the splash pool. Dangerous but so fun! It is bizarre to see it abandoned twice now. I remember seeing the resort in disrepair before the current owners purchased it and always hoped someone would spend the time and money to open it up, sadly just to end up abandoned once again. So sad to see that jewel lose its luster twice. Perhaps one day soon, someone else will step up and polish this up into another world class resort.
It's a Trombe wall. It's a wall of glass that heats the space that "cement walk" was in and transfers that captured heat into the building. It'll work even on a cloudy but bright day.
What a shame that gorgeous building is rotting away. It looks like it would make a heck of a hotel. Such an incredible waste and the wood work is unreal. I hope the owners find a way or next owners can make it succeed.
I am from Kitimat, and I have great memories of going to those Hot Springs. The UFO part of the water park wasn't completed, so kids as far as I know kids didn't get to use that.. Driving by it now, it makes me sad.
@@wowspiffy there were issues with the computer system to run the UFOH2O park so yes, it was never up and running. My suspicion is this was due to another cost-cutting issue.
UFO H20 was a water park from expo 86 in Vancouver i remember it well. Although I thought that it ended up in Pitt meadows and burned down at a go cart track. Hmm.
@@samdriver9469 yeah I do remember it being in Pitt meadows and then it disappearing in the mid 90’s right at Harris and lougheed. Maybe they just sold it to the resort? It was there and then it wasn’t. I thought there must have been more than one saucer till I looked it up online and no...just the one with the alien sticking out the top So it must have been sold to the resort in terrace.
That is truly an amazing feet of engineering basically a mathematical genius to come up with those domes like that. Can’t believe they left all their tools there.
Man I love abandoned resorts for some reason. They are so haunting because they are left in a moment in time when there was a clear vision of what was supposed to be...same goes for resorts ruined by hurricanes and stuff. Frozen in time and I just feel like I wish I could have been there when it was thriving! Great vid!
Cool! I recently moved to Kitimat and glimpsed some of these structures on the way down the highway from Terrace. After hearing from locals that it was an abandoned resort, I was wondering if it'd show up on anyone's urban exploration channel - and lo and behold, I found this! It's cool to see what it's actually like there, and disappointing that it had to shut down. There aren't many recreation options available in Kitimat and I feel like this would probably be enjoyed by a lot of people.
