Liard River Hot Springs

Hi Blog!

On Tuesday, August 2, 2016, we continued our drive southeast on the Alaska Highway from Watson Lake, Yukon to Liard River Hot Springs, British Columbia. While the entire drive along the Alcan is an adventure, there are certain "destinations" that ever RVer looks forward to. After hanging our sign in the Sign Post Forest at Watson Lake, it was time to take a soak in the historic hot springs at Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park.

After setting up camp at the Liard Hotsprings Lodge (just across the street from the Provincial Park), we walked over to the park entrance. The Day Use Fee is $5.00 a person. However, you can purchase an annual family pass for only $20.00. Since we plan to soak every day for the next three days, the family pass is a real bargain.

Our adventure began with a half mile trek across a boardwalk toward the hot springs. The first boardwalk and pool facilities were built by the American Army in 1942. Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park was created in April 1957.

Unlike most other thermal springs, Liard River Hot Springs does not flow directly into a nearby river or creek, but into an intricate system of swamps. These warm swamps are the most unique feature of the park. The swamps create a micro climate allowing a unique vegetative community to thrive here.

The warm water swamps, although being extremely shallow, never freeze in winter due to the continual inflow of warm water. Aquatic plants include bladderworts, butterwort and sundews all of which are carnivorous. As if bears, bison and moose were not dangerous enough, we can now add carnivorous plants to the list of hazards along the Alcan!

It is believed that ground water following gravity seeps down through the folded, faulted sedimentary rock of the Liard Plateau down towards the earths core. The groundwater, heated and pressurized by hot gases deep underground, strips minerals from the rocks and is forced back to the surface along natural faults to emerge as a thermal spring. The water coming from the spring in the upper right corner of the photo below can reach 124 degrees Fahrenheit.

As the hot springs water bubbles from the earth it reacts with air and certain minerals are deposited. Calcium carbonate is one of the minerals that precipitates to form tufa - a very porous rock. Tufa forms the terraced base of the Hanging Gardens. Unfortunately, the boardwalk to the Hanging Gardens was closed due to bear activity. This lush tropical valley is heaven to black bears.

We took one step into the hot side and immediately retreated to the cooler side. At the far end of the cool pool, kids use a fallen tree as a balance beam.

The minerals give the water a milky blue color.

Cool water flows into the pool from a shallow, narrow stream. We followed the stream up to its source. Here is a video link of our watery trek - Liard Hot Springs.

Having survived our exploration of the far end of the pool, we floated blissly finding just the right balance between hot and cold water. The soft gravel bottom provided the perfect massage for tired hiking tootsies. Here Kathy demonstrates how to use a floating log as a pool noodle.

We ended our first soak with a quick dunk under the waterfall between the hot pool and the cool pool. Just sit back and let the hot water beat on your neck, shoulders and lower back. The tension from the day's drive just melts away.

Having sufficiently soaked until our skin wrinkled, it was time to bid the hot spring adieu. We strolled back along the boardwalk already looking forward to tomorrow's visit!