I enjoy a long shower but swimming, soaking, lounging in water is not for me. Doug, however, is extremely comfortable in water. He’s a fantastic swimmer and loves all water sports. At one point in our journey he suggested that when we’d been to each of the states that maybe we’d trade the RV in for a boat and then live on that for awhile. That is definitely not happening with this wife! But it is nice to indulge him with water activities whenever I can so our stop at the Laird Hot Springs seemed like an easy concession.
This popular natural hot springs is one of the largest and most accessible in Canada. Plus, it was conveniently located only 37 miles south of the Yukon / British Columbia border and along the Alaska Highway we’d been travelling after leaving our summer in Alaska behind.
Note that before reaching the hot springs, bison are often seen along this stretch of highway.
The Liard River Hot Spring Provincial Park had about 50 first-come, first-serve campsites and when we paid for the site our admission to the hot springs was included. From the campground there was a short (~1/2 mile walk) along a well-maintained boardwalk that traverses this unusual warm water marshland to the site of the hot springs. The hot sprigs drain into this series of swamps rather than a river or stream, creating a unique habitat. The result is wetlands that don’t freeze even in the heart of winter and thus ferns, orchids, and even carnivorous plants grow on tufa islands warmed by the natural springs. It’s also still home to all of the typical BC mammals, including black bears and moose. It would be interesting to see this area in the winter!
