InFocus | Canada
Pool your resources
Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia are 'Lake Louise on a budget'
- By Michelle Pentz Glave, Gulf News Report
- Published: 00:00 September 14, 2010
- Image Credit: Supplied
- The scenic surroundings and sense of solitude at Harrison Hot Springs are salve for the urban tourist's soul
You're visiting Vancouver, BC with the children and you'd like to venture outside the city to see some of the rest of British Columbia. But at around five hours, "Napa of the North" — aka the sun-drenched, wine-‘n-fruit-laden Okanagan Valley — seems just a bit too far for the squirrelly set in car seats.
Just point your car east to Harrison Hot Springs. At about one-and-a-half easy hours, you'll drive through some lovely farm country along the way. Maybe even stop for some farmstead cheese, clover honey or just-harvested hazelnuts and a picnic. There's an April tulip festival with 40 acres of colourful blooms that will delight everyone. Once you get to this mineral-springs resort town dating back to the 1800s, now a village of about 1,600 full-time residents, you can pretty much check out while the children spend the entire day splashing in the bathtub-warm water. There are also three golf courses near Harrison Hot Springs and marina on Harrison Lake.
The best part? So the weather is wet (yes, it rains a lot in BC), but you'll still have a great time because the steamy pools are just as nice in a downpour. The beautiful glacial setting is a bit Austrian Alps, the village a bit hokey — sort of mountain town meets The Sound of Music. Ian Maw, Resort Director �of Sales and Marketing, says, "I call it Lake Louise on a budget."
Stay: Harrison Hot Springs Resort andSpa has handsome rooms — 130 face the lake, 17 are suites with comfy king- and queen-size beds and big TVs. In addition to the resort, there are ten pet-friendly cottages.
Do: Honestly? Just stay in the mineral hot springs pools (five in all, three outdoor, two indoor; 60ºC or 140ºF coming out of the ground) for most of the day until your fingers and toes turn pruney. Perhaps switch from the family pool to the round hot-tub-like hot pool, or hit the lap pool if you're feeling energetic. You could also rent bikes, quadra-cycles, kayaks (try Harrison River) and canoes, explore the lake by boat, or climb and hike nearby. There are three operators who can take you out and about, including for catch-and-release sturgeon fishing. Don't miss eagle spotting and salmon-spawning in fall time. In winter (December to April), you can ski, go tubing and snowshoeing at nearby Hemlock Valley Resort.
Date: Remember dating? Sign the children up for the resort's children's programmes (ages six to 11; crafts, games, movie night, volleyball, field hockey, nature hikes), which run during the busy season, and get to know the guy you married way back when.
Eat: Harrison Pizza and Deli (604-796-2023) is easy on the pocketbook and a crowd-pleaser. Go for the Hawaiian. A large will feed four. Cookin' Kim's Country Café is great for a hearty breakfast and friendly, kids-fit-right-in service. Try the resort's retro, 400-seat Copper Room for a fancy night out, even some dancing (live entertainment nightly). Or stay in. Room service is surprisingly affordable.
Shop: In Harrison, pick up some local goodies — smoked salmon, honey, hazelnuts — at Papples Market stand while the children admire the Paul Bunyan-style chainsaw wood-art out front. Stop at nearby farms (there's a map for a "Circle Farm Tour") for some home-grown booty to take home to the pantry. Pack the cooler. Don't miss The Farm House Natural Cheeses and Limbert Mountain Farm. If you visit during garlic season (late July to mid-August), be sure to pick up some garlic at The Back Porch — there are at least 18 varieties.
Events: Nine-day Harrison Festival of the Arts in July; monthly arts events and performances at the resort and Memorial Hall in town; the Harrison DragonFest dragon boat regatta; Agassiz Cycle Tour — a Slow-Food cycle event in August.
Camp: If you decide to camp at Sasquatsch Provincial Park, Deer Lake (electric motors only) and Hicks Lake (speed boats allowed) have tidy campgrounds and great hiking. Then you can dip into Harrison Hot Springs Public Pool, owned by the resort, with the same sulphurous mineral water for $8.50 (about Dh31)/adult. The facility even rents bathing suits. Open daily.
Stop: On the way — Minter Gardens, a stunning 32-acre show garden and nursery for gardening buffs; BC Hydro Stave Falls Visitor Centre to check out hydroelectric power in action; Kilby Historic Site, a 1920s historic farm with furry critters and a home-style restaurant; water slides at Bridal Falls Water Park.
- Article courtesy of the Canada Tourism Commission. The text has been modified from the original.
