Harrison Hot Springs

Two springs rise at the south end of Harrison Lake, a potash source at about forty degrees and a sulphur one at about sixty-five, hot enough that the water is piped and cooled before it reaches the public pool and the resort hotel. The Sts'ailes and St'at'imc peoples used them long before gold-rush travellers came upon them, and a resort followed in 1886, when the railway arrived. The lake behind runs about sixty kilometres north into the mountains and is cold and often windy, with a sand beach and a lagoon at the village end. A sand sculpture competition is held on the beach each September, drawing carvers internationally.

History

The Sts'ailes (Chehalis) people along the Harrison River and the St'at'imc around the lake used and revered the springs long before Europeans came upon them, when a party of travellers bound for the goldfields capsized on Harrison Lake and found the water warm rather than freezing. The resort began in 1886, when the new Canadian Pacific Railway brought the springs within a short carriage ride of the main line, first promoted as St. Alice's Well, and the village was incorporated in 1949 (Wikipedia, Harrison Hot Springs).

Highlights

• The source pool - the hot spring outflow at the lake edge, too hot to enter.
• The public pool - spring water cooled to a usable temperature.
• The lake and lagoon - a long cold lake with a sheltered swimming lagoon.
• The sand sculpture event - international carvers on the beach in September.

When to go

May to September for the lake; the springs work year-round and are better in cold weather. The sand sculpture competition is in September. Autumn brings eagles to the nearby Chehalis flats.

Good to know

The source itself is fenced and far too hot to bathe in. The public pool is a municipal facility, plain and often busy. The lake is cold and afternoon winds pick up sharply.

Nearby

Chilliwack lies southwest; Bridal Veil Falls is close.

Key facts