Harrison Hot Springs

Two springs rise at the south end of Harrison Lake, a potash source at about sixty-five degrees and a sulphur one slightly cooler, hot enough that the water is piped and cooled before it reaches the public pool and the resort hotel. Prospectors on the way to the Cariboo gold fields used them from the 1850s and a hotel followed in 1886. 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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.