Vancouver 
No matter the time of year, a soak in the Liard River Hot Springs is a relaxing escape for visitors of all ages.
Credit: BC Parks
There are several protected hot spring areas in northern British Columbia. However, many of those hot springs are closed off or inaccessible to the public. There is one notable exception in the far north of central British Columbia at a scenic location where foothills meet mountains.
This hot spring is open to the public all year and is within a provincial park to provide many other activities, as well as camping.
The Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park may be far north in BC, but it is located along the Scenic Route to Alaska/Alaska Highway. This makes it a remote yet easier-to-access destination. And it’s an awesome thing that these hot springs are made accessible, as the Liard River Hot Springs are the second largest in all of Canada.
And while the Liard River Hot Springs offer a main reason to visit and a way to spend a day here, the Provincial Park has much more to offer, including year-round camping.
Visiting the Liard River Hot Springs
No matter the time of year, a soak in the Liard River Hot Springs is a relaxing escape for visitors of all ages. The hot springs also help to make the area a unique and ecologically diverse part of BC. The source of the hot springs remains unknown, although scientists do know that water from under the area’s sedimentary rocks is forced upward and heated by natural gases. The pool and soaking area of the park are within natural rock springs and surrounded by manmade facilities to make the visit more comfortable.
As you soak and relax in the natural pools, take in the unique scenery and landscapes formed in part from the warmth and moisture of the hot springs. The Liard River Hot Springs are unique in that the warm waters seep and drain into low-lying swamp areas, rather than into a creek or river. This swampy microclimate is home to over 250 different plant species! This is on top of the surrounding foothill and mountain forests of boreal spruce trees.
Among those manmade amenities is a boardwalk trail around the hot spring and pool areas aimed at keeping visitors off some of the more delicate parts of that ecosystem. During the winters, use of the hot springs is free; and from April to October, there is a small per-person fee for admission to the pools.
Birding, Wildlife Viewing, & Nature Photography
The 0.5km boardwalk trail from the campground to the hot spring pool is a great place to catch views of the park’s most frequently viewed resident, the moose. Along with the moose, the bulls, cows, and calves join the moose to feed in the warm-water swamps around the boardwalk. These large animals are but another good reason to keep to marked trails.
Around the campground, the Liard River, and the hot springs, there is a wide array of bird species to spot in the trees or waters. Watch and listen for mallard ducks, Canadian geese, woodpeckers, warblers, thrushes, or sparrows. All of the wildlife among the diverse vegetation and forests creates incredible photography opportunities, too!
The night sky of northern BC will create even more nature viewing and photography opportunities. The Northern Lights are known to show up on clear nights, and when those Auroras are absent, a clear night will still reveal a sky full of stars, without any light pollution.
Year-round Camping at Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park
There are a couple of ways to stay at the Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park. The park operates a year-round campground open to tents, trailers, and RVs. Each spacious campsite offers privacy and shade courtesy of the tall spruce. Campers also have access to pit/vault washrooms, firewood, and drinking water pumps from spring to fall.
Across the Alaska Highway from the Provincial Park Campground is the Liard Hot Springs Lodge. Along with lodge rooms, the resort offers tent sites and full-service RV/trailer sites (pull-through with sewage, water, and electrical hookups).
More to do near Liard River Hot Springs
The Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park is located about halfway between two other great (but very different) BC parks: Muncho Lake, and Liard River West Corridor Park.
- Muncho Lake is a place for front-country outdoor fun. Activities in the park include fishing, camping, comfort camping at the Northern Rockies Lodge, backcountry camping, hiking, canoeing and kayaking. This lake is incredible simply to see with bright aqua-marine water colour alongside the basic greys of the rocky bases of the nearby mountains.
- In the other direction is the Liar River West Corridor Park. The park is a base for backcountry adventures like camping, canoeing or kayaking, fishing, or winter snowshoeing.
- There are a handful of other parks along the Liard River for day use, picnics, and sightseeing, like the Smith River Fall – Fort Halkett Park, or Scatter River Old Growth Park.
Plan your trip — Liard River Springs Provincial Park
Credit: Northern BC Tourism/Andrew Strain
What: The Liard River Springs Provincial Park in northeastern BC surrounds Canada’s second–largest hot spring accessible to the public. The all-natural pools, with water temperatures from 42 – 52° Celsius, are open all year for day use, with several convenient amenities like decks, a boardwalk, a shelter, pool ladders, and benches around the shallow parts of the water.
The Provincial Park also offers year-round camping, and the Liard Hot Springs Lodge offers rooms or cabins across the highway.
Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park also offers exceptional wildlife viewing, stargazing, and walking opportunities around the large campground.
Location and how to get there: 305km northwest of Fort Nelson on BC-97 (Alaska Highway).
Best time to go: open year-round for day use and camping
How much: day use April-October $5 per adult, $3 per child; day use November-March free; camping $26 per night
For more information:
Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park
