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Eileen Huster photo
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Eileen Huster photo
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Tourism Harrison photo
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Tourism Harrison photo
By Eileen Huster
An easy 90-minute drive from Vancouver or a three-hour journey from the Okanagan is the town of Harrison Hot Springs. Well-known for its eponymous hot springs, this quaint village has many attractions to enjoy year round. Read on and start planning your trip:
Soak it all in – The relaxing mineral spring pools have temperatures ranging from 32C to 40C (90F to 104F) and are often used to treat arthritis and rheumatism. For those with no ailments, they are a perfect respite from the chilly West Coast weather. Stay at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa for an elegant get-away or check out Glencoe Motel and RV Park, located across from the public hot pools in downtown Harrison. If you’d rather dip into freshwater lakes, then head to Sasquatch Provincial Park, which has several campground options. If you are lucky enough to get a group site at Hicks Lake, you will have access to a stunning beach through a densely forested path. There’s a tight hairpin curve to get to the site, but it’s worth the maneuvering.
- Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa – www.harrisonresort.com
- Glencoe Motel and RV Park – www.glencoemotel.com
- Sasquatch Provincial Park – www.discovercamping.com
Have a hankering for cheese? Brie, gouda, chèvre and lesser know varieties such as La Pyramide and Fermière are expertly hand-made at Farmhouse Cheeses. In fact, their head cheese-maker, Debra Amrein-Boyes, is one of only twelve persons in Western Canada and the US who has been inducted into the prestigious French Cheese Guild. Farmhouse Cheeses are part of Harrison’s Circle Farm tour, which also includes coffee roasters, a hazelnut farm and a chicken farm. The wildly colorful Tulip Festival takes place every spring, usually in mid-April, though dates are nature-dependent.
- Circle Farm Tour - www.circlefarmtour.com
- Farmhouse Cheeses - www.farmhousecheeses.com
Debunk or believe an urban myth – Harrison is a global hot spot for Sasquatch (Bigfoot) sightings. If you want to check into this legend yourself, hop onto Sasquatch Country Adventures’ six-passenger, open-air Polaris Ranger UTV, where investigators Bill Miller and Thomas Steenburg will take you into the heart of Sasquatch country and provide an opportunity to learn more about the Sasquatch, including information on local sightings, its history and the scientific research around the legendary creature. Tours depart from Sasquatch Provincial Park.
- Sasquatch Country Adventures - www.sasquatchcountryadventures.com
Get close to history – The Sts'ailes First Nations do not fear the Sasquatch, on the contrary, this mythological being holds deep cultural and spiritual significance to them. They believe the Sasquatch is a protector of the earth and they embrace it as part of their folklore. In fact, the word 'Sasquatch' is an Anglicized version of the word 'Sa:sq’ets' meaning ‘wild man.’ If you visit in June, you may experience Sasquatch Days, an intercultural celebration that includes canoe races, a traditional salmon barbeque, medicine walks, cultural boat tours, arts & craft activities, games and local entertainment. Or you can get a spiritual connection any time of the year by walking the ‘local’ Spirit Trail. This short hike showcases the talent of a local resident and artist who has decorated many of the cedars along the trail with beautiful masks. The trail is a short walk through an ancient-growth cedar forest and is very accessible from the village. The trail is found on McCoombs Drive heading south from the lake (walk down McCoombs Drive for approximately 2 kms or park on the side of the road near the trailhead).
Go back in time – The Fraser Valley is one of the places where you can catch (and release) a prehistoric giant, the sturgeon. Dedicated to the protection and restoration of the sturgeon population, BC Sportfishing Group offers catch-and-release sturgeon fishing tours in Harrison Hot Springs that are equal parts conservation initiative and fishing adventure. Change pace and clean up for the evening for an elegant dinner at The Copper Room in the Harrison Hot Springs Resort, and enjoy the elegance of time gone by with one of the last dine and dance experiences. The in-house band, The Jones Boys, has been entertaining guests in the Copper Room for 25 years.
- BC Sportfishing Group - www.bcsportfishinggroup.com
- The Copper Room at the Harrison Hotel Resort and Spa – www.harrisonresort.com
For more information, visit Tourism Harrison at www.tourismharrison.com.