Family-Friendly Things to Do in Harrison Hot Springs
There are many family-friendly things to do in and around the resort town of Harrison Hot Springs! I spent a day in the area and had fun and some unexpected adventures along the way. The Harrison River Valley area is a great place to enjoy time on the water kayaking, playing on the inflatable floating waterpark, touring local farms, golfing, relaxing in the hot springs, visiting the Sasquatch Museum, and eating delicious treats with a water view.
Beach Time
The first thing you see when you drive into the Village is Harrison Lake — a 60-kilometre-long glacier-fed lake that has an expansive beach for visitors to take advantage of. Kids of all ages can enjoy time at the beach on the inflatable waterpark, go on a boat tour, or rent ebikes and kayaks.
Kayaking
I love being out on the water and was excited to head out on a 2-hour kayaking adventure with Harrison Eco Tours on the lake and down Harrison River. Our guide, Karla was wonderful at getting us started with basic paddling instructions and clear instructions for our tour. She knows the area very well and guided us safely while sharing interesting information about the region.
Hiking Trails
From the village, there are 3 trails rated “easy” and many more moderate and difficult options nearby. The shortest is the Spirit Trail, which is 1 km. Miami Bridges Walk is 1.1 km, Harrison Lagoon is a 1.4 km walk, and a historic walk around the Village is approximately 5 km. Another walk that we could see people on from our vantage point in kayaks on the river, is the Whippoorwill Point Trail. This trail is through the forest along the lake and circles back to the Village at the point where the river and lake join. If you’re looking for a longer trail, try the 7 km Hicks Lake Loops trail. This family-friendly hike completes a loop around Hicks Lake, about 20 minutes east of the Village, in Sasquatch Provincial Park. The Tourism Harrison office has a Trail guide with many more options for all experience levels. Drop by and pick up your copy.
Did you know there’s a Sasquatch Trail to locate “Hot Springs Harry”? This walk starts in the Village and you follow the sasquatch footprints to find each sasquatch. Sounds like a fun adventure to do with kids! Download the Tourism Harrison app (iTunes / Google Play) to help find all of the Sasquatch locations… a walk that will take you 1.5 hours (3 km).
Relax in the Hot Springs
Nothing beats the relaxing vibes and healing hot mineral waters of hot springs. On this visit, the public hot springs were closed but on a previous visit, I stayed at Harrison Hot Springs Resort and spent some time soaking in the pools. It’s worth visiting again!
Visit the Sasquatch Museum
Inside the Tourism Harrison office is an area called the Sasquatch Museum dedicated to the documentation of sasquatch/bigfoot sightings in the region. I just happened to be in the Tourism Harrison office at the same time as author and sasquatch researcher, Thomas Steenburg.
Thomas, very enthusiastically, described a number of encounters and shared with us the castings he has personally made, that are in a display case in the museum. Thomas has written a few books that you can pick up if you want to read more. In Search of Giants, Sasquatch Bigfoot: The Continuing Mystery, and Sasquatch in Alberta: Bigfoot in Wild Rose Country. He also co-wrote with Christopher L. Murphy, Sasquatch in British Columbia: A Chronology of Incidents & Important Events. After a chat in the museum, we went for a drive where he pointed out locations along the road of a few sightings and a short hike into the forest revealed a marker from another encounter.
Where to Eat in the Village
I was visiting during the daytime and had parked along the lake in preparation for my afternoon kayak tour, so the perfect place for me to have lunch was at Muddy Waters Cafe.
Where to Stay
There are many family-friendly places to stay in the Harrison River Valley such as hotels/motels, and camping. Still, if you’re looking for something a bit more private, Sandpiper Resort’s new luxury and rustic cabins, Rowena’s on the River, are the perfect location. Sandpiper Resort is located in Harrison Mills, set in a beautiful ancient forest just 20 minutes from Harrison Hot Springs. In the winter, it’s the home to the largest bald eagle population.
I was gifted the perfect getaway in “Raven”, a 2-bedroom luxury cabin at Rowena’s on the River with world-class dining at River’s Edge Clubhouse. On my next visit, I will make sure to play a round of golf as it’s the perfect setting. My luxury cabin was amazing! I could easily live in this space. From the large kitchen with plenty of space to prep, to the gas fireplace and beautiful views, two nights was not enough!
Let’s talk food… River’s Edge Clubhouse serves delicious, fresh gourmet meals. Some of my favourites are the salmon and prawn linguine (with a golf course view), delicious frittata, and my favourite dessert…crème brûlée.
Did you know this is also where many Hallmark movies are filmed? I must marathon-watch them now to see if I recognize the setting!
There are many more things to do in Harrison Hot Springs and the Harrison River Valley, so stop in at the Tourism office and talk to the staff about events such as Sasquatch Days, the Circle Farm Tour, music festivals, and even things to do at Christmas!
My stay was gifted by Tourism Harrison, Harrison Eco Tours, and Sandpiper Resort. Opinions are my own.
