Today was the day we were going to try to get into Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park campground. About half of the sites are reservable and we had tried daily for weeks to get a site but with no luck. We were going to try our luck at first come first serve. We had read that vehicles line up as soon as they open at 7am, others said that if you arrive before check-out time they send you away until later and you have to line up again, etc. We read every story possible. But we thought let’s try anyway. If it was not possible to get a site then we would try the RV park across the street but we know that fills up too. There isn’t anything else around so if not possible then we would keep driving. So off we went. We departed Watson Lake and had a beautiful drive full of wildlife.
We saw at least 5 black bears, caribou, and quite a few bison. We lost track after awhile. It is also the part of the Alcan Highway which weaves in and out of British Columbia and the Yukon before finally settling on British Columbia.
We paralleled the Liard River for most of the way, the roads were empty, the roads were in great condition (big difference between the Yukon roads and the British Columbia roads), we saw miscellaneous wildlife, and it was a beautiful day.
We arrived to the campground around 9:30am and thought we would check in and see what they told us. We assumed we would have to go to Day Use and wait awhile. We talked to the ranger and she simply said, “We have available sites, go find one, park, walk back and register.”. Wow, we were thrilled. We got in!!
But go early. The sites filled up quickly in the morning and by 1pm there was a line of motorhomes at the entrance and out onto the highway.
Campground: Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park
Location: Liard River, British Columbia
Site: 7 (back-in)
Cost: $27 (CAD)
Services: dry camping
Comments: A fabulous campground with large, mostly level sites with lots of privacy. AND the hot springs are there also. It is quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. We loved it here!
Norm, as usual for every time we stop for the night, cleans the front of the motorhome and windshield to get all the bugs off. He also reattached the exhaust pipe which had been slightly damaged due to the Dempster. Just more Dempster Damage fixes….every time we stop!
The campground is all dry camping sites with one water tap at the entrance to the campground and a water pump close to site 22. BUT the water tap was out of order and the water pump dispensed dark yellowy water with a warning sign to use at your own risk. OK. So be sure to bring your own water!
We walked all around the campground and found that the majority of sites were well spaced apart, most of them level, and all provided nice site privacy. We would probably have been happy with almost any of the sites. Even with all the trees in our site our Starlink worked perfectly!
We had read that the campground has overflow for camping when they run out of sites but we could not find much information about it online so we did a walk about and found it. We had viewed satellite imagery prior to going there to try and find it and were a bit confused. Mystery solved!
There is BOTH a Rest Area (no overnight camping) AND an Overflow area. The Overflow area you pay for at the Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park across the street.
The Overflow area is chained and then the park unlocks it at some point for paid campers to enter.
This area is quite remote and has an abundance of wildlife and has had fatal bear attacks, the famous one being in 1997. In 2021 the park installed an 8′ high electric fence around the entire campground and the day use area. The only open area is the entrance where the manned park kiosk is located and that is closed and locked at night. The boardwalk to the hot springs is NOT enclosed with an electric fence. You are on your own when you walk the little over half a mile there.
The Day Use area has a large parking lot, some picnic tables, a small Visitor Information trailer, and a pedestrian gate to leave the electric fenced in area and walk to the hot springs. There is a day use fee for those wanting to just the hot springs and are not camping.
Across the street from the provincial park and next to the Rest Area/Overflow area is the Liard Hotsprings Lodge which has rooms, a restaurant, store, fuel, and an RV park with full hookups.
And then, of course, there are the Hot Springs. These pools were first built during the construction of the Alaska Highway after World War II and are the second largest in Canada. The springs and campground are open year round and the campsites fill early in the day during the summer months. The springs water temperature varies between 42 C (107 F) and 52 C (125 F).
The walk from our campsite to the Day Use area was fairly short and from there we exited the electric fence and took the boardwalk to the hot springs all the while looking for moose in the warm water swamp and on through the boreal forest.
There is a change house and composting toilets at the springs. No alcohol and no dogs allowed in the springs.
Yes, we quite enjoyed the springs! We stayed in the park a few days and would use the hot springs in the morning when many people were either departing or arriving. It was a perfect time. A bit later and the pools and the Day Use became quite crowded.
After an hour or 2 of enjoying the springs we returned via the boardwalk and back into the electric fence area. If you want to see the moose I would recommend walking the boardwalk either early in the morning or late in the day. And you must remain on the boardwalk.
We have read that sometimes the bears take soaks in the hot springs, so watch out!!
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