Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park

Good morning, my friends. Oh my gosh...what a drive we had yesterday! I have so much to tell you. You're gonna want to fill your coffee cup for this. 

Our drive started as it always does, getting diesel fuel. We also had to find a bank where we could get some more Canadian currency. We knew there would be a day use fee at the provincial park where we were headed. The parks often accept cash only. So...okay. Mission accomplished. Onward.

This next picture was taken to show you how the dandelions are lining the roadways here in the northern part of British Columbia. 

One might think the dandelion is the provincial flower of British Columbia, but I happen to know (because The Google tells me so) the actual provincial flower is the Pacific Dogwood. The Google also helpfully provided this picture:

But getting back to our drive, we were heading to Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park. This is what our Milepost told us about it:

We left Fort Nelson early enough that we risked reaching the RV park before check-in time, and so we planned a stop for lunch and naps at Muncho Lake Provincial Park. Here's what our Milepost told us about that.

So, okay...everybody ready? Let's go. 

It was the best day for wildlife so far. The first we encountered was this herd/family of Stone sheep. We might have driven right past them since they were nearly invisible next to their rocky perch. We noticed them because of a few cars pulled off to the side...a sure sign of an animal-siting. Here, you can see the ewe.

There's one of the lambs beside her.

In this next image, you can see the ram off to the left.

Here's another shot of the ewe.

Down the road several kilometers (Metric! Look at me go!) we saw another grouping crossing the road.

Next up, we spotted a moose cow. She had her head down grazing, but eventually looked up so we could see her face.

After that, we got quite a thrill when we spotted a bull caribou. I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild. He too had his head down, grazing, until a motorcyclist rode by. Ordinarily, I'd curse the motorcyclist for scaring the caribou away, but in this case it worked out. So (grudgingly), thank you Mr. Motorcyclist. 

Don't you just love that white patch on his derriere?

We drove past slowly. I was taking these wildlife shots with my DSLR and a telephoto lens. As we got closer, I had almost too much lens for this shot.

So, it was a great day for wildlife. 

Let's talk about scenery. As we drove out of Fort Nelson, we noticed a flashing signboard that indicated the road was closed ahead. I spent some time searching out all the resources I could find, and I saw nothing indicating the road was closed ahead. We continued on. It's the only road, and so we had no choice, except to turn back. Eventually our nav unit working in conjunction with Apple maps announced "Your road is close." Huh? Because, clearly, the road was open. Even the line showing the road on our screen turned red. Checking again, and checking Google maps...again, nothing about a road closure, and so we continued on.

The road was good most of the way. At one point, we approached this sign. It appeared as if we were to travel down this single lane of pavement and move to the side for approaching vehicles. As it turns out, there were two lanes here, but road patches on both sides simply made it appear as if it were gravel. So far, we have no complaints about the roads. We're told it will get worse when we reach Yukon Territory (tomorrow).

We saw the most beautiful mountain views. These are the Northern Rocky Mountains.

We passed through Stone Mountain Provincial Park.

And there's Stone Mountain.

Our journey was mostly uphill until we reached Summit Lake. Sorry for the blur...bumpy road.

And there is the lake. It was such a pretty glacial blue.

Crossing over the summit, we came across this just-barely-ignited wildfire. It was just off the road and plainly visible. We also saw a helicopter flying overhead.

By the time we reached Toad River...

We started seeing indications of fire-fighting preparation.

And right there, the road was closed to travelers in the opposite direction. We could only assume it was also closed in the direction from which we'd just come. We got through here in just a nick of time.

Soon came the announcement. 

The latest update is that the road has been reopened (temporarily, at least), but we might have been delayed by several hours (even a full day) if we'd left Fort Nelson any later than we did.

Okay...well...disaster averted, we continued on our way, enjoying the mountains and the alpine lakes. In some places, the road was blasted out of solid rock, and we saw some rock slides off to the side.

We crossed this bridge

over the Racing River.

And we sucked in our breath at this awe-inspiring landscape.

Our drive was slow enough we decided to continue to our final destination when we reached Muncho Lake. Nevertheless, we stopped to take in the view. Looking to the left, it looked like this:

Looking straight ahead, it looked like this:

Looking to the right, it looked like this:

We were sorry we'd lost the sunshine by then because I'm sure the lake color would have been a stunning glacial blue. We could see it up close, but not out at a distance.

We drove alongside the Trout River...

Eventually crossing over a bridge.

Heading downhill, we could see Liard River.

Eventually, we crossed over at this bridge. 

I like bridges as much as I like barns and tunnels, and this one was kind of cool. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of the whole bridge, but I found this one in the public domain.

(Image credit: "File:LIARD RIVER BRIDGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA.jpg" by JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.)

We drove just a few more kilometers to reach our final destination at Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park. We are staying at a lodge and RV park just across the street. As you can see, the campground is terribly busy.

It was Smitty's day to chant for the catio: Cat-i-o! Cat-i-o! Cat-i-o!

And...well...when in Rome, you know. We got set up and then blasted our clothes off to don our bathing suits. I was told at check-in that it was about a 15 minute walk to the hot springs. We also needed to check in at the gate, and so we decided to drive across. It was cold, and we were dressed for swimming in the hot springs. We were greeted at the park entrance by a friendly agent who sold us day passes for two days of pleasure.

Now before we go, let's get the rules straight. Please note the third line of the bottom sign. "Swimwear required at all times." So if any of you were planning on swimming in the nude, you'll need to go back and put on your swimsuits. Sorry. Them's are the rules.

Also...sheesh...an electric fence. I suppose it keeps the bears out.

But this gate is fairly intimidating. Just keep your hands on the orange parts.

Please stay on the boardwalk, and watch out for bears.

So here we go. We were told it was a ten minute walk.

We crossed over this swampy area. Looking to the right, it looked like this.

Looking left, it looked like this. The sulfur smell was strong here.

This was the accompanying sign.

Of course, I took pictures of every blooming thing. My phone tells me these are violets.

We're not there yet, though. 

Yeah...keep walking.

There's British Columbia's wannabe provincial flower again.

Yeah...keep walking. We'll get there eventually.

My phone tells me this next one is "Creeping Dogwood."

And lookie there! We're going to make it! Look at you still going strong after all that walking!

Well. Your efforts will be rewarded because look at these lovely hot springs...and such a nice facility.

But before you can get in, you'll need to put your weed aside. No smoking of any kind. One assumes edibles are okay.

And, for goodness sake, no falling down! 

Looking to the left, it looked like this. There was a small wooden dam that created two levels. The water was swirling around and very warm in spots, cooler in others. We keep our hot tub at home at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). This was hotter.

Looking to the right, it looked like this. Looking past the water to where the rocks are...

This was where the water flowed in.

Some folks enjoyed this shower where the dam was.

It was so nice after so many days of driving. When we felt totally boiled, we got out and took the short hike to see the "Hanging Gardens." Here was a sign we saw along the say. I took it in two pieces. Left to right...

Here's another view of the facility. So nice.

And here's one happy camper/driver.

It was a short hike uphill to see the "Hanging Gardens." We weren't sure what we would find here.

We passed this sign along the way:

Standing there, we could look uphill to see several waterfalls.

But let's just walk on up there. You'll need to climb these stairs...sorry.

Here's a very short video showing the movement of the water. If you can't see the video, then click right here.

And that was the end of our hike. From there, we headed back to the Jeep and back to the camper. It was very quiet here last night. We got a good night's sleep. I'm hoping to get Smitty out for a walk today. And, of course, we'll do some more swimming in the hot springs.

Okay...so that was a lot of info. Are you tired after such a long day? Today is a day of rest. We're not going anywhere. Take it easy for now. We'll get back on the road tomorrow.