Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park is a

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is home to the second largest natural

hot springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

in Canada, after Deer River Hot Springs 15 km to the north east. It is a natural river of hot water rather than a spring fed man made pool. The park is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. The community of

Liard River, British Columbia Liard River is a small community in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of about 100 people. It is located at Kilometre 799 (Mile 496) of the Alaska Highway, near the border of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. Histo ...

is located nearby.

History and conservation

The Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park was created in April 1957. The first boardwalk and pool facilities were built by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1942. The Liard River Hot Springs proper are located at . They were originally named the Theresa Hot Springs. The park contains a warm water swamp and

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...

which supports rich and diverse plant communities as well as mammal and bird species. Watch for

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

feeding in the warm water swamps.

Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

s, as well, are a common hazard in summer months, and may be feeding only away from bathers. Due to the lush plant life (including 14 species of orchids) influenced by the warmth of the springs, the area used to be known as the "Tropical Valley". A rare predatory black bear attack occurred on August 14, 1997, claiming two lives.

Recreation

Alpha pool with water temperatures ranging from ; There are raised walkways from the parking area to the springs so that the delicate

muskeg Muskeg (Ojibwe: mashkiig; cr, maskīk; french: fondrière de mousse, lit. ''moss bog'') is a peat-forming ecosystem found in several northern climates, most commonly in Arctic and boreal areas. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bog or ...

that forms the swamp is not disturbed. The walkway was the scene of a much-publicized black bear attack that killed two tourists on August 14, 1997. The campground is open year-round

Amenities

*Bathing pools *Change houses *Wheelchair access *Playground *A long wooden walkway leads from the parking lot to the hotsprings pool, crossing picturesque

Location

The park is located at mile 475 (or km 765) on the

Alaska Highway