NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 651

Campers who don't need serviced sites have the option of staying at two campgrounds
in the provincial park itself (no reservations, May-mid-Sept., $16), but with only 15 sites in
each one, they fill up fast.
MM Liard River Hot Springs
One of the most wonderful places to stop on the whole highway is this 1,082-hectare
(2,670-acre) park, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Muncho Lake. Most travelers under-
standably rush to soak their tired, dusty limbs in the hot pools (6am-11pm daily, adult $5,
child $3, family $10). But the rest of the park is also worth exploring. Hot gases deep un-
derground force heated groundwater upward through a fault in the sedimentary rock. The
water fills rock pools constructed by Alaska Highway workers in the 1940s, then overflows
into a wide area of marshland. Even in the middle of winter, the water doesn't freeze, cre-
ating a microclimate of aquatic plants not normally associated with the northern latitude.
Also inhabiting the swamp are many species of small fish, plus mammals such as moose,
woodland caribou, and black bear, as well as 100 species of birds.
A 500-meter (0.3-mile) boardwalk leads from the main parking lot over warm-water
swamps to Alpha Pool, where water bubbles up into a long, shallow concrete pool. The
pool area, surrounded by decking, has pit toilets and changing rooms. A rough trail leads
farther to undeveloped Beta Pool, which is cooler, much deeper, and not as busy.
At the entrance to the hot springs is a campground (May-mid-Oct., $22) providing toi-
lets and showers. In summer, a percentage of sites can be booked through Discover Camp-
ing (519/826-6850 or 800/689-9025, www.discovercamping.ca ) . The rest (only 32 sites) are
first-come, first-served and are usually filled by noon each day.
To the Yukon Border
Anglers will find good fishing for grayling in the Liard River below Smith River Falls,
30 kilometers (19 miles) or so northwest of the hot springs. Canyon and river views dot
the highway heading north and west, and visitor services are available at Coal River and
Fireside. The highway crosses the 60th parallel and enters the Yukon just before Contact
Creek Lodge (all services). It then meanders back and forth across the border six times be-
fore reaching the final crossing, 58 kilometers (36 miles) farther west.