Local Getaway Guide: A Peaceful Two-Day Itinerary for Harrison Hot Springs

“Why don’t more people come here?”

My partner and I keep asking ourselves this question during our two-day stay in Harrison Hot Springs. The town has long been known as a summer weekend destination for Lower Mainlanders, but we’ve opted for a fall getaway—and without the summer crowds, Harrison’s waterfront transforms into a serene, quiet oasis. The air is fresh. The water is calm. The pace has slowed. I am enamoured.

After a four-minute drive from Harrison town centre, past the marina, we arrive at the Lodge on Harrison Lake, our accommodation for the next couple of nights. The modern retreat features a range of cabins and suites that are steps away from the lake, each offering access to a shared private dock and barrel sauna. Here, you can wake up, look out the cabin’s floor-to-ceiling windows and watch the colours of the sunrise reflect off the glassy, glacier-fed water and surrounding forested mountains.

The soothing local mineral waters have been a healing place for the Sts’ailes First Nation and other Coast Salish Peoples for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in the 1700s. These days, water is pumped, cooled and filtered from the nearby natural hot springs source (which you can also visit) to serve the town’s public mineral pool and the Harrison Hot Springs Resort.

My first time soaking in a natural hot spring felt familiar. As we step down the stairs and relax into one of the outdoor pools at Harrison Hot Springs Resort, the water simply feels like what you’d experience in a hot tub or warmer-than-average pool. But this experience is different: I feel weightless, likely thanks to the high concentration of dissolved minerals (1,300 parts per million of potassium chloride, sodium chloride, magnesium sulphate and more). At our leisure, we rotate between the five pools (accessible only to hotel guests), each at a different temperature. Sitting in the shallow end of the adults-only pool, listening to the splash of the cascading waterfall and floating in the buoying water, I close my eyes and let myself take as much time as I want to do absolutely nothing.

I feel justified in claiming that reward: I’d worked up a sweat only that morning, after my partner and I took a local’s recommendation to hike the roughly three kilometres to Sandy Cove, a quiet nearby beach. The unassuming trailhead is tucked just behind the hot springs source near the resort. The steep initial 150 metres are worth the rest of the hike: we passed through sprawling ferns and moss-covered trees that eventually parted to reveal a quiet sandy shoreline. I could easily imagine coming back here to spend a day reading by the lake.

The next morning, however, it’s time to drive out of town. Still, I feel at ease. Harrison Hot Springs is the perfect, peaceful retreat away—and I’ll be back.

BONUS: Secluded Stargazing

The night sky is bound to be beautiful anywhere in Harrison when it’s clear. But for those truly seeking an other­worldly stargazing experience that can only be found deep in cabin country, head to the day-use camping area at Hicks Lake in Sasquatch Park, only a 25-minute drive from town. Once you’ve parked and walked to the picnic area, lie down on a table and take in the expansive scene. I could’ve stayed and stared in wonder for hours at the overwhelming abundance of scattered little bright dots if it weren’t for the chill I didn’t prepare for.

Plan this route during the day and bring a flashlight. You’ll likely lose service driving through the park roads (which are sans streetlights). But the adventure in search of wonder is part of the experience—and the starry views are well worth it.

Lakeside Eats and Treats

Muddy Waters Cafe 

A must-visit start for your day: the breakfast bun ($18) overflows with scrambled eggs, and the Mediterranean yogurt bowl ($16) is another star on the menu: it too overflows, this time with fresh fruit, homemade granola and yogurt.  Don’t sleep on the local homemade jam, which is easily the best I’ve had. (And you can’t get it anywhere else—trust me, I asked.)

Morgan’s Bistro

Eclectic and moody on the inside, this farm-to-table restaurant does both specialties and classic dinner dishes. The roasted Tuscan chicken ($42) is herby and juicy, while the braised lamb shank ($48) is  fall-off-the-bone good.

Milos Greek Taverna

Like in any Greek restaurant, prepare to eat a lot of food. Both the Milos combo (choice of two proteins; $36) and the layered moussaka ($30) come with rice, potatoes, veggies, pita, Greek salad and tzatziki. Enjoy the stellar view overlooking the lake at sunset from the rooftop patio.