Alaskan Hwy, Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park, BC Through Edmonton,

Alaskan Hwy, Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park, BC

Through Edmonton, past Whitecourt and Grand Prairie Alberta we entered the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Not too far into British Columbia is the town of Dawson Creek, which is mile 0 the beginning of the Alaskan Highway. Crossing British Columbia and the Yukon Territory to Port Alcan is the Alaskan border a distance of 1221.8 miles, and another 200 miles to the end of the Alaskan highway in Delta Junction AK.
A day and half driving or 477 miles north from Dawson Creek we stopped at Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park and made camp. A destination we both were looking forward to with anticipation of a relaxing soak in the hot spring. Other than paying about $6.43 per gallon of diesel fuel, this is a great part of the trip. Driving the Alaskan Highway is an exciting part of the journey north to Alaska. The road changes past Fort Nelson. It becomes narrower more mountainous and it’s rough and slow going in many places. Road repair is a continuous process throughout the summer months up here, repairing frost heaves, pot holes, and replacing guard railing. At one such repair construction zone we were stopped and talking with the flag person directing traffic flow. During our conversation I asked “where do you buy your diesel fuel” and after a little mental calculating was told, “about three hours drive north of here, but be careful, some places are charging $1.99 per liter”, which equates to about $7.50 per gallon. With a little chuckle I was asked, “You know what BC means don’t you, it means bring cash.”
Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park is open year-round and is a favorite recreation spot for locals and visitors alike. The camping area has large spacious sites that are kept clean and well maintained. A short walk from the camping area to the day use area is a trailhead boardwalk across a wetlands area leading to two hot springs, Alpha pool and Beta pool with water temperatures ranging from 108 to 126 degrees. Throughout the marshy wetland it’s reported there are more than 250 boreal forest plants, including 14 orchard species and 14 other species that survive at this latitude because of the hot springs. There is a sign at the trailhead to beware of bears and watch for moose feeding in the wetlands.
Driving along the Alaskan Highway we like to keep count of the wildlife we see each day. Our drive this day from Pink Mountain Camp to Liard Hotsprings we only counted three Black Bears, three Moose, one Elk, but more than forty Rock Sheep. This is a drastic difference from the numbers we had seen in the past along the Alcan. We are wondering if the increased petroleum exploration in the region is the reason why.
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