From time to time here on the blog, I’m going to feature entries from one of the 101 Travel Bits books. Today, I’m featuring 101 Travel Bits: The Alaska Highway, available for purchase at Amazon on Kindle, the Kindle app (for any phone or tablet) or in paperback.
Travel Bit Number 39: Liard River Hot Springs
Of all the stops along the Alaska Highway, few are more popular with travelers than the Liard River Hot Springs. A series of natural hot springs that are now part of a Provincial Park, Liard River Hot Springs are a chance for weary travelers to get off of the road and soak in warm, natural pools that remain open all year long.
The first known record of the Liard River Hot Springs comes from 1898, when explorers arrived in the area and noted the presence of the springs. In the mid-1920s, a pilot doing reconnaissance for mineral exploration stopped at the springs to inquire about a trapper and his daughter living in the area. Upon his return to civilization, his stories of the hot springs inspired incredible stories stating—falsely—that the area was home to not only monkeys and parrots, but even dinosaurs. The hot springs were nicknamed the Liard Tropical Valley, and remained a part of Canada subject to fantastic, and usually untrue, stories for years afterward. As it turned out, the rumors about the presence of the hot springs were true, even if the details of the creatures one would find there were not accurate.
During World War II, the soldiers working on the portion of the road near the hot springs used them as a natural bath; they were also the first to build paths and boardwalks to the hot springs. As soon as the road opened to tourist travel in 1948, it became one of the biggest draws along the highway. Today, tens of thousands of visitors stop for a warm soak every year.
While not palm trees, the plants in the hot springs and surrounding pools are typically found in warmer parts of Canada lying hundreds of miles to the south; there are even fourteen different species of orchids around the springs. Across the world, hot springs are often described as islands that are isolated pockets of climate within a larger climate; an ecosystem within an ecosystem. Liard River Hot Springs is no exception.
A study of the vegetation around the Liard River Hot Springs found 82 species of plants growing near the springs, of which 43 were temperate species not normally found in the area. For many of these 43 plants, the hot springs were the furthest north they had ever been discovered. There are multiple species of carnivorous plants that call the hot springs home, in addition to orchids and ferns that are not normally found anywhere near this part of the world.
When it comes to animal life, the hot springs attract a large number of animals thanks to their warmth and open water throughout the year. On the smaller side, tiny lake chub call the hot springs home; these small fish dart beneath the feet of visitors walking the boardwalks across the warm swamps to the hot springs and are uniquely able to withstand the warm water and chemical content of the hot springs.
On the larger side, the hot springs are also home to many moose, who placidly graze along the boardwalks, happy for an easy meal in these Canadian tropics. There is some evidence of a snail that exists only in the vicinity of the hot springs, but a lack of study means no one knows for sure if the snail exists. Years ago, pranksters let a snapping turtle loose in the swamps around the pools, despite it being well north of its normal habitat. Thanks to the warm water of the pools, though, the snapping turtle survived for years, evading capture by the park rangers and providing a unique wildlife viewing experience for this part of Canada.
Interesting area, interesting facts & something interesting “on” the man’s belly, who is sitting on the steps.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was some sort of medical device – I have no idea what, but when I was in the hot spring he was there and it was clearly for some problem.
LikeLike
Interesting tidbit, esp. that last one. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙈🐻
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m semi-scared of getting a toe or finger bitten off by a snapping turtle, so I’m glad it was gone by the time I showed up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfriendly bears? That’s so un-Canadian! What a cool place to visit. A hot springs would be so welcome today, even if just digitally. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, hot springs would be amazing here today! If only I had a hot tub, at least I could do an impression of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks beautiful there but it feels like Alaska here today!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here, too!
LikeLike
Love it, fascinating stuff Sarah.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I find it fascinating too – clearly enough that I thought it merited a book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the reblog!!
LikeLike
That is some interesting information that I am sure is not in most travel guides. The hot springs look very inviting! It is interesting that they have the sign about the bear on one path and not the other. Are your black bears the same as ours here in the USA? I have been told that if you encounter one that you should make as much noise as possible and make yourself as big as possible – stand up tall, wave your arms, yell – and they will leave you alone. I hope I don’t ever have to try that to find out if it works.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The black bears up there are the same – but there is some talk that the ones in that part of the world are more aggressive than those elsewhere. They live in close proximity to grizzly bears, so some surmise that they have to be aggressive to survive.
I’m not too worried about the black bears – every time I have run into one, they skedaddle as quickly as possible. They are usually more surprised to see me than I am to see them! Now, grizzly bears? I never want to run into one of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would not want to run into a grizzly bear either. Glad the black bears you have encountered have skedaddled. They probably do have to be a little more aggressive to survive against the grizzlies….either that or more skiddish and faster at running away! The only thing that really worries me about black bears would be if I inadvertently got between a mom and her cubs. If that happens, there can be trouble and no amount of screaming would scare her away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly! I usually have Choppy with me when I am out in the woods, so between the two of us, I think we scare most of them away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I bought your Alaska Bits and am about 1/3 of the way through. I am learning so much about the area. 🤓 I got the kindle version, so I can click the links. So much more info than a paperback.
I’ll write a review when finished 😋
LikeLiked by 1 person
You rock! I really like the Kindle version with all the links. I think the next one will have more (and I may revise to add more to the other two – I don’t want to put too many in, but they make it nice and interactive).
LikeLiked by 1 person