Harrison Hot Springs

Markus posing at the end of the iconic dock at Harrison Hot Springs

Toward the end of 2020, our province of British Columbia tightened up regulations for COVID-19. One of the restrictions was on recreational travel and since that time, we've been doing our part and have refrained from doing any overnighters.

A few weeks ago, we received the good news that restrictions were lifting and recreational travel within our travel region was permitted again. Since it's been many months since our last trip, we made plans for Harrison Hot Springs - a location still within our region, but far enough to be considered a vacation.

With this news, we booked our stay at a hotel and began planning our trip which included hot springs, chasing waterfalls, scurrying through tunnels, great German food and, of course, exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Where We Stayed at Harrison Hot Springs

Markus enjoying the lake at Harrison Hot Springs

Location: Harrison Beach Hotel
Pet Fee: $25/night

If you're new to The Markus Project, our posts are about traveling with a reactive dog. Being a rescue dog with an unknown past, there are things that trigger our dog into a barking frenzy and it's sometimes hard to stop. To limit the possibility of one of these barking frenzies happening, there are a couple of "moves" we like to do when booking a hotel room.

The first thing - if possible and cost permitting - is that we always try to book a room with a suite which sounds like a luxurious problem to have, but the reason we do this is because it helps us control the noise. Whether it's the sound of footsteps, doors of other rooms slamming shut or voices in the hallway, our dog's guard dog mentality kicks in and he starts to bark regardless of what time it is. For the sake of our neighbours and for us to get a good night's rest, a suite (often a room within the room) allows us to control the noise since the inner room is considerably quieter.

The second thing we'll do is request a room that's farther down the hall from the elevator. The thinking is that being down the hallway means that fewer people will have to go down that way, another way of controlling the noise. With a lowered chance of foot traffic and voices being heard, the chance of our dog barking also goes down considerably.

Unfortunately for us, we got neither of those things this time around. It was almost like the hotel misunderstood and gave us the exact opposite of what we needed and positioned us right across the elevator. We decided to roll with the punches and would only bring it up if we couldn't calm our dog down.

One thing we need to note is that the suites here aren't so much the room within a room that you would normally expect. As you enter the room, the washroom - like most hotels - is immediately next to the door. Just past the washroom is the bedroom, which has its own defined section, but no doors to contain the noise. The kitchen (with sink and stove) and living room are behind a wall just beyond the bedroom. While the setup makes sense for regular patrons, the bedroom/bed is one of the closest things to the door, which isn't the best for noise purposes.

Harrison Hot Springs is a weekend getaway for families and often a younger crowd. Even though there are noise restrictions at 11pm, the noise will likely keep going beyond that. We had music blasting from other rooms late into the night, which actually isn't bad for our dog. The tipping point was around 3am one morning when a loud group of people (loud even for day time) were roaming the halls and woke us up. In turn, our dog ran to the door to bark at them and if the group hadn't woken our neighbours up already, the barking must have.

We were well aware that this was a possibility since we've been to Harrison Hot Springs before without a dog and we were familiar with the scene. If you're traveling with a dog that's triggered by voices and other noises outside beyond the hotel room door, just be aware of this. Since we went midweek, it actually turned out to be better than we expected considering we were across from the elevator and by the end of it, we quite enjoyed our stay and the location of this hotel.

Things to do around Harrison Hot Springs

Since Harrison Hot Springs is about an hour's drive out from Vancouver, we like to line up a number of things to do while we're out there. The following items are a few of the activities that we got to do with our dog and some restaurants that we enjoyed as well. We did some of these activities on the way in and others of which we did during the two days we were out there.

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls is one of our favourite stops in British Columbia. As far as low effort, high reward hikes go, this is one of the best for that. Just a few minutes off of the highway, Bridal Veil Falls sits at the end of a short 10-minute hike and it is absolutely stunning. One of the great things about this waterfall is that you can climb up beyond the trail (with caution) to get nice and close to the falls with your dog.

Bosuemarne Falls

About a year ago, we made a visit to Lindeman Lake, a beautiful lake that looks unreal with all its blues and greens. Bosuemarne Falls is located just a few kilometres before the parking lot and trailhead for Lindeman Lake. Although the trailhead for Bosuemarne Falls was a bit harder to find, we thoroughly enjoyed the hike and the scenic waterfall at the end.

Othello Tunnels & Flood Falls

Markus making his way through the dark Othello Tunnels

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and because of landslides, the Othello Tunnels had been closed for a long time. We were fortunate that the tunnels had just been opened up again a couple of weeks before we made the trip, so we made sure to make the stop. The Othello Tunnels were originally constructed in the early 1900's so that trains could cut through the mountains. It has since been converted into a trail and a path for public visitors that's great for dogs as well.

Flood Falls is another one of those short hikes to a waterfall at the end. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to squeeze this in during our trip, but you might want to consider it!

Whippoorwill Point Trail

When you think Harrison, you're probably thinking hot springs and resting/relaxing on a spa day. Well, the Whippoorwill Point Trail isn't that. The steep and rocky climb up this hill will take through the woods, across a beach and emerge out of the shrubs onto a little platform where you can look out onto Harrison Lake and the islands beyond it.

The Harrison Lagoon, The Source and Hot Springs

Markus enjoying the view of Harrison Lake from around the lagoon way off in the distance

Around the town of Harrison Hot Springs, there are quite a few places for dogs to go. One of the immediate spots right by the accommodations is the Harrison Lagoon where you'll find lots of other dogs and their owners walking the loop.

At the other end of the beach and beyond the Harrison Hot Springs Resort (and the little bridge), there is a pinkish small building with steam coming out of it. This building is called The Source because, as you've probably guessed, it is the source of the hot springs for the rest of the town. While people have carefully touched the water surrounding the building here, it is generally recommended to use one of the main facilities back in town where the water and temperature is monitored for safer human use. From The Source, the water feeds into 6 therapeutic pools including the public pool located near the middle of town.

Black Forest Steak and Schnitzel House

The Black Forest Steak and Schnitzel House is one of our favourite stops at Harrison Hot Springs and a can't-miss for us. It is a family-run German restaurant and our favourite meal includes their spatzle (look this up if you've never had it before!), the Jaeger Schnitzel and the Pork Hock. If you're hungry, we're recommend grabbing one of their home made bratwursts too. We're hungry just thinking about it!

Muddy Waters Cafe

If you're like us, you need a good caffeine kick in the morning to start your day. Muddy Waters has the best coffee you're going to find in town. If you're looking for breakfast, they also have pastries and other hot food like the breakfast bun, breakfast wrap and smoked salmon lox, which were all quite good.

No Sasquatch Lake or Green Point Day Use Area

Markus enjoying the sunshine by the boat launch by Hicks Lake

While we were at Harrison Hot Springs, we took a bit of time to explore the areas surrounding it. We got to visit Hicks Lake at Sasquatch Provincial Park and the Green Point Day Use Area, which is only about a 20-minute drive away. Unfortunately both of these locations are limited with their dog restrictions.

Hicks Lake has a 20-minute trail (which we didn't get to do) and that appears to be the only place where dogs are allowed around this area. The drive to Hicks Lake is unpaved and incredibly bumpy with all its pot holes. If you're going to make this trip, just make sure to drive slowly (sedans are okay). Aside from the trail, there is really only one other spot that dogs are allowed and that's right by the boat launch next to the parking lot. Beyond that and unless you have a boat, there's not that much to do with a dog at this location.

The Green Point Day Use Area was even more restrictive for dogs. As soon as you pull up to the parking lot, the biggest signs you will see are the no dog signs. Since we were just passing by, we basically made a loop around the parking lot in our car and left. If you have a dog with you, don't bother making this stop.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.