Tetsa River to Liard Hot Springs

Wednesday, July 4th

Tetsa River to Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park


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Today we traveled 134 miles, departed 8:15am and arrived 12:45pm with several stops along the way.

The roads were in good shape except for the sections that were being surface sealed. That means they put down the oil based sticky and then spread a thick layer of gravel on it and roll it out. Driving is limited to one way in some sections where they are working and is like driving on a dusty gravel road in others.

Tetsa River Services Campground – Cinnamon Buns

Just about 10 miles north of our campground is Tetsa River Services RV Campground and is supposedly famous for its Cinnamon Buns. We needed to use their dump station so of course we had to sample the buns as well. They were large and sticky but good and it was OK as we called them breakfast.

Glen & Sadie at Summit Lake

I thought we had another day before our reservation at Liard (pronounced Lee-ard) Hot Springs and we were planning to move up to Summit Lake as it was going to be a nice day. Summit Lake is the highest point on the Alaska Highway and the conditions can be harsh if the weather is less than nice. We were disappointed when I checked the calendar and found we needed to be at Liard Hot Springs on the 4th, especially when we arrived at the lake and saw how pretty it was. Next time!

Summit Lake Campground

Caribou

After leaving Summit Lake, we spotted this caribou running through the grass at the edge of the highway. She looked to be a young one and had little antler buds.


View of the Toad River Valley

Letting the traffic clear

We were stopped by flaggers a few times anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes and that backed up the traffic. When we got moving again there was always a long string of cars, truck, and RVs. When this happened we pulled over after the control section and gave Sadie or ourselves a break. Because of this we were rarely bunched up in a convoy of traffic and could stop to take pictures whenever we wished. Aren’t we just so smart?

Hwy 97 along the Toad River

Shore of Muncho Lake

Although the clouds look threatening, it never did rain. Luck was with us.









Muncho Lake

Stone Sheep

We saw these Stone Sheep shortly before arriving at Liard Hot Springs Park. Note the lamb lying on the ground. I figure it could have only been a few days old as it wasn’t steady on its feet when they all decided to move onto the grass.

Campsite at Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park

This is a great campground, lush and green with wild roses, white spruce, alder and poplars. We have forest on three sides and no other campers in sight. The only complaint is those pesky mosquitoes. A campfire helps along with the bug spray.

Thursday, July 5th

Boardwalk to Hot Springs

We took a walk out to the hot springs yesterday afternoon. It was about a quarter mile walk where the walkway begins. One camper told us she saw a bull moose out there last night around 11pm. Of course it’s still daylight here at that time. We will take a stroll over that way tonight if we can stay awake that long.

Linda in Hot Spring

Oh my gosh…….I don’t even take a bath this hot!!! Parts were even too hot for me….probably 105 to 110 degrees. The top 6 inches was much hotter than the water below so I learned if I treaded water with my arms it wasn’t quite so bad. I think we both lasted about 15 to 20 minutes. There was a very slight sulfur odor but not enough to discourage us.

Hot Spring Pool

View of the pool from above.














The thing that has amazed us is the many ways people are traveling and camping. We expected to see a few doing the highway on motorcycles and a couple of bicycles but we have seen many doing both. The number that are traveling in passenger cars are probably the most numerous. Some of them are probably from the upper portion of British Columbia or Northern Alberta and the Yukon.

In the campgrounds again it is a smorgasbord, from the smallest of two person tents to huge motorhomes and everything in between. One couple in Liard Hot Springs were in a tent with cots and they had to be older than us. We are beyond the camping in tents!