Weekend In Harrison Hot Springs

The drive east from Vancouver along Highway 1 winds through the Fraser Valley. As you leave Chilliwack, you start to climb into the foothills, where you can turn towards Agassiz. On a late fall Saturday, the rain stopped and left the hillsides in vibrant yellows, oranges and greens.

As we arrived in Harrison Hot Springs, the clouds lifted just enough to see the snow tipped peaks surrounding the lake. Harrison Hot Springs has long been a weekend getaway for Lower Mainland residents. This small lakeside village, just a 90 minute drive from Vancouver offers a little bit of everything–outdoor recreation, food, and of course the mineral laden hot springs themselves.

In late fall, the weather may be chilly, but the crowds are also thinner, making for a relaxing spot to spend a night or two and just unwind.

The Great Outdoors

In the summer, the beach and lake itself offer the typical recreation options. In fall the choices are more limited. We began the afternoon walking alongside the lake towards the source of the hot springs. Housed in a shed, we were able to peer through the steamed up windows at the small reservoir inside. Then back towards the village where we rounded the lagoon. Walking paths all along the lake and lagoon keep footwear dry and sand out of your shoes.

With all the fall colors, we stopped for way more photos than we needed, with each vantage point seemingly offering a better view of the serene lake and surrounding hills.

The Pool(s)

Unless you are staying at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort, your only option to take the waters is the public pool in the center of town. Having been here a few times in my younger years, I didn’t feel compelled to visit the pool on this trip.

The public pool is essentially a warm, rectangular indoor swimming pool. True, a lot of people just sit around the edges and soak, but something about the experience doesn’t feel very special.

The Resort on the other hand, has a number of lovely outdoor pools to enjoy. While occasionally when the public pool is closed you hear reports of people being able to use the resort’s pools, this is inconsistent and was not an option on our visit in Fall 2025.

Shopping

Shopping is limited in the village itself. We stopped in a few gift shops, finding the one in the Harrison Hot Springs Resort to be the nicest. The Harrison Village Mall offered a few quaint shops and a convenience store.

Food

After wandering the town and lake, it was time for some lunch. Basecamp Burger Joint had come highly recommended in some food groups I am in and it did not disappoint. Burgers oozing with sauce, barely holding together and paired with crisp, lightly battered french fries.

Lodging

The nice pools you see in all the photos are at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort, which sits right across from the lake on the edge of the village. It is a large, multi-building complex. Despite a beautiful lobby, as I researched my trip the online reviews were mixed. If you want to use their pools, you do need to be a guest, so my best recommendation is to choose the building you reserve carefully. There are two towers plus classic rooms.

We chose instead to drive 2 km out of town along the lake to stay at the Lodge at Harrison Lake. This is a more boutique location, but the 2 person suites were less expensive than rooms at the resort. There are only 4 suites (sleeps 2), plus a couple of cabins, a carriage house, and a main house (which despite the name house, was part of the building with the four suites). The final accommodation is a geodesic dome on a platform just over the lake that I am wanting to book on my next visit!

Amenities included a barrel sauna overlooking the lake, a barbecue area, and beach access. If you are looking for relaxation, this is the place to find it. It is less a hotel and more like a vacation rental. The rooms are prepaid online when you book, and on the day of your arrival a door code is texted to you. No check in required, but also no front desk. If you have any questions, the proprietors text number is posted in the suite.

Note: The Lodge did not allow photos without permission.

Let’s Eat Some More

After settling into our room and spending some time taking turns in the comfy chair overlooking the lake it was time to head back into town for dinner.

After a lot of debate, we settled for dining at the Black Forest. Despite an extensive menu our waiter suggested that their German favorites menu was the most popular. We both settled on Hungarian Goulash with house made spaetzle paired with a German Riesling. The goulash was savory and warm, the perfect comfort food for a chilly fall evening.

The restaurant itself has obviously been there awhile, the decor is slightly dated, but the people are friendly and the atmosphere inviting. We were lucky enough to be seated in a small alcove, which felt a bit private and special.

For breakfast the next morning, we kept it simple. Muddy Waters serves breakfast and lunch, but is also a coffee shop. We enjoyed coffee with a simple but delicious berry scone. This was another place that had come highly recommended in my pre-travel research.

Sasquatches, oh My!

The down side of fall in Harrison is the town itself lacks many things to do if you want to do more than just walk and hike. Boat tours were still in operation, but we agreed taking the boat tour was something we should come back for when the weather was warmer.

Instead, we walked a few blocks to the edge of town to the Visitor Centre, which houses a small but interesting Sasquatch Museum.

Despite several previous trips to Harrison Hot Springs, the fact that the area is a bit of a hotbed of sasquatch sightings had previously escaped my notice. The stories go back to indigenous peoples.

It only took about 30 minutes of looking through the exhibits to make one reconsider any skepticism. Whether you believe or not, the museum offers an interesting look at the legends surrounding the Sasquatch in this area that still feels somewhat wild and remote.

Kilby Historic Site

We ended the weekend with a couple of hours meandering around Kilby Historic Site. We drove about 15-20 minutes west from Agassiz and followed the signs to Kilby Historic Site, a heritage museum on an old farm and centered around a 1920’s general store. The store itself feels frozen in time, and the guide told us it was meant to look as it did in the twenties, right down to the original packaging of much of the merchandise.

Remarkably though, the store was in operation until 1972 when the province purchased it for a museum.

Behind the store was the Kilby family’s living quarters and upstairs had been a hotel. The rooms upstairs now house various exhibits. The store was right along the rail line out of Vancouver, with train service three times a day, making it an important stop for people not only in the Harrison area, but for folks across the river in Chilliwack, which was accessible by ferry.

An 1890’s cabin, as well as various farm outbuildings complete the site. The gift shop and cafe is located in the former barn. You can read more about visiting Kilby here.

If you are looking for an unhurried getaway that is just far enough from Vancouver to feel like a proper escape, give Harrison Hot Springs a try in the off season.