Joan and Keith's Travels: Heading Up To Liard Hot Springs & Watson Lake

What We Saw The Next Day!

MORE Canola Fields!

A Black Bear!

Steel Deck Bridges!

More Great Scenery!

On this segment of our trip, one of our RV'rs suffered a major mechanical breakdown. We stayed with them until their RV was loaded on a flatbed and followed the truck to Fort Nelson.

We arrived at 2:00AM

Fort Nelson!

Fort Nelson is a community in northeast British Columbia, Canada within the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM). It held town status prior to February 6, 2009 when it amalgamated with the former Northern Rockies Regional District to form the NRRM, becoming its administrative centre. The NRRM is the first regional municipality in the province.

The community lies east of the northern Rocky Mountains in the Peace River region along the Alaska Highway at mile 300. Fort Nelson is home to 3,902 residents, representing 70% of the NRRM's total population of 5,578.

The majority of Fort Nelson's economic activity has historically been concentrated in the energy and tourism industries, and until very recently, forestry. The forests surrounding Fort Nelson are part of Canada's boreal forest. Fort Nelson is on the southwest edge of the Greater Sierra oil & gas field.

The next day we sadly left our broken down couple in Fort Nelson for extensive repairs. We headed out to rejoin our caravan. It was almost 8:00 pm when we arrived in Liard Hot Springs. Too late to check out the hot springs.

Pulling into Liard Hot Springs!

Our Wagonmaster was happy to see us!

Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is home to the second largest hot spring in Canada. The park is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. The community of Liard River, British Columbia is located nearby.

The Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park was created in April 1957. The first boardwalk and pool facilities were built by the United States Army in 1942. The Liard River Hot Springs

were originally named the Theresa Hot Springs.

The park contains a warm water swamp and boreal forest which supports rich and diverse plant communities as well as mammal and bird species. Watch for moose feeding in the warm water swamps. Bears, as well, are a common hazard in summer months, and may be feeding only 10 feet away from bathers. Due to the lush plant life (including 14 species of orchids) influenced by the warmth of the springs, the area was originally known as the "Tropical Valley".

There are two hot springs with water temperatures ranging from 42 to 52 °C (108 to 126 °F); the nearest is the Alpha pool. Beta pool is beyond Alpha and is larger, cooler and deeper. As of 2013, Beta pool has been permanently closed due to bear traffic, and the boardwalk leading to it has been removed. There are raised walkways from the parking area to the springs so that the delicate muskeg that forms the swamp is not disturbed. The walkway was the scene of a much-publicized black bear attack that killed two tourists on August 14, 1997. However, at least 50 bears were killed around the springs in 1998 to ease the public's concern.

The next morning we saw!

Bison!

Brown Bears!

More Bison!

And Still More Bison!

Entering the "Yukon"

Arriving in Watson Lake!

Historic "Sign Forest"

Sign Post Forest is a collection of signs at Watson Lake, Yukon and is one of the most famous of the landmarks along the Alaska Highway. It was started by a homesick GI in 1942. Visitors may add their own signs to the 100,000+ already present.
In 1942, a simple signpost pointing out the distances to various points along the tote road being built was damaged by a bulldozer. Private Carl K. Lindley, serving with the 341st Engineers, was ordered to repair the sign, and decided to personalize the job by adding a sign pointing towards his home town, Danville, Illinois, and giving the distance to it. Several other people added directions to their home towns, and the idea has been snowballing ever since.

The forest today

The Sign Post Forest takes up a couple of acres, with huge new panels being constantly added, snaking through the trees. There are street signs, welcome signs, signatures on dinner plates, and license plates from around the world.
In June 2012 the stage in the center of the forest was the site of an impromptu performance of the play Two Women on a Precipice. The playwright Karin Fazio Littlefield was delayed in attending the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska by mudslides on the Alaska Highway. Littlefield and her fellow actors performed the piece for travelers who were likewise stranded in Watson Lake by the mudslides.