Fun with the kids at Harrison Lake, BC

This weekend my family made a day-trip to Harrison Hot Springs and spent a great day relaxing on the beach and zooming around on the water in a boat. The weather was fantastic and the kids had a blast in and out of the water.

We started off on the beach next to the shallow, bathtub-warm waters of the man-made lagoon: a perfect spot for toddlers and babies. However, we soon moved over to the beach next to the lake itself. This year it seemed the kids had finally outgrown the lagoon and felt big enough to handle the colder and deeper lake-water. Also, the water did seem a little cleaner in the lake than the lagoon.

Harrison Lake is a fantastic spot for families. The water is nice and placid, and the sand is perfect for making sand castles and moats. There are also lots of other water activities available. At Killers Cove Boat Rentals, near Harrison Hot Springs Resort, you can catch a boat tour of the lake, and they also rent out powerboats, catamarans, pedal boats, kayaks, canoes, and more.

We rented a small power boat for an hour and headed out on the lake. It was a great adventure. Harrison Lake is gorgeous: its greenish water fed by the glacier-capped mountains surrounding it, and with smaller and biggish forest-covered islands in the middle of it.

Our boat ride was sometimes speedy (bouncing on the waves), and sometimes leisurely (watching the scenery of steep cliffs, green water and isolated cabins) as we went all the way around the biggest island in the lake, before heading back to the dock. We saw some big fish jumping out of the water, the kids were laughing as the water splashed up in their faces, and we enjoyed the speed and sunshine. Will definitely be doing that again!

On the way home we stopped at a Sparkes Corn Barn and bought some fresh corn on the cob! It made a delicious end to a great day.

Facilities

• There's a playground, change rooms, washrooms and showers near the man-made lagoon.
• There's a nice, long walkway along the lake where for strolling.
• You can enjoy the hot, smelly, mineral-rich waters of the local, natural hot springs either at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa, or at the public indoor pool.
• There are lots of restaurants serving everything from burgers and hot dogs to very fancy fare. In general, restaurants in Harrison are over-priced (in my opinion), so I usually bring snacks and a picnic lunch along. However, some of the local restaurants are certainly very good. Harrison Pizza makes fantastic pizza, but my favorite restaurant in the area is probably the Horn of Plenty in nearby Agassiz: it's a tiny place but it has personality and great home-cooking.
• If you're looking to stay overnight there are lots of options: campgrounds, RV-parks, B&B's and hotels.