Family Friendly Things to do in Harrison Hot Springs & Harrison Mills

Things to do in Harrison Hot Springs & Harrison Mills

Don’t miss this list of things to do in Harrison Hot Springs and nearby Harrison Mills with your family! It’s a wonderful location for a weekend getaway for family time, outdoor fun and adventure and relaxation and more! Some activities will be more suited to older kids and some can be enjoyed by all.

This spot on Harrison Lake is where we pulled over to watch the windsurfers see below)

If you’re looking for info and tips on travelling to other parts of the world we’ve got you covered in our travel section!

• Top Disney Cruise Line Activities For Kids And Teens
• 10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Israel
• Disney World With Teens: 5 Top Experiences 
• The Best Family Vacation Destinations in the US That Won’t Break The Bank
• 10 Things To Do In Washington State With Kids

We also loved how pet-friendly both Harrison Hot Springs and Harrison Mills were and are happy we can visit with our dogs too. We loved our stay at the dog-friendly cabins at Sandpiper resort which you can read more about on our Why Sandpiper Resort Harrison Mills Is Perfect For Families (& Their Dogs) article. I’m sharing more below on the fantastic food at the restaurant at Sandpiper resort, be prepared to get hungry!

I love sharing more about destinations close to home that would appeal to people all over the world and Harrison Hot Springs and Harrison Mills are two such locations. Think of small-town charm and rural beauty with majestic mountains and stunning lake views and you’ve got that and more in these two areas.Harrison Lake View near Harrison Hot Springs Resort

They are are a hop, skip and a jump from each other so you can easily enjoy both areas on a day trip but even better for a getaway. Depending on what you love to do and see you could spend an entire week in these areas exploring nature, enjoying small town cafes and stores and oh so much more. I am sharing some of our favourite things to do and check out and some that we still have on our list that we want to do on our next visit which is coming up in a couple of months!

Windsurfing

We were leaving the main part of the town of Harrison Hot Springs on our way to Harrison Mills when we pulled over for these scenic views and then we noticed two windsurfers were about to head out. It was very, very windy, so windy our car doors would slam on their own and I had to fight to stand still. These windsurfers seemed to be very experienced as they had some heavy winds to deal with. I was in total awe of the windsurfers, I could barely stand on the ground with the wind but they were out on the lake zipping around. I can’t imagine how much work that is on your whole body. 

Charming “small town” shops, cafes and restaurants in Harrison Hot Springs

If you’re looking for a less strenuous activity I loved just walking around the main parts of the town of Harrison Hot Springs. I adore the small-town like shops, cafes and restaurants. No big box stores and the lakefront boulevard itself is so very pretty.

From the boulevard you get some of the stunning lakeviews, actually you have endless stunning lakeviews and for someone like me I felt like I was always snapping photos with my camera.

Pet-Friendly Harrison Hot Springs

We also loved how dog-friendly Harrison Hot Springs is, many of the stores and cafes have water bowls out for the dogs and there were so many people out walking their dogs every day, including us. Dogs have to be on leashes on the lakefront boulevard of course but it’s very enjoyable for all, lots of space to walk, trails farther down (I’ll show those in a bit) and beautiful landscapes. It was nice to be able to enjoy all of this with our dogs as they are an important part of our family.

Breathtaking Lake Views

The photo above I took from the balcony of our room at the Harrison Beach Hotel. It’s right on the lakefront as you can see and along the same boulevard, I mentioned above. We enjoyed our stay at the Harrison Beach Hotel which is also pet-friendly!

Rocky Mountain Chocolate

One of the stores that we enjoyed in Harrison Hot Springs was Rocky Mountain Chocolate because well chocolate and sweet stuff. They make oh so tasty goodies and some unique to the area like the sasquatch foot. You can see some unique items in the photo above. We were tempted by oh so many goodies, we loved the fudge and you can see some that was just made in one of our photos below. 

Rocky Mountain Chocolate also had some homemade goodies for our dogs and no they were not made of chocolate. Our dogs enjoyed their treats too. All of the goodies at this store are made right in the store and Monsieur Chocolatier aka Mark who is one of the owners there in the photo he made a lot of those treats, including that big slab of fudge.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate is a Canadian chain of stores and they are all over Canada but my understanding is like this one in Harrison Hot Springs they are individually owned. I’ve only been to this location which is a bit surprising but our tastebuds were impressed. My daughter was in heaven with all the goodies, the hardest part was deciding which ones to get!

Bald Eagle Viewing Destination – Sandpiper Golf Course and Resort

Eagle Trail: With the best views of the Harrison River, Sandpiper Resort has been designated a prime bald eagle viewing destination. The eagle viewing is a wondrous, natural phenomenon, and we encourage everyone who visits Sandpiper to take a walk along our Eagle Trail. Stop at our Salmon Run Viewing Location (see the resort map link) by the bridge or Weaver Creek, which is 5 minutes down the road to set sights on these fabulous creatures in their natural habitat.

Golfing

Then there’s the actual golfing available to you at Sandpiper, this course has been voted several times by the province as the #1 golf course in the Fraser Valley. 

Stay for a meal at the Clubhouse Restaurant at the Sandpiper Golf Course

One of the things I LOVED the most during our stay at the Sandpiper Golf Course and Resort was the delicious food and excellent service at their restaurant the Clubhouse. Even though we had a lovely kitchen in our luxury cabin we ate all our breakfasts and dinners at the Clubhouse. I promised you in my article about our pet-friendly stay in their cabins that I would share about the food because it’s just so good!

The restaurant is casual yet nice enough that during one of our dinner’s there was a small wedding party having their wedding night dinner there. The food is that good. There were three different weddings there during our two night stay and they all utilized the catering from the restaurant or as in the one party ate in the restaurant itself. 

My daughter loved sitting at this window seat near the entrance of the restaurant, it was her favourite spot and I noticed during our stay that it was a favourite of families with children.

For our American readers that is not a Bloody Mary above it’s a Caesar, one of my husband’s favourite drinks and he gave it his two thumbs up from the Clubhouse. 

I of course had to try this specialty from the restaurant, a GIANT Yorkshire Pudding stuffed with roast beef and gravy on top of mashed potatoes and broccolini. It was quite frankly huge but worth the try, I could not eat it all but I enjoyed trying. There were also the usual items for picky eaters and kids like my teenager such as chicken strips and fries, burgers etc..

Being on the west coast, especially in the Greater Vancouver area we know what good salmon tastes like and don’t accept anything less that delicious. Happy to say this salmon dish at the Clubhouse met expectations and more, so good and I am picky about my salmon. The desserts were tasty too like this strawberry shortcake below.

The service was also top-notch at this restaurant, everyone so friendly and even when it was full and they were hopping we never felt neglected, I know that’s not easy when they’re so busy. We loved the food there so much that hubby and I agreed we’d drive the 1.5 hours just to go for dinner for a special occassion.

Lucky me, I’m headed out there soon for a girls getaway to stay at the cabins again and you can bet I’ll be going to enjoy some food at the Clubhouse!

Hot Springs (pool and source)

Harrison Hot Springs Resort is known for its hot springs pool but if you’re not a guest at the resort you can pay a very small fee to go to the public hot springs pool. You can also take a walk along the lakefront, go past the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and see the source of the hot springs. It’s a beautiful walk that my husband and I took with our dogs and it was cool or should I say “hot” to see the source.

Check out our quick video on the hot springs source below. 

 

You can also access some of the natural hot springs in the areas around Harrison Mills and Harrison Hot Springs. One of them can be accessed either via a long hike or like my husband and friends of done by going by ATV. It’s a popular area for those who want to enjoy nature and ride their ATVs. Sharing more on the ATVing below but here’s a hot spring that my husband and friends went to via their ATV, photo credit to my hubby.

ATV’ing in Harrison Mills and Harrison Hot Springs Areas

The Harrison Mills and Harrison Hot Springs areas are popular for those who love to hike and go off-roading. My husband and friends and  our neighbours all own ATVs and love to go riding in this area. Safety is always their number one priority so if you’re a beginner rider, don’t go alone and make sure to wear the appropriate gear. You can also book a guided tour I believe, something to look in to if you’re new to the area.

There are some amazing sites to be seen and you can spend literally days exploring the area via ATV.

Above is my hubby on one of his ATV excursions in the area. Behind him is one of the rivers that run in to Harrison Lake. As you can see the entire area like to show off just how beautiful nature can be. My husband never goes riding alone, you never know what can happen, you’re out where there are no cars driving by, it’s nature with some hiking and off-road trails so be prepared.

Just some “rock art” discovered by hubby & others on one of their ATV excursions.

Have water, snacks, the proper gear, a first aid kit, flares and they like to take walkie talkies too because there is NO cell service in a lot of these trails. It’s worth it though as you get to see some amazing scenery that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise and as previous mentioned you can also get to some of the natural hot springs. 

Above is one of my favourite photos ever of the area, this was taken on one of my husband’s ATV excursions, you can’t get enough of these lovely views. 

Kilby Historic Site

This is one is on my things to do in Harrison Hot Springs and Harrison Mills list as our last visit to the area we were more about chilling out in the comfort of the luxury cabins at Sandpiper resort and eating all the yummy food at their restaurant. 

Step back in time and enjoy a leisurely tour of the Kilby Historic Site with its magnificent 1906 General Store Museum. Visitors will view a fascinating gallery of product packaging dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. Don’t miss the intriguing artifacts in the heritage Post Office and Manchester House Hotel; both were an integral part of the Harrison Mills community at the turn of the twentieth century.

Whew, I could go on about how much there is to do in this area but I think I’ve gone on long enough. I’ll probably be sharing more in a few months after my girl’s trip to the area where I hope to do some of the things I haven’t yet check out yet like the Circle Farm Tour!

Make sure to PIN this helpful article for later!

Make sure to check out some of our other travel articles or if you’re looking for some delicious recipes, check out our recipes section!

Tasty recipes like:

• One Pan Chicken Stroganoff Recipe
• Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake + Video
• 3 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Mousse
• Healthy Smoothies-Dairy-Free Raspberry Cheesecake