Sasquatch Provincial Park is a BC Park near Harrison Hot Springs. It’s home to Deer Lake, Hicks Lake, a boat launch and campgrounds for overnight camping.
For information about this park, see below. For details about other provincial parks in the region, see our article about Lower Mainland Campgrounds.
This article contains the following information about Sasquatch Provincial Park:
Activities | Camping in the Park | Tips and Advice | Other Information
BC’s Sasquatch Provincial Park
Located a short distance northeast of Harrison Hot Springs, Sasquatch Provincial Park is a large forested area with lakes and campsites. It’s about 1,200 hectares or 3,000 acres in size.
The park has two main lakes for swimming and water sports. There is also a third much smaller one with pretty views and which is an ideal spot for fishing. There are boat launches at Deer Lake and Hicks Lake that can facilitate getting small and medium-sized boats in and out of the water easily. At the park there is also a beautiful beach with boat launch facilities along the shore of Harrison Lake.
Green Point is the park’s day-use area. There you’ll find a beach on the edge of Harrison Lake near the entrance to the park. It’s a nice spot for swimming and picnics. Close by is tiny Trout Lake where boating isn’t permitted. Further inland is where you’ll find the other lakes where there are more day-use areas by the campgrounds.
Keep your eyes out in the park for Bigfoot, the legendary creature that the park is named after. There are also other critters such as beavers, bears, mountain goats and bald eagles that call this park home.
Sasquatch Park Activities
There are lots of things to do at Sasquatch Provincial Park. There is swimming in the summer as well as fishing, boating and hiking opportunities year-round.
You can swim in both Hicks Lake and Deer Lake, with the former being the larger of the two. You can also swim in Harrison Lake which is massive. The beaches at both Hicks Lake and Deer Lake are sandy while the one on Harrison Lake is rocky. The water in the summer is usually warmest in the two smaller lakes.
Types of fish in the area include trout and brook char, and the lakes are stocked with new fish from time to time. People fishing need a licence which isnt’ expensive.
If you decide to bring a boat, note that the maximum motor size is 10 horsepower on Hicks Lake. Boats are not permitted on Trout Lake at all, and only electric motors are allowed on Deer Lake. If you have a larger boat or want to go waterskiing, you’ll have to do that on Harrison Lake.
The Hicks Lake Trail is a 4-kilometre trail that takes about 90 minutes to walk. There is also the Deer Lake Trail which is about 2 kilometres long. The first trail goes all the way around the lake. The second one doesn’t. Beaver Pond is located right by Hicks Lake, just a short distance from the northwest corner of the larger body of water. Around it is a loop that goes for about half a kilometre.
Camping In The Park
In Sasquatch Provincial Park there are three campgrounds, each with multiple vehicle-accessible overnight campsites. Lakeside Campground is beside Deer Lake and features 42 sites as well as a large grassy field and a children’s play area.
Bench Campground is also near Deer Lake but not directly on the water. There are 64 sites here and they have access to running water and washrooms. Also near the campground is an amphitheatre where in the summer naturalists give talks about the various species of plants and animals that can be found in the park.
Hicks Lake Campground is on, you guessed it, Hicks Lake. Beside the water there is a field with a volleyball court and a boat launch. At this site there are 72 sites available to stay at as well as one large group campsite which can hold up to 40 people.
Tips and Advice
Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your visit to the park.
TIP #1: If you ever go to Harrison Hot Springs and you have some extra time, be sure to check out Sasquatch Park if you want to experience some nature. It’s beautiful and just a short drive away. The town itself is also one of our number one favourite places in the Lower Mainland.
TIP #2: Both Hicks Lake and Deer Lake are known to sometimes have swimmers’ itch which is a parasite in the water that can cause red itchy bumps akin to mosquito bites. They are harmless and not uncommon in BC lakes, but they are annoying. To reduce your chances of being affected, dry off completely right after exiting the water.
TIP #3: As with other provincial parks in BC, it’s a good idea to make a reservation at least a couple of months in advance if you plan to go camping. Sasquatch Park isn’t as well-known as other provincial parks in the region, but it’s still pretty popular and its campsites in the summer fill up weeks in advance.
TIP #4: The park is a great place for camping. If you’re not into sleeping in a tent or camper, however, there are some really nice hotels in and around the nearby town of Harrison Hot Springs. Ones we’ve stayed at before and really liked include the Harrison Beach Hotel and Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa. A little further away but also exceptionally lovely is the Sandpiper Resort which has an inn, cabins and a golf course.
Additional Notes
TIP #5: When we last drove to Hicks Lake it was in the late fall and the road was in pretty rough shape. There were lots of pot holes. Hopefully that was just a one-time thing and not normal for that time of year, but it might be. In case it’s the same when you go, leave your low-to-the-ground sports car at home and take something with good undercarriage clearance.
TIP #5: Also when we went in fall, it was in the late afternoon, maybe around 4:00 pm or so. At that time, from the beach in the northwest corner of Hicks Lake, the peninsula at the edge of the lake was in the shade. If you look at the above photo, check out the shape of the shadow. If you turn the photo on its side, clockwise, the shadow looks like the head and shoulders of a Bigfoot (or at least that’s what we think). Kind of a cool sight for a park with the word “Sasquatch” in its name. We didn’t actually notice it at the time, but did after we got home and looked at our photos.
Other Information
For more information about the park, see the Sasquatch Provincial Park website.
To see what the layout of the park looks like, click Sasquatch Park Map.
To learn more about the area see our articles about Harrison Hot Springs and the Fraser Valley. Or for a video about the region in the fall, click Romantic Getaway to Harrison Hot Springs in Autumn.
To see other parks and places to camp like this one check out the following:
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Vancouver Outdoor Recreation
- Lower Mainland Parks & Nature
- Vancouver on a Budget
- Camping in the Lower Mainland
