After the Fairmont Indian Baths, my next destination was Lussier Hot Spring. It was an easy day's ride to the south. Lussier is a free natural hot spring, but it is in a Provincial Park, well-marked, and only a 5 minute walk from a road. The inevitable result is crowds and rules. Nudity and alcohol are forbidden. People seem to openly flaunt the alcohol ban, but very few people soak nude there. It's just too crowded and it's visible from the road.
Here is a view of the hot spring from the road. Most people don't notice that the hot spring is visible from the road. This view is from about 200 meters east of the parking area. It's not marked, but park wardens surely know where to stop to spy on the hot spring.
Here is a view closer to the pools. The upper pool is way too hot for me. I could stay in the second pool for a minute or two. My favorite pools were the lowest ones that mix with the river.
I saw this guy cross the road just before I got to the hot spring.
I stopped briefly in the middle of the afternoon to take pictures. Then I went into the park to set up my campsite. I met a woman at the campground who gave me a ride back to the hot spring that evening and again in the morning. I'm happy about that because it was 5 steep km from the hot spring to the campsite. The evening soak was crowded but congenial. The early morning soak was much less crowded. Only 3 people there. I soaked nude in the morning, but it was a risky thing to do.
Lussier is a great hot spring but it's too crowded for my tastes.
Wayne Estes
Oakland, Oregon, USA
