Province orders restoration of Hobo Hot Springs | Daily Hive

Province orders restoration of Hobo Hot Springs after it was destroyed last year

Photos of the natural hot spring covered after it was covered (L) and before (R). (David Northey | Daily Hive)

A beloved natural spring in Harrison Hot Springs is set to be restored thanks to action from the B.C. government after it was destroyed by boulders and filled with dirt last year.

Nicknamed “Hobo Hot Springs,” the natural pool is located along an esplanade that leads directly to the source of the hot springs, where stones were built up by the public around the lower hot pools.

The natural hot springs attracted visitors and residents to the area, especially when folks didn’t feel like spending money to use the hot-spring-fed mineral pools at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort.

However, last October, Hobo Hot Springs was covered up, leaving locals shocked and disappointed. Eventually, Harrison Hot Springs Mayor Fred Talen caught wind of the destruction after numerous residents posted about it on social media.

“There are couple things concerning this, these hot springs… as I understand it is controlled by the Harrison Hot Springs Resort [and] staff working for the resort placed these boulders in the hot spring pools… to mitigate the resort’s risk and liability associated with public use of these hot springs pools,” the mayor previously told Daily Hive.

The natural hot mineral waters of Hobo Hot Springs before it was covered (Darcy Matheson)

While the resort has a conditional water licence, the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship stated that the natural spring is on Provincial Crown land.

In November 2024, the province launched an investigation into the alleged damage at Hobo Hot Springs, noting that “filling in or making changes to a spring and any associated pools would require a change approval.”

“The springs would be a crown resource, even if on private land,” the Ministry previously stated.

Then, on Tuesday, the Ministry provided further information as to the next steps for the Hobo Hot Springs and its restoration.

“I know these springs mean a great deal to people in the Harrison Hot Springs community, and we’re actively working with the Harrison Hot Springs Resort to return the site to its natural state,” said Randene Neill, B.C.’s minister for water, land and resource stewardship, in a statement to Daily Hive.

“As part of that process, a fence was installed to discourage people from moving boulders and disrupting the spring while work is underway. Once the work is done, it will be removed so that people can again enjoy this beautiful area.”

The Ministry added that the next steps of its investigation will be determined after the order of compliance has been verified.

Daily Hive has reached out to Harrison Hot Springs Resort for further comment and will update this story with its response.

With files from Nikitha Martins

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