Volcano in Canada
Travels close to home
The other day someone asked me about volcanoes. And why we never have them here. Well, actually we did. Right here in my country of Canada.
The Nass River valley area of BC is home to the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park and is the site of Canada’s most recent volcanic eruption. It happened around 1700, destroying two villages of the Nisga’a people and killing about 2,000. The lava swept through covering everything in its path and starting fires in surrounding forests.
In 2018 we camped for several weeks across BC, ending at a provincial park in Terrace. We made a day trip to the Nass Valley. We had no idea what to expect but it turned out to be well worth the drive of just over an hour.
The lava bed is huge and there is no doubt that it serves as a memorial to those who lost their lives those hundreds of years ago. We felt a spiritual presence there.
The landscape filled us with awe at the devastation that was caused by this sudden volcanic eruption. Looked at the beautiful mountains and forests of the area and imagined the villages that were destroyed and the people carrying on with their daily activities with no idea what was to come.
We also visited the Nisga’a Visitor Centre and the Hlgu Isgwit Hot Springs.
The trail to the hot tubs was only about a five-minute walk from the parking lot. The water was very hot; my grandchildren found them too warm for their comfort.
Before we headed back to Terrace we stopped at Lava Lake for a cool down. This is a beautiful lava-dammed lake.
During our camping trip, we saw no less than 14 bears, including this beautiful Kermode or Spirit bear.
I would strongly recommend a visit to this area if you are looking for new adventures in British Columbia. Please check for closures before planning your trip. During the pandemic, many places were impacted.
British Columbia is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I feel very lucky to call it home. There are many parts of the province I have yet to see even though I have lived here most of my life. I look forward to more camping, boating and experiencing all that is on offer here.
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