Park overview
Choquette Hot Springs Park is a remote area in northwestern B.C., which can only be accessed by boat. The park was established in 2001 to protect a collection of 15 individual hot springs.
These hot springs allow vegetation to grow year-round, and create the conditions for uncommon plant, algae, and archaebacteria species. Swimming in water around the springs is not recommended and may damage sensitive ecosystems.
Chief Shakes Hot Springs, just across the Alaska border, is the nearest recommended bathing area. This area can be reached by boat via the Stikine River. For more information, see the hot spring section, below.
Choquette Hot Springs Park is across the Stikine River from Great Glacier Park. This neighbouring park can only be reached by water. It offers extraordinary views of Great Glacier and its outwash lake.
Advisories
Safety info
Choquette Hot Springs is a remote backcountry area with zero facilities. There are no maintained or clearly defined trails to the hot springs. The springs themselves are in a swampy area within a series of beaver ponds. These ponds dilute the spring waters, making them lukewarm.
If you intend to visit the hot springs, you must be prepared to navigate through this unmaintained and swampy terrain. Always carry all the appropriate safety and navigation equipment. For specific information on what you will need to bring with you, see the AdventureSmart hiking guide.
Camping
Wilderness camping is allowed in Choquette Hot Springs Park. However, no formal campgrounds or other facilities are provided. Wilderness camping is also allowed at Great Glacier Park, directly across the Stikine River.
On any wilderness camping trip, always follow Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. For more information, see our backcountry guide.
Facilities
There are no areas suitable for swimming in Choquette Hot Springs. Swimming in the swampy, lukewarm waters near the hot springs is not recommended. If you enter these waters, you may cause damage to the area’s fragile ecosystems.
The nearest springs suitable for swimming are Chief Shakes Hot Springs, in Alaska. These are 16 km downstream of the Canada-U.S. border, in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness Area of the Tongass National Forest. The United States Forest Service maintains indoor and outdoor hot tub facilities at this location.
To access the Chief Shakes Hot Springs facility, travel by boat on the Stikine River towards the Ketilli River. Take the Ketilli approximately 9.5 km to the Hot Tub Slough entrance. During low water levels, you must land upstream of the Hot Tub Slough and follow a trail to the springs.
Activities
There are opportunities for canoeing and kayaking in Choquette Hot Springs Park. Paddling is one of the most popular ways of entering the park, which has no land access. You can also use the Stikine River to access Great Glacier Park or, across the Alaska border, Chief Shakes Hot Springs.
There are opportunities for canoeing and kayaking in Choquette Hot Springs Park. Paddling is one of the most popular ways of entering the park, which has no land access. You can also use the Stikine River to access Great Glacier Park or, across the Alaska border, Chief Shakes Hot Springs.
Choquette Hot Springs Park is approximately 120 km southwest of Telegraph Creek. It is directly across the Stikine River from Great Glacier Park. You can access the park by boat on the Stikine River. There is no land access.
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: January 25, 2001
- Size: 52 hectares
Nature and culture
Cultural heritage
Choquette Hot Springs Park lies within the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation. The Stikine River (‘great river’ in Tlingit) is a historic travel and trading route for Tahltan and Tlingit people.
Both nations have oral history describing a time when part of the Stikine Ice Field spanned across the Stikine River. This part of the ice field stood where Choquette Hot Springs Park and nearby Great Glacier Park are today.
History
Choquette Hot Springs Park was designated by the BC Government in 2001. It protects this remotes area’s hot springs, thermal wetland, and rivers. The park was designated based on the recommendations of the Cassiar Iskut-Stikine Land and Resource Management Plan.
The springs were named after Alexander ‘Buck’ Choquette, the first known miner to have explored the Iskut River area in the 1860s. Choquette built a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post on the flats above the hot springs. He was married to Georgina, daughter of Chief Shakes of the Tlingit First Nation.
Conservation
Choquette Hot Springs Park lies within the Boundary Ranges ecosection, in the Coastal Western Hemlock bio-geoclimatic zone. The hot springs create the conditions for several uncommon vascular plant, algae, and archaebacteria species. The warm water allows vegetation to grow year-round. The hot springs and associated wetlands are considered biologically and physically exceptional.
Wildlife
The unique microclimate found in Choquette Hot Springs Park provides important moose wintering habitat and supports a productive waterfowl habitat.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.