Remote Muncho Lake is located within Muncho Lake Provincial Park on the Alaska Highway, west of Toad River and south of Liard River. Muncho Lake displays a perpetually blue hue, the result of copper oxides leached from the bedrock.
Flanked by mountains, the Terminal Range is on the west side of Muncho Lake, while the Sentinel Ranges, rising sharply above the campgrounds to the east, are near the northern limit of the Rockies.
One of the best ways to appreciate the mountains is to either get out on the lake in a boat or hike up into them from nearby trails. Highway 97 follows the east side of Muncho Lake and passes beside both Strawberry Flats and MacDonald Campgrounds.
Back when the Alaska Highway was still a gravel road, the small roadside stations were the essence of life and travel along this long and lonely highway, and they still remain invaluable to the weary traveller today.
It is almost impossible not to observe wildlife as you travel through the Northeast, the so-called Serengeti of North America. The area’s spectacular wildlife fauna consists of eight species of ungulates, namely Stone Sheep, mountain goats, bison, moose, elk, caribou, and white-tailed and mule deer; plus at least seven species of medium-sized carnivores including wolves, coyotes, foxes, grizzly bears, black bears, lynx and wolverines.
Deer, moose, bears, and elk frequent clearings alongside roads, foraging for food. In some areas, salt licks have been placed near the road to attract ungulates. Be careful when driving these roads, especially at night; if you were to hit a moose, the chances are good that your vehicle would come out of the encounter in worse shape than the moose.