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Of course, we left the Buckinghorse Campground in the rain!
Fred had thought about doing some fishing and heard that Muncho Lake was terrific so that was where we headed.
Muncho Lake is long and deep and an intensely emerald green colour. The name came from the Kaska (one of the many First Nation people in Northern B.C. and the Yukon) word for big water. The Lake is a deep, deep jade colour that is often attributed to the copper oxide minerals brought down from the ancient glaciers high above thousands of years ago.
Fishing isn’t much fun when it is cold and rainy so we never did find out if there was good fishing.
The road from Muncho Lake to Liard is not very far but it seemed lined with expensive tourist stops (a pricey lodge and gas that ran $1.89 a litre) and wildlife – particularly the bison who sauntered along from one side of the road to the other, not paying much attention to any thing or anybody. The fellow at Coal River showed us where the herd of about 200 bison trampled his fence.
Liard Hot Springs is an ecological wonder. There in the northern-most area of western BC approaching the 60th parallel of latitude lies a thermal pool ecosystem - the second largest hot spring in Canada. The temperature of the water ranges from 42°-52° C (107°-126°F) and supports a boreal forest and marsh with species that survive only because of the microclimate the springs produce. The Hot Springs flow directly into an intricate system of swamps. There were two pools but the upper pool (the Beta pool) has been closed to the public to protect an endangered species they discovered in the pond.
A 300 metre wooden boardwalk wanders through the swampy muskeg that supports both wildlife and vegetation that is not found anywhere else.
There is no doubt the Hotsprings was a highlights of our Yukon Adventure. An added element to our joy may have been the weather. The rain let up for the few days we spent there.
We both enjoyed our time there but in different ways. I visited to pool once and Fred enjoyed the healing waters and I spent most of my time wandering around the area taking photos of the wild flowers.
Here are some of the Wildflowers I could identify:
Arctic Lupine
Northern Bedstraw
Northern Sweet Vetch
Mountain Avens
Prickly Rose
Yellow Lady's Slipper
We left the Liard Hotsprings Campground in a flurry of rain warnings but before we left, we did manage to find the Smith River Falls on this dubious trail that wandered up to a couple of outhouses and a questionable view of the falls.
Back on the highway through rain and road wash-outs, we crossed the Continental Divide and made our way into the Yukon and Watson Lake.
Ribbons of snow decorated the mountain peaks all around us.
2 comments:
The last one is not what I know as forget-me-not but who knows.
It may be raining in Northern BC but definitely not in Southern BC. It is cooking.
Big flood at the Roost, what's wrong with that???
Nice photos!
Jaimie
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