Muncho Lake

Muncho Lake runs about twelve kilometres along the highway in the northern Rockies, and its strong jade-green comes from copper oxide leaching from the bedrock into the water. The Alaska Highway was pushed along the shore in 1942, blasted into the rock face, and the road still runs at the water's edge with the mountains rising directly behind. The mineral licks along this stretch draw stone sheep and caribou down to the roadside, particularly in early summer, and this is one of the more reliable places in Canada to see stone sheep. Moose, bison and bears are regular along the same highway section.

The landscape

• The jade water - green from copper oxide in the bedrock.
• The highway on the shore - the 1942 road blasted along the lakeside.
• The mineral licks - stone sheep and caribou coming to the roadside.
• The northern Rockies - peaks rising straight from the water.

When to go

June to September for services and wildlife at the licks; the highway is open year-round but winter driving here is serious and services close. Wildlife is most visible early summer.

Before you go

Services along this stretch are hundreds of kilometres apart and fuel prices are high. Wildlife on the road is a genuine collision risk, particularly at dusk. Cell coverage is absent.

Nearby

Liard River Hot Springs lies north; the Yukon border is northwest.

Key facts