More Great Stops on the Alaska Highway

Yes! We snagged two of the 10 hard-to-get first come first serve campsites at the glacier made, Azure-blue Muncho Lake. We arrived at 10:45 am (after a stop at the Testa Lodge to buy two of their famous cinnamon rolls), quickly backed into 2 lakeside campsites, and by 11 am, all 10 were taken. Whew! Since the area is so beautiful and there are nearby hiking trails, we decided to stay two nights. Plus, Greg is an avid fisherman and the lake is known for trout. However, Greg noted that lake trout like to hang out in deep water and the deepest part of the lake is 734 feet deep. I do not think his fishing line will go down that far! The lake is 7.5 miles long and its width varies – 1 mile wide at its widest location The beautiful lake, the surrounding mountains, the cliffs, the wildlife…all make this a great stop.

Murphy was in heaven having the swimmable lake literally at his front door. Within 30 minutes of our arrival, he was in the chilly, 50° water. With his water resistant labrador coat, the chilly water did not seem to bother him a bit.

Our drive north to Muncho Lake took us across the Northern Canadian Rockies. What a gorgeous segment of the Alaska Highway. Once again, it is just hard to capture the stunning beauty in these pictures. We were fortunate to spot several bears, caribou, and sheep during the drive, but tough to take pictures. They ask you not to stop in the highway to take pictures, but to pull off on one of the numerous pull-outs, but that’s not where the wildlife is!

During several of our hikes (and our drive to the next stop), we spotted several Stone Sheep. Here are a few of the best pictures (the real awesome ones are courtesy of Greg & Helen’s super-duper camera lens.

The second day, we left for an early morning hike on the Mineral Lick trail, hoping to see sheep, moose, or caribou who stop by to lick the rock flour containing calcium, magnesium, sulphur, phosphorus and sodium. The animals need these minerals for growing their bones, teeth, and hair. We were able to spot a lone sheep high up on the cliff, getting his licks for the day in.

After our hike, we stopped by a local gas station and café near our campsite for breakfast. Homemade bread and enormous cinnamon rolls. Dave could only eat half of his huge breakfast sandwich. The bread was so very good.

Speaking of cinnamon rolls, what about the famous cinnamon rolls we bought at Testa Lodge? Did their cinnamon rolls beat Buc-ee’s, or Wall Drug’s, or the homemade rolls from the campground in Montana?? For me it was a Yes! Greg gave them a 9 and Dave & Helen gave them a thumbs up. As a twist, Testa frosts the bottom of their cinnamon rolls, making the top a bit crunchy, with cinnamon swirled throughout the roll. Maybe we should have bought more than two and froze them (actually, I still have one in the freezer). We do have to try the large cinnamon roll bought at the local café. You just never know…

We went on a few more hikes along the rocky river beds, which hold the snow melt from the very nearby mountains. It looks like Canada has done a great job in channeling the water from the snow melt into the valley below, adding berms to direct the flow and culverts beneath the highway to avoid flooding the road.

When in Dawson Creek, we shopped at The Butchers Block meat market and were told their hot dogs were a big seller. Dave suggested we roast them over the campfire. They plumped up nicely and had a great char on them. Unfortunately, the hot dogs were quite bland. However, the baby back ribs and beef jerky we bought there were delicious.

On our drive to our next stop, we drove over the only remaining suspension bridge on the Alaska Highway, built in 1942. Dave was none too happy about crossing a suspension bridge that had endured 82 Canadian winters.

Our final stop for this week was to Liard Hot Springs for a luxurious soak Located right along the Alaska Highway, Liard Hot Springs is Canadian’s second largest hot spring and is nestled in a lush boreal spruce forest. The springs have been a treat to travelers for centuries. The indigenous First Nation tribe, fur traders and the crews building the Alaska Highway enjoyed its hot water, with temperatures ranging between 107°F and 126°F. Actually, it was the Army who built the first 0.4 mile boardwalk to the springs in 1942 (yep, the year the Alaska Highway was built). The springs have two levels, the upper “Alpha” level where the water enters and is much hotter than the “warm” lower level. If you are brave, you can walk up to where the scalding water is bubbling in and place a rock on the ledge. Greg & Helen braved the heat and Helen even went in twice for double rock placement! We enjoyed the springs so much we went the day we arrived, twice the next day, and planned to go the morning before we left. However, it was raining, just a light rain. The others really didn’t want to go, but I did. So I went. And, the best of all, I placed a rock on the ledge by the scalding water. Yay me!

That is a wrap for this week. We are getting closer to Alaska every day, but would not have missed these stops for anything. Thanks for following along as we drive the Alaska Highway.

Loving the hot springs soak Brenda, Canada continues to amaze Dave, and Muncho Lake swimming was superb Murphy.