Muncho Lake, BC

For a seven mile stretch, the Alaska/Canada Highway hugs the shoreline of Muncho Lake in the Muncho Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia. ‘Muncho’ means ‘Big Lake’ in the Kaska language, and it certainly lives up to its name, not only in surface area, but in its overabundance of breathtaking beauty. Once again, we arrived a bit too early for the ‘Full Monte’ effect of the blue/green water. Nevertheless, we were so taken with this place that we stayed an extra day just to absorb as much of it as we could.

The lake is reportedly 700 feet deep, a mile across and surrounded by spectacular mountains in all directions. It is famous for its deep green-blue color which is a result of the presence of copper oxide in the water. Artic grayling, whitefish and lake trout are present in abundance and attract flocks of fisherpersons to this lake, all looking for a chance to land a whopper. The record lake trout from Muncho weighed in at a massive 50 pounds.

During our time here, the lake was thawing and provided a unique experience for us. Along the shoreline, thin individual straws of ice tinkled together with the movement of the water. As the current pushed them into each other, they upended and pressed together vertically to form clusters of shimmering ice islands or tumbled onto the shore in growing clusters of icy spines that seemed to ‘crawl’ from the water’s edge.

The channels of melted water cut deep blue lines between the white ice out deeper in the lake. Beneath the white ice shelves, the crystal-clear water revealed the steep curve of the shoreline falling into the deep blue depths of the lake. We were fascinated at how quickly the ice changed, shifted and moved in the few days that we were there to observe it.  

Once again, we find ourselves pledging to return to experience this wonder of nature without its icy cloak.

We’ll be back,