Road Trip 2010: Days 17 Ft. Nelson to Liard Hot Springs

June 24th

Ft. Nelson to Liard Hotsprings

The route from Ft Nelson to our next stop at Liard Hotsprings would have been gorgeous--if it weren’t for the rain. And we got lots of it. It was overcast and cloudy when it wasn’t raining. The tops of many of the peaks were hidden in the clouds offering only occasional glimpses of their still snowy tops. The valleys were shrouded in clouds too and, when the road went up the hills, we often looked down upon them. So, instead of the sun lighting up the landscape, the clouds and rain gave everything a somber, surreal, and even eerie cast.

Indian Head

We did see some wildlife along the way. Two black bears—one probably a year old and the other at least two or three years of age--were out feeding on the grass on the side of the road and in a large pasture, respectively. Neither presented an opportunity to photograph them and I made no special effort to get one since—hey!—they were just black bears! We’ve got them in the yard both in PA and the Adirondacks. Later in the morning we had a cow moose pose for us along the roadside and that I did slow down and even stop for since I could see nothing behind me for over a mile. Then there was the first Wood Bison and that seemed special but traffic didn’t permit my stopping and Terry’s photo shot through the rainy windshield is anything but clear.

Cow moose.

Wood Bison

Still, the scenery—despite the clouds and rain—was spectacular. The Highway was now running through the Northern Canadian Rockies. Strong rivers (the Testa, McDonald and the Toad Rivers) flow through the valleys and sizable lakes occupy some.

We stopped at the Toad River Lodge for a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun and to take in some of the over 7500 hats they have hanging on the ceiling, walls and just about anything that isn’t moving. We even donated a bright orange Audubon hat to the growing collection. (For some reason a member of our party from Kentucky did not care for the bright (Tennessee) orange cap when Terry wore it one day. I can’t imagine why.)

A short distance down the road we came upon Folded Mountain. The cliff face clearly shows the tremendous pressure that folded some of the Rocky Mountains into shape.

Folded Mountain.

Less than 10 miles further on, there’s an area where flash flooding has brought a tremendous amount of sand, gravel ad rock out of the mountains and deposited it in a fan shaped area that encompasses many acres. Called an alluvial fan it stretches out into the Toad River drainage. Across the highway are two small waterfalls that appear only during and/or after a rain. Since it was raining…

Alluvial fan caused by flash flooding.

Waterfall

Waterfall

Munch Lake is only seven miles long and less than one wide, yet it could compete with any Scottish Loch for beauty. The old highway, as laid out in 1942, ran across the top of the cliffs that ran along the shoreline. Many a bulldozer and military vehicle went over the edge and into the 300+ foot deep waters of the lake. Today, the road hugs the shoreline as it twists and turns for the length of the lake. The new road construction has exposed minerals and salts that the Stone Sheep and Caribou find desirable. We did not see any of the sheep, but there were two Caribou (mother and young) feeding atop one of the several alluvial fans (debris fields) that can be found at the mouths of the tributary creeks. Of course, we were unable to get any pictures of them.

Looking north from approximately midway along Munch Lake.

Looking south from approximately midway along Munch Lake.

Looking across the lake from approximately midway along Munch Lake.

A short time later we arrived at our camp site across the street from Liard Hotsprings Provincial Park. The camp grounds had been closed just a week or two ago with little chance of their being open in time for our arrival. A malfunctioning generator (it’s w-a-y out there in the bush) and a leaky water system could have made this a powerless, dry camp. But the young man who is in charge this year made a special effort and got the camp up and running with full services.

Once we were in our spots, most of us went across the road to soak in the natural hot springs. The rain let up just long enough to let us enjoy a good soak in waters that approach boiling where they enter the pools.

You do not want to see any photos of mostly seniors taking the waters.

Trust me on this.