Day 46 – Junction of 97 & 77 to Liard Hot Springs

Today’s Mileage 172
Miles to Date 4327
Miles Remaining 5315

We continue north on the Alaskan Highway today in the rain. The rain must have kept the animals out as there were quite a few along the highway. We saw a lynx, several bears, moose and bison. It took a while to convince my co-pilot to get the camera out so the only animal picture we got was of the two moose by the highway and one can barely see them in the picture due to the rain drops on the windshield.

There is a little better video of the Toad River and Muncho Lake.

The highway along Muncho Lake required considerable rock excavation by the Army in 1942. Horses were used to haul away the rocks. The original route went along the tops of the cliffs, which proved too hazardous. Portions of the original route road can be seen high above the lake. The army relocated the road by benching into the cliffs a few feet above the lake.

Liard River Hotsprings consist of a wetland environment that supports more than 250 boreal forest plants, including 14 orchid species and 14 plants that survive at this latitude because of the hot springs. There are two hot spring pools with water temperatures ranging from 108 to 126 degrees F (42 to 52 C).

The campground is full due to the Canada Day four day holiday so we are boon docking across the highway in a gravel overflow area. Camping here is free. It is $5.00 per person to bath in the hot springs. The campground is $19, no hookups, and includes the hot springs.

The area is another electronic dead zone. We needed to face north in order to have a place to put out the big slide, so no satellite radio and there is no cell phone service, internet or even radio stations.