Muncho Lake is one of those places that stops conversation. Set in a deep valley of the Northern Rockies in northern British Columbia, the lake is about twelve kilometres long and a startling jade-green, a colour that comes from copper oxide minerals washing in from the surrounding rocks. The Alaska Highway runs along its eastern shore, squeezed between water and steep rock walls, and in some places the road hangs just above the lake with the cliff right at your elbow.
The highway has a famous origin. In 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US Army Corps of Engineers drove a military supply road from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction in Alaska in less than a year, with thousands of soldiers and civilians working through brutal winter and summer. It was rough and rutted at first, and over the decades it has been rebuilt and straightened, though some stretches here remain narrow and winding. Fort Nelson, about two hundred kilometres to the south-east, is the nearest large town, and Liard River, with its hot springs, lies to the north-west.
The riding is superb but demands attention. The road is a good paved two-lane but with frost heaves, patches, sudden dips and long gravel stretches under repair. Wildlife is a real hazard: Stone sheep gather at a mineral lick near the lake, bison wander the road further north, and black bears, caribou and moose cross at any time. Ride slowly at dawn and dusk and keep the speed down. Weather can swing from sun to snow even in summer, and temperatures drop sharply at night.
A lodge at the lake offers fuel, food and rooms, but services are far apart, and it is wise to fill up whenever you can, since the next pump may be a hundred kilometres away. Carry spare supplies, a rain suit and warm layers. The best months are June to August, with long light into the evening. In winter the road remains open, but conditions are harsh. Pull over at one of the viewpoints on the lake's shore, turn off the engine and listen to the silence.