Trip 117 - September 3, 2016 (Saturday)

Stone's Sheep Trail Hike

Muncho Lake Provincial Park

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Trailhead Location: Northeastern British Columbia, by Highway 97, approximately 245 kilometers North of Fort Nelson.

Liked: Mountain views, glacier view, stone pillars, balancing stone, "brick" stones, meeting a pair of Stone Sheep, no bugs.

Of note: Very rough surface for most of the trail past the first waterfall, a short but complicated climb by the first waterfall, numerous creek crossings are required (mostly after the first waterfall). Hiking poles and boots are highly recommended to the first waterfall, and are essential, if you want to proceed further.

Northern BC Backroad Mapbook (3rd edition) Trailhead Coordinates: Page 73 (Muncho Lake) E3.

Related Website: BC Parks - Muncho Lake Provincial Park.

Other Trips in Fort Nelson Area: Dunedin Trail, Fort Nelson BC Visit, Teetering Rock Trail, Summit Peak Trail, Summit Ridge Trail.

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26. Within five minutes of the two stone pillars pictured in photo #25, there is a very obvious split, where two canyons (each bearing a creek) meet to form the canyon and the creek we've been following all along. Take the right canyon/creek to get to the glacier and to see these "brick" stones.

Stone's Sheep Trail Muncho Lake Provincial Park British Columbia Canada

27. Looks like someone built a housing for a spring, no?

Stone's Sheep Trail Northeastern British Columbia Canada

28. Weird...

BC Hike

29. We have reached the glacier close to four hours after the start, and it looked like a natural end to the hike.

Glacier Stone's Sheep Trail Muncho Lake Provincial Park - Hike in British Columbia

30. But then we noticed a mountain lurking on the right.

Alaska Highway Hike

31. Went up that hill, and there was this beauty. Coordinates for our final destination: N 58⁰59.582' W 125⁰40.697'. Elevation: 1,589 meters.

Muncho Lake Provincial Park British Columbia Canada - Alaska Highway Hiking

32. This sure turned out to be a great hike, and, on our way back, we wanted to get a closer look at a few large stones, which looked like they might fall down in a not-so-distant future.

Hike by Alaska Highway

33. A closer look.

Hike North of Fort Nelson BC

34. We checked the photo above in our camera to make sure it was in focus, looked up to see if there were other similar stones, and, lo and behold, a sheep was just standing there like a statue!

Stone Sheep by Stone's Sheep Provincial Park BC Canada

35. Never mind the steepness, never mind the loose dirt and stones, up we went in a hurry.

Muncho Lake Provincial Park Hiking British Columbia Canada

36. While going up, we checked out another balancing stone.

Hike by Alaska Highway

37. It might be a good idea not to stand under it.

Balancing Stone by Stone's Sheep Trail Muncho Lake Provincial Park British Columbia Canada

38. From a slightly different angle.

Balancing Stone

39. And look who was staring at us while we were climbing.

Stone Sheep Ewe Muncho Lake Provincial Park

40. Hi, there.

Stone Sheep Ewe

41. The ewe pictured above soon disappeared, but the ram we spotted earlier did not. It was munching on grass when we finally got to the top.

42. Hello to you too.

Stone Sheep Ram

43. The ram then ran away, and we went down.

44. More neat views on the way back.

Muncho Lake Provincial Park Trail

45. With some zoom.

Alaska Highway Hiking

46. Approaching the first waterfall.

Stone's Sheep Trail Muncho Lake Provincial Park

47. And now we are almost back, with Muncho Lake seen ahead.

Muncho Lake seen from Stone's Sheep Trail

48. The parking lot has good information signs about Stone Sheep. You will learn how to tell a male from a female by looking at the size and shape of the horns...

Stone's Sheep Information Board

49...find out why these animals are called Stone Sheep, and what they eat...

50...and read about the difference between the three kinds of mountain sheep in Western Canada.

Western Canada Mountain Sheep Information Board

51. Finally, note that there is no 911 service in this area, and you would need to dial the following numbers in an emergency:

Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Emergency Phone Numbers

Stone's Sheep Trail is one of the most impressive hikes we have ever had. Highly recommended.