Stone Mountain Provincial Park – Summit Lake Campground British Columbia, Canada

Mileage:  42,094

It was a soggy morning that gradually cleared to reveal cerulean blue skies.

We pulled out early hoping to see some early morning wildlife.

We saw black bear #1 and #2 at the tree line and black bear #3 on the shoulder.

We passed miles of charred and bare forest blackened by a wildfire.

We passed a pair of sandhill cranes.

We passed a hearty soul riding a bicycle.

We stopped at Fort Nelson to get diesel fuel.  Afterward we took a walk from the rotary park to the visitor center where we were able to get useful camping information.

After Fort Nelson the road is a twisting turning path through the Canadian Rockies.  As we traveled north we saw black bear #4 over a knoll and black bear #5 eating vegetation by the aspen trees.

We stopped for lunch and as we pulled away a fox crossed the road in front of us.

We saw Lee and Claudia stopped at a scenic overlook and we stopped as well.  It was a gorgeous view of the Muskwa River Valley.  As I was standing there I spotted movement in the distance.  It was a big black bear #6.  We watched as he walked along the road and jumped over the jersey wall where he disappeared into the underbrush.

The road follows the Testa River which is so clear that you can see the river stones on the bottom.

Suddenly Tim saw a “big damn beaver dam!”  We stopped to admire the 100-foot-long solidly constructed dam that was retaining 3’ of water.  We weren’t able to get close enough to see if the beaver were home.

We almost captured a picture of black bear #7 but he ducked down into a ditch and you can barely see the top of his head.

We saw a caribou on our way into the park.

We walked across the Alaska Highway and found a trail along a stream.

We sit here now in the beautiful afternoon sunshine thinking that we have never been in a prettier campground.

To the south is a bare mountain peak.  We could see activity along the ridge.  With binoculars Tim could see 2 caribou.

To the west is Summit Lake – azure blue from the silts of glacial meltwater.  White spruce dot the hillside.  Beyond the lake are the Rocky Mountains partially covered in snow.  Stone Mountain is the highest summit on the Alaska Highway.

To the north we can see the highway and a rocky peak at least 1,000 feet higher than where we were sitting munching on grapes and good cheddar.

After a campfire and some dinner, we decided to ride out in the Jeep and see if we could find an off-road trail.

We were able to see a herd of caribou grazing by a lake.

We saw a stone sheep high on the cliff side.  There is a sheep standing majestic…somewhere in this picture.

We saw a stone sheep mama and her lamb.

We also saw a porcupine.  This is a picture of his backside!

What an amazing day!  How lucky are we?