Lake Laberge
Lake Laberge is a uniquely beautiful place in Canada during the winter months which offers views of one of the most interesting and impressive natural phenomena - the Northern Lights. Laberge is a long and narrow lake with crystal clear water, which was formed in the extension of the Yukon River, in the eponymous western Canadian federal territory.
Laberge lake stands about 50 kilometers north of the city of Whitehorse. It is part of a group of lakes known as The Southern Lakes, which also includes Marsh Lake and Lake Atlin.
The length of the coastline of Laberge amounts to about 50 km and the width of the pool ranges from 1 to 5 km. It is situated at 628 meters above sea level, and its total area amounts to 201 sq. km. The average depth is 54 meters and maximum depth - 146 meters.
Native Indians of the region are from the tribe Tagish, who call the lake "Kluk-tas-si". Traditionally they inhabited the region around the lakes Marsh and Tagil, but there lived the Tlingit tribe of Indians, who called Laberge "Tahini-wud".
This lake’s the name was given in 1870 in honor of one of the first colonists of New France - Robert de La Berge (1638-1712). The lake itself was familiar territory of prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1880. They went through this body of water on their way to the Yukon River at Dawson City.
In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Laberge was used to carry cargo and goods, but then the ships encountered a huge problem because of the freezing surface. Then there were 3 methods of breaking the ice blocks, and the frozen surface was coated with oil to be heated by the sun and melt easier. Although extremely beautiful, lake Laberge suffers from environmental problems.
Since 1999, a ban was declared to consuming fish from the lake more than 2 times a week, because of the toxicity of aquatic animals as a result of global pesticide use and overfishing in the lake, leading to a change in the food chain.
However, Laberge is one of the nicest places in the area where one can enjoy the quiet, picturesque scenery, while canoeing or fishing in the summer. Along it there are holiday homes, such as the Deluxe Vacation Home with a capacity of about 6 people. Laberge cabin offers excellent opportunities for hiking, biking, sailing, canoeing or kayaking, horseback riding, etc.
