Lac La Biche ( ) is a large

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in north-central

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. It is located along the

Northern Woods and Water Route The Northern Woods and Water Route is a route through northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Western Canada. As early as the 1950s, community groups came together to establish a northern travel route; this was propos ...

, 95 km east of Athabasca. Lac La Biche has a total area of , including islands area.

Etymology

left, The southern shore seen from Lac La Biche. The indigenous peoples of the area refer to the lake as Elk Lake ( cr, script=Latn, wâwâskesiwisâkahikan, chp, tzalith tway). Since the lake shares its name with the town, locals often use the redundant name "Lac La Biche Lake".

Hydrography

Owl River flows into the lake, and its waters are drained through the ''La Biche River'' and into the

Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is ...

, placing it in the basin that flows to the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

. Just to the south is Beaver Lake which drains into

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

Settlements

The former town and population centre of Lac La Biche is located on the southern shore of the lake. The communities of Plamondon, Barnegat and Owl River are also located around Lac La Biche.

Recreation

Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park is a provincial park located in east-central Alberta, Canada, on the shore of Lac la Biche. The park is renowned for its birding and for its old-growth forests. It is composed of a medium-sized former island ...

is located on an island of the lake.

References

Lac La Biche County Lakes of Alberta {{CentralAlberta-geo-stub