Athabasca Plains

South of Lake Athabasca, sandy plains and boreal forest give way to an extraordinary belt of dunes. The sands were deposited by glacial meltwater and reshaped by wind after the ice retreated. Some dunes are held in place by vegetation; others remain open and shifting. The William and MacFarlane rivers cross this country on their way to the lake, carrying sand into braided channels and deltas. Among the plants adapted to the dunes are several found nowhere else.