West Tuchodi Lake is formed where an alluvial fan caused by glacial action blocks the flow of the river.

East Tuchodi Lake is formed where the river is blocked by sand and gravel debris at the mouth of Joplin Creek.

White spruce and aspen, and some balsam poplar, grow along the riverside, and there are willows and wildflowers on the sandy gravel bars of the river.

[6] Where the river leaves the Rockies and enters the eastern foothills, there has been large-scale burning to enhance wildlife range.

[7] There is a healthy population of elk and moose in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where they find abundant food.