Today, I’m going to tell you (and show you!) all about visiting my favorite lake in Banff National Park, Moraine Lake. I visited Banff with my husband Brian earlier this month, and was honestly blown away by how much more beautiful Moraine Lake was in person than in any of the photos I’d seen!
The stunning lake is located in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, aptly named for the ten peaks of the Canadian Rockies that can be seen surrounding it. It gets its beautiful teal blue color for an interesting reason. As the glaciers that feed it melt, they carry with it silt, or bits of glacial rock and debris, that the sunlight refracts off of to create the incredible color.
- When to visit:
- If you’re wanting to see Moraine Lake at its peak teal color, it’s best to wait until mid-June. By then, the lake will have fully thawed and will have risen enough to take on its characteristic shade of blue.
- Where to hike at Moraine Lake:
- There are several different trail options that offer stunning views here. The Shoreline Trail is an easy, 1.8 mile trail that covers about half of Moraine Lake’s shoreline and offers endlessly beautiful views. It ends at an area of rapids at the other end of the lake, and you hike back the way you came.
- I loved these views so much that Brian and I did this trail twice– once on our first day in Banff and again on our last day!
- The Rockpile Trail is another popular hike at Moraine Lake. It’s a moderate, 0.5 mile climb up a large pile of rocks that offers stunning views of the lake and the surrounding mountains.
- There are several different trail options that offer stunning views here. The Shoreline Trail is an easy, 1.8 mile trail that covers about half of Moraine Lake’s shoreline and offers endlessly beautiful views. It ends at an area of rapids at the other end of the lake, and you hike back the way you came.
- Canoeing at Moraine Lake:
- Moraine Lake Lodge offers canoes for rent starting at 8:30am during the summer months. Since no reservations are allowed, coming early if you want to canoe is your best bet!
- We did not canoe here as it was too windy and cool on our first visit here, and on our second visit, we had just canoed at Lake Louise.
- Whether you canoe at Moraine Lake or Lake Louise, it is pricey. The current cost is $110 CAD (about $85 USD), but is well worth it in my book. The views from the water are honestly incredible, and my take is that who knows when I’ll be back again to experience it!
Visiting Banff National Park was a major check off my bucket list, and I highly reccomend adding it to yours if it’s not there already! Have you visited Banff before? What was your favorite site here? Let me know in the comments! And if you have any questions about visiting Banff, comment below and I’ll address them in my next post!