Even when the weather isn't cooperating Moraine Lake is still stunning. To get here one has to take a bus from Lake Louise in Banff National Park. It is so popular they don't allow cars anymore as the parking lot would fill up before 6am-One only has to come here to see why.
The lake is a shallow and is fed by glaciers up on the ten peaks surrounding the lake. It was hard to get a clear picture of the mountains because of the clouds and rainy weather. This lake has been photographed and painted so many times, we didn't really need to- it is so famous even being featured on this 1979 version of the Canadian 20 Dollar bill.
Back when this bill was first produced, $20 could get one groceries for a week. Now, you need almost two of them to pay for a day of parking at Lake Louise (population 691.) Parking at the Ski Hill and taking the shuttle bus is $8 per person which is much more reasonable as some of the buses even stop at Moraine lake for free. It's the only way to get here without walking 14km one-way uphill from the town.
We came here on a beautiful Saturday in the fall and still reserved the bus a few days in advanced so as not to be dissapointed. Reserve the bus at the Parks Canada Website under day use from June to October. Just don't be like me and forget your camera in the car.
The path along the West side of the lake is easy for all ages. Most of the famous photos are taken from a pile of rocks on the North side of the lake by the parking lot. Wikipedia has a good list of places where Moraine Lake has been featured It's been used as backgrounds for operating systems and in a number of video games.
Here is the Tower of Babel overlooking the Lake and towards the Bow Valley towards the North. This photo was taken in the opposite direction of the famous ten peaks we always see when looking at pictures of Moraine Lake.
A Moraine is a geological feature caused by melting glaciers, it's the crushed rock left beneath them. The lake was created by glaciers and a long time ago would have been under a glacier. A rockpile like this forms a natural dam which created the lake and it drains through the rocks. The minerals from the surrounding mountains give Moraine Lake its turquoise colours.
The lake is protected by Parks Canada and is one hundred percent natural. You are not allowed to fish or swim in Moraine lake but you could rent a Canoe or Kayak for a paddle around. Due to the weather the boat rentals were closed for the day.
The Rock Pile hill is filled with people taking selfies and admiring the view. What can I say, even with the grey skies it was still impressive. This was my first time at the lake since I was a kid and we would have loved to spend more time.
The clouds were moving fast as the water colour was changing as the rays of light hit the water's surface in slightly different ways. One can read all about the lake on signs which dot it shores. There is a lot of things people have said over the years in admiration of the Canadian Rockies.
Here's a picture of Lake Louise from later that day, the colour is like a gemstone, this is what Moraine Lake famously looks like. Both the lakes are in Alberta and on the other side of the mountains from them is British Columbia- more specifically the exclusive Lake O'Hara and Lake Oesa which I've written much about recently.
This is a view of the Bow Valley from the bus going back down from Moraine Lake to Lake Louise. You can see some Golden Larch, Canada's only deciduous coniferous trees which turn bright yellow then lose their needles each year. Winter comes early to these parts and the snow is just starting to melt in time for another hiking season.
Thank you for reading.
All photos were taken with an iPhone 15 pro max.