Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are the two most beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies and among the most photographed scenes in Canada. Lake Louise is a sheet of glacier-fed turquoise beneath a hanging glacier and a grand chateau, while Moraine Lake, cradled in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, glows an even more vivid blue. Their unreal colour comes from fine glacial silt suspended in the meltwater.

Highlights

• Lake Louise - the turquoise lake below its glacier and grand chateau.
• Moraine Lake - the vivid blue lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks.
• Canoeing - paddling on the glassy turquoise water.
• The lakeshore trails - the walks and teahouse hikes above the lakes.

When to go

Mid-June to September, once the ice melts and the colour is at its most vivid and the access roads open; the lakes are frozen and Moraine Lake's road closed the rest of the year. Sunrise light on the peaks is spectacular.

Before you go

Access is now tightly managed: private cars are barred or full by dawn, so you must use the park shuttle or a booked bus, which sell out ahead, especially for Moraine Lake; plan and reserve. The colour needs sunlight to glow. It is stunning but very crowded in peak season.

Nearby

Banff town and the Icefields Parkway to Jasper are close; Yoho National Park adjoins.