Moraine Lake

Although less than half the size of Lake Louise, Moraine Lake is just as spectacular and worthy of just as much film. It is up a winding road 13 km (eight miles) off Lake Louise Drive. Its rugged setting, nestled in the Valley of the Ten Peaks among the towering mountains of the main ranges, has provided inspiration for millions of people from around the world since Walter Wilcox became the first white man to reach its shore in 1899. Wilcox’s subsequent writings—such as “no scene has given me an equal impression of inspiring solitude and rugged grandeur”— guaranteed the lake’s future popularity. Although Wilcox was a knowledgeable man, he named the lake on the assumption that it was dammed by a glacial moraine deposited by the retreating Wenkchemna Glacier. In fact, the large rock pile that blocks its waters was deposited by major rockfalls from the Tower of Babel to the south. The lake often remains frozen until June, and the access road is closed all winter. A trail leads along the lake’s northern shore, and canoes are rented for $25 per hour from the concession below the lodge.

Sightseeing Gondola

During summer the main ski lift at Lake Louise winter resort (403/522-3555) whisks visitors up the face of Mount Whitehorn to Whitehorn Lodge in either open chairs or enclosed gondola cars. The view from the top—at an altitude of more than two km (1.2 miles) above sea level across the Bow Valley, Lake Louise, and the Continental Divide—is among the most spectacular in the Canadian Rockies. Short trails lead through the forests, across open meadows, and, for the energetic, to the summit of Mount Whitehorn, more than 600 vertical meters (1,970 vertical feet) above. Visitors are free to walk these trails, but it pays to join a guided walk ($3–5) if you’d like to learn about the surrounding environment. After working up an appetite (and working off breakfast), head to the teahouse in the Whitehorn Lodge, try the outdoor barbecue, or, back at the base area, enjoy lunch at the Lodge of the Ten Peaks, the resort’s impressive post-and-beam day lodge. The lift operates mid-May to September daily 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; adult $21, senior $19, child $10. Dine-and-ride packages are an excellent deal. Pay an extra $2 per person and have a buffet breakfast (7:30–10:30 a.m.) included with the gondola ride or $6 extra for lunch (11:30 a.m.– 2:30 p.m.). Free shuttles run from Lake Louise accommodations to the day lodge.