Moraine Lake: How To Visit Banff’s Most Iconic Alpine Lake 2026

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• Moraine Lake and the Ten Peaks behind it are dressed in the warm morning light, and the lake is calm before the canoe rentals open at 9 am.
• This is due to the avalanche risk on the road as it crosses avalanche paths.
• To get to Moraine Lake, you’ll need to take a Parks Canada shuttle bus.
• The lake is usually accessible from mid-June to mid-October.
• Click here to book your shuttle tickets with Parks Canada

In 2025, you can only visit by biking to the lake or booking a shuttle. Many people were illegally parking overnight in the tiny parking lot or had to visit at 4 am to find a parking spot at Moraine Lake. Now it’s time to show you all the tips for visiting Moraine Lake. With its breathtaking turquoise colour, ten mountain peaks in the background, and easy access to the lake, it’s easy to see why. There’s plenty of parking, and no shuttle is needed – pull up and start exploring.

Hiking trails

The road to Moraine Lake closes for the winter yearly due to avalanche risk. Every year, tourists are evacuated by Search and Rescue on one of these hikes/routes. These hikes are easy to moderate scrambles but come with mountain hazards that can result in death. The pass is the most well-known and attracts hundreds of photographers and hikers during the larch season in late September. The hike follows a route similar to the Eiffel Lakes hike but departs at the fork and up into the Larch Valley. The trail from Moraine Lake is pretty easy to follow up to the fork for Eiffel Lake or Sentinel Pass.

Extensive hiking trails wrap bright blue lakes, offering breathtaking vistas at every turn. The area around the lake has several walking/hiking trails that are, from time to time, restricted. Visitors can now visit the lake through the public shuttle bus system known as Park & Ride. Even during the busiest time in the park, we didn’t see a soul for most of the trail.

Banff National Park

If booking shuttles isn’t your thing, there are still stunning lakes nearby that you can easily drive to. Exceptions will be made for visitors with valid, government-issued accessible parking placards and registered guests of Moraine Lake Lodge. Taking transit or booking a Parks Canada shuttle is easy, stress-free and the only way to guarantee you can see these two lakes. Today the Community of Lake Louise, the lake, and the surrounding area offer some of the finest hiking, skiing and site-seeing in the world. The agency said that the move was necessary because parking could not accommodate the surging traffic, with only a « very small percentage » of cars being allowed on the road in 2022 and the rest having to be turned away. I know that it is A LOT of information and the shuttles are particularly confusing, but it’s all worth seeing the most beautiful lake in the world!

What are the best things to do in Moraine Lake?

It’s a soul-stirring scene that can easily be considered one of the best day hikes in the world. Past the lakes lies the Wenkchemna Pass Trail, which passes through the mountains into Yoho National Park. Witness amazing views of the Valley of Ten Peaks as you climb to two mesmerizing glacial lakes on the Continental Divide. You get tremendous views of the backside of the Ten Peaks, Mount Babbel, and Mount Fay, topped by glaciers from the lakes. It’s a beautiful trail that moves in and out of the forest with great lake views and mountains. From the Canoe docks, this is a flat trail that works its way along the lake’s shoreline and back.