We’ve got the top spots for you.

1. Moraine Lake

• This location is just under 1 hour away from Banff
• It is only accessible by shuttle as there is no public road access for vehicles. Check out the shuttle services here
• This is a glacier-fed lake that is located about 20 minutes from Lake Louise
• This is a World renowned location that is found on many postcards, backgrounds, engagement photos, and more

2. Lake Louise

• This location is about 40 minutes from Banff
• This location is accessible by shuttle or by personal vehicle transportation. The same shuttle service that can bring you to Moraine Lake can bring you to Lake Louise. You guessed it, you can explore both locations in one shuttle trip, see their website for more detail
• This is another World renowned location that is found on many postcards, backgrounds, engagement photos, and more
• This lake is named after the fourth child of Queen Victoria, Princess Louise

3. Peyto Lake

• This location is just over 1 hour away from Banff
• There is a lookout spot where you are among the mountain tops and can see the gorgeous blue glacier-fed lake in the valley between the mountains
• This lake is named after Bill Peyto who was a guide and trapper by profession

4. Bow Falls

• This location is located within the town of Banff and is about a 10 minute walk from Banff centre
• This walk is very friendly to all hiker capacities as it within town and the majority of the walk is done on pavement with no change in altitude. This walk is sandal friendly in the summer. During the winter, the staircases do become slippery due to ice cover, for this part I would recommend bringing crampons for extra grip, but they are not necessary
• The name is rooted in Indigenous history as this group would use plants that grew along the river to make bows

5. Vermilion Lakes

• This location is about 10 minutes from Banff and is accessible by personal transportation
• This is a great location to view Mount Rundle from a different angle. Mount Rundle is the famous mountain that can be seen when walking down the Main Street in Banff
• These lakes are derived from the Ojibwe name “Lake of the Sunset Glow”

Drop a comment if you’ve visited any of these locations and what you thought about them! You can also let us know what else you’d like to hear from us!

Jo