This is my husband's favourite of the Canadian lakes he has visited. The best way to see the lake is to take the path at the side of the car park to the top of the pile of rocks (the moraine) at the foot of the lake.

Unfortunately we went in the mid afternoon which was the worst possible time for the position of the sun which was shining straight into the camera lens. Next time we'll go there first to get our best chance of taking great pictures.

The water is stunning blue/green colour when seen from above but closer to the edge of the water you can see that it is crystal clear.

The is a path along one side of the lake but we didn't have time to explore it. There is a lodge at the lake, nothing like as grand as the Chateau at Lake Louise but the cafeteria and gift shop were well stocked.

The lake attracts a lot of visitors so if you like it quieter go early or late in the day.

Moraine Lake is absolutely beautiful. My wife and I preferred it over Lake Louise. It is a smaller lake, but the mountain peaks rise straight up from the lake and surround you. It is absolutely stunning. There are also several great short hikes that head out from Moraine Lake, Consolation Lake is a great hike to do while there.

The lake with the $20 view...

Moraine Lake is a stunning lake with a beautiful hotel / lodge on it.

Hiking at the lake: Before going on our trip, I knew that this area was especially known for Bears. So I did not have a specific hike here in mind to hike… There are about 4 or so hiking possibilities here. I just thought that when we got there we would know which one to take… or I was thinking that maybe they have someone there putting hikes together for people. We were a bit leary about hiking here with the bears. And decided that the hike along the lakeshore, where there were many other people – and then the hike to the top of the rock pile would be great.

The hike along the lake was great.

The hike to the top o f the rock pile was fairly easy and quick…. The view is worth the effort. We stayed up on the top for a while – and took many photos. We definitely saw the “20 dollar view” and it was EXCELLENT. (the $20 dollar view is the view point of where they took the photo of the lake that was for a very long time on the Canadian twenty dollar bill.)

The color of the water is awesome. I liked this lake better than Lake Louise, but both are fun.