Travel With Whippets: Moraine Lake --- Banff National Park

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Moraine Lake --- Banff National Park

Moraine Lake --- no, it is not a post card

Roger here.... I cannot believe that the scenery got even better.

We left early (for us) on our car trip to Moraine Lake (14 kilometers away). We did not take the dogs because we were hoping to rent canoes. We arrived at 8:45 a.m. to find all the parking spaces occupied. I think that we were only about five minutes late. We ended up parking along the roadway along with at least 100 other cars. There were quite a few people at the lake, but it seemed less crowded than Lake Louise.

When we found our way to the lakeside, it was evident that the best views would be from the aptly named Rockpile Trail. We knew, because of the rock stair steps involved in getting to the top, that it would be less crowded.

We were right. The opening photo in this post was taken there, as well as the photos below.

These mountain glaciers amaze me.

The waters of Moraine Lake, unlike the minty green turquoise of Lake Louise, are bluer --- not deep blue, a rich turquoise blue.

After enjoying the views from the rock pile, we headed for the canoes. What a place for a paddle! We waited in line for a while talking to a British family and two young adults from Calgary. $75 and a safety talk later we paddled for an hour in 38 degree, bright blue, glacier-fed water.

The water really is that color!

There was an interesting change in the colour of the water when the sun disappeared behind a cloud for a few minutes.

After the friendly staff assisted us in getting out of the canoe, we walked along a simple trail to the end of the lake.

Gazing at the bright blue lake between the green pine trees seemed to make the water even more blue.

The waterfall is in the lower right.

As we neared the terminus of the trail, we approached the glacier-fed waterfall that filled the lake.

The top of the waterfall as it entered the lake

On the return to the trail head we marveled at the reflections of the clouds in the clear blue water.

Stones in the bottom show up in the clear water

One final photo from the most beautiful lake I have ever seen:

The next post will tell a couple of stories. The title? The Legends of Lake Louise

PET PICTURES OF THE DAY...

Robyn and her boyfriend, Atul, purchased a three-month membership to Bark Box for us at Christmastime. Once a month, Bandido and Tequila reveled in excitement when the Bark Box arrived --- filled with treats and toys. Dianne decided to pack up a few of his favorite toys in one of the Bark Boxes to open on a lazy day. Today was that day. He was thrilled to rediscover his missing toys.