The Long Way to Lake Moraine

Our last day of the one-week trip to Lake Louise was reserved for Lake Moraine, which happened to be a Friday. Little did we know how the day would unfold…

Lake Louise Village

To catch the first bus to Lake Moraine at 8:17 am, we needed to walk 4 km from our accommodation at The Deer Lodge to the Lake Louise Village bus stop.

We started our walk around 7 am on a cold, dark morning. Not long into our journey, we met a couple returning to Lake Louise. The man was holding a bear spray in one hand, ready to use it, and a flashlight in the other. ‘Bear in the area!’ he shouted. ‘We’re going to Lake Moraine,’ I said. ‘A bear was spotted nearby, we’re turning back,’ the man replied. ‘We’re still heading to the lake,’ I insisted. And we went our separate ways.

Halfway to the village bus stop is the intersection with the road to Lake Moraine. It was 7:30 am, and the road was closed to cars, except for buses—parking at the lake was already full. Now we know: in Alberta, weekends include Fridays!

We arrived at Lake Louise Village at the crack of dawn, only to be shocked when the bus to Lake Moraine passed by without stopping. Later, we found out that Banff Roam Transit had decided to skip the Lake Louise Village stop on Fridays and weekends. The reason? Tourists arriving by car would park in the area and take the bus to the lake.

The only way for us to reach our destination was to take the bus 50 km in the opposite direction to Banff, then return to the village and continue on to Lake Moraine. A supposedly 14 km trip ended up taking us more than 100 km to finally get to the lake.

Lake Moraine Reflections

The well-known lake is half the size of Lake Louise. Its unique shade of azure blue and stunning scenery make Lake Moraine one of the top attractions in Banff National Park.

We were luckier at the end of the trip. The bus driver was kind enough to stop at Lake Louise Village, saving us from having to do the Banff detour again.

Which lake do we prefer? The answer is Lake Louise!

Map

Related

• Hiking the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail
• The Crown Jewel of Banff National Park: Lake Louise
• Smokey Lake Louise
• One week at Lake Louise: The Deer Lodge