When I think of Canada, snow-capped mountains, lush green wilderness, and crystal clear blue glacial lakes leap into my mind. An amazing way to experience all three is a Moraine Lake hike and sunrise.

Towering peaks surround the Moraine Lake hike in Alberta, and the days first sunrays set the likes of Neptuak Mountain on fire. If you need more convincing the short hike to Moraine Lake is worth your time – you only need to look at how busy the area is to show its popularity.

The Moraine Lake hike around the shore itself is quite short. In fact, whether you drive or catch the shuttle bus, you’ll be dropped at basically the shoreline. You can extend your trek to the Moraine Lake shoreline trail without breaking a sweat as well.

Depending on when you plan to visit, you may have to deal with a large volume of people- especially if you plan to see the famous Moraine Lake sunrise.
But don’t worry, this post will guide you through everything you need to know about visiting the area of Banff National Park for sunrise and a few options for your day Moraine Lake hike.

 

Where is Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake is in Alberta, Canada. Part of Banff National Park, Moraine Lake butts up against the Alberta and British Columbia border.

The closest town to Moraine Lake is Lake Lousie, only a 20-minute drive, or 15 kilometers away.

Lake Louise is one of Banff National Parks most visited areas (due to the famous lake just down the road with the same name).

You can easily get to Lake Louise from a number of places in western Canada:
• Canmore – 50 minutes and 80 kilometers
• Calgary – 2 hours and 180 kilometers
• Edmonton – 4.5 hours and 470 kilometers
• Golden – 1 hour and 85 kilometers
• Jasper – 3 hours and 230 kilometers

While Moraine Lake is easily reached by car, the sheer number of visitors makes it difficult and time-consuming, depending on the time of day you want to visit Moraine Lake.

 

How do I get to Moraine Lake

Getting to Moraine Lake is one of the biggest challenges you will face in your whole experience here. Moraine Lake hikes and sunrise are incredibly popular attractions of Banff National Park – this means plenty of other visitors and vehicles.

At one point, there were so many cars parked on the road that emergency access was all but being blocked. So Parks Canada changed the rules a bit and created a shuttle bus to Moraine Lake once the carpark at the shore was full.

So, in saying that, there are 2 ways to get up Moraine Lake Road:

1. Drive-up the 11km road of Moraine Lake Road. This only works if there is space for parking at Moraine Lake. If there is no space, Parks Canada employees will have the bottom of the road blocked off. Periodically thought the day as cars leave Moraine Lake, they will open this road up.
2. Catch the shuttle bus up Moraine Lake Road. This is the most common way for people to get to Moraine Lake. Every 20 minutes, a shuttle bus transports people from Park and Ride/Overflow Camping-car park, up Moraine Lake Road, and drops you off right on the shoreline. The same 20-minute schedule is for the reverse, just line up and wait for the giant yellow bus.

It goes without saying, driving and parking your own vehicle is quicker and easier, for the most part. But due to how popular and busy Moraine Lake hikes are, it can be difficult to be allowed to drive up there. There is no way to tell when Moraine Lake Road will open up again once it is full.

 

Moraine Lake shuttle service

The Moraine Lake shuttle is widely used by day-trippers to visit this pristine area of Banff National Park. Moraine Lake shuttle bus ferries visitors frequently, around every 20 minutes there should be a bus picking a load up.

You can catch a bus from the Highway 1 overflow parking lot, or the ‘Village’ bus stop to Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. If you would like to visit both, a bus takes passengers from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake, but not the other way around.

The shuttle to Moraine Lake takes the same road as all the cars and is 11km long.

 

What is there to do at Moraine Lake

There are plenty of things to do at Moraine Lake. If you’re a nature enthusiast or love a range of walks – you’re in the right spot.

Moraine Lake hikes vary from half-hour strolls around the lakeshore to difficult 8-hour alpine trek through the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

You can get an elevated view of Moraine Lake from an easy 10-minute hike right next to where the shuttle bus drops passengers off.

If you’re looking to get out on the lake itself, you can hire a canoe of Moraine Lake. For an hour of paddling a canoe on Moraine Lake, you’re looking at $120 CAD ($90 USD). That seems quite steep to me to be honest. But while I visited the area, many people had hired canoes on Moraine Lake and it sure does give an alternative viewpoint of a beautiful area.

There are also facilities at Moraine Lake. There is a small gift shop selling souvenirs and a café selling coffee and snacks. These two open at 8am in the morning.
Right next to the parking lot there is also a couple of restrooms – expect a wait as there are plenty of visitors during the day.

 

What hikes does Moraine Lake have to offer

Depending on how long you want to visit, how fit and how skilled of a hiker you are, Moraine Lake hikes vary from easy and short, to challenging day-hikes.

Here is a list of common Moraine Lake hikes, varying from shortest to longest.

• Moraine Lake Sunrise Hike – A few hundred meters one-way – this is one of the most viewed spots in all of the area. Mainly because it is so short and easy to get to. From the carpark, head through the trail following signs for Consolation Lakes. You will come across a stone staircase and peel off to your right. Within 10 minutes, you’ll be at the summit of this small hill. This gives a beautiful viewpoint over Morain Lake itself and the surrounding mountains. This is where the majority of sunrise seekers will amass in the pitch blackness (find out more about sunrise at Moraine Lake below). As you get further along the Moraine Lake Shore Hike, it gets much less busy. People don’t venture out to the waterfall nearly as much.
• Moraine Lakeshore Trail – 1.5km one-way, no elevation gain – Another super easy trail. All up, it’s around 45minutes to 1 hour in length, return. There are a couple of small hills, but you don’t need a very high fitness level at all for this. Moraine Lake Foreshore Trail hugs the right shoreline and leads to a small waterfall of Moraine Lake out the far coast.
• Consolation Lakes – 2.9km one-way, 65m elevation gain – You don’t need to work very hard to get more splendid views around Moraine Lake. Consolation Lakes is listed as an easy hike, with a little elevation gain, that takes around 2 hours return. You’ll be treated to some towering mountains, flowery meadows, and the ancient Quadra Glacier.
• Larch Valley or Minnestima Lakes – 4.3km one-way, 535m elevation gain – Larch trees are one of the areas draw cards. As the colder weather closes in, Larch trees turn a vibrant yellow. You’ll also get some beautiful views of Ten Peaks. You’re looking around 3.5 to 4 hours return trip to Larch Valley.
• Eiffel Lake – 5.6km one-way, 370m elevation gain – The Eiffel trail splits off from LARCH valley mentioned above. Overlooking Effiel Lake and Ten Peaks again, this trail will take you above the valley floor. Expect around 4.5 hours return trip for this hike near Moraine Lake.
• Sentinel Pass – 5.8km one-way, 725m elevation gain – Two valleys around Moraine Lake are reached via Sentinel Pass Hike, Larch Valley and Paradise Valley. This is one of the more advanced Moraine Lake hikes and takes around 5.5 hours to return. There are some very steep sections along this trail.
• Wenkchemna Pass – 9.7km one-way, 720m elevation gain – This difficult hike around Moraine Lake takes you the whole distance of the Valley of Ten Peaks. You’ll travel through a high altitude alpine forest and can take around 8 hours to return trip.

Wherever you choose to hike around Moraine Lake, you won’t be disappointed. There are plenty of unforgettable views along many of the trails.

Make sure to always be prepared for your hike! That includes food and water, wildlife and weather precautions.

 

Can I hike Moraine Lake at sunrise?

 

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Yes, you can visit Moraine Lake for sunrise – it’s just not all that easy.

The major issue is making it up Moraine Lake Road before the car park fills up. For example, I visited Moraine Lake in late August 2019. Sunrise at that time was said to be 6:46am, but I had to arrive much earlier to claim a spot in the car park.

My HI Lake Louise Alpine Center receptionist made me aware that people intended on leaving at 5am to make sure they had time to grab a spot. That’s leaving 1 hour and 45 minutes before sunrise, for a 20-minute drive to Moraine Lake.

Crazy, right?!

Well, I’m glad I did, the carpark was almost half full when I arrived just before 5:30am.

The best and most popular view is from the short trail behind the restrooms. Follow this clearly marked trail and it will curve to the right. Shortly, you will arrive at the top.
If you’ve got to the Moraine Lake sunrise viewpoint before daybreak, you may be able to make put the silhouettes of the peaks around you. As dawn creeps in, the first Ray’s of sunshine make peaks of mountains glow golden.
It’s really special. Don’t forget to have a look directly opposite Moraine Lake for a beautiful valley as the sun pokes up over the hills.

After the sunrise, you’re free to explore Moraine Lake.
Please note, there is currently no Parks Canada bus taking people up for sunrise. You will need your own way there.

 

What to expect visiting Moraine Lake for a sunrise hike?

You can expect a few things from hiking Moraine Lake at sunrise. The main one being the number of people. It’s going to be busy and you might have to wait a few moments for a particular viewpoint you’re after.

It’s also going to be cold in the morning and the weather is unpredictable. This is the mountains though, so pretty regular stuff to deal with here.

There is also the real chance of wildlife – including bears. So be prepared for an encounter.

What can I expect from hiking around Moraine Lake?
Moraine Lake hiking is incredible. Even the easiest of trails – Moraine Lake Shore Trail – you get some incredible views through the mountains ranges, lush valleys with flowers, pristine glacial lakes and ancient glaciers themselves.

Whether you choose to hike the easy Moraine Lake Trails, or something a little more challenging, you won’t be disappointed in what the area has to offer.

I know I’ve said it already, but I’ll say it again. You can expect plenty of people and traffic at Moraine Lake, both before the sunrise and throughout the day. Get there early (as early as 5am) for sunrise over Moraine Lake.

 

What else should I know about visiting Moraine Lake?

During my time traveling through the Rocky Mountains, and even Moraine Lake, I’ve noticed a couple of disheartening things that I feel like I need to bring to light.
• Don’t leave your trash around to litter nature. This is one of my personal infuriating things to see. People visit this beautiful landscape, enjoy it, and then tarnish it for others by leaving their trash wherever is convenient for them. If you take it with you, you take it home.
• Wild animals should stay wild. I didn’t witness anything like this during my time at Moraine Lake, but just in case. Give proper distance between wild animals – bears are a big one. I get you to want a photo, but these animals get used to human interaction and can be dangerous if they are fed – this, in turn, kills them as they are a now a threat. Leave wild animals wild.

 

Hiking Moraine Lake for sunset video

Here’s a short 2-minute video on what to expect from the day visit to Marine Lake in Banff National Park. If you’re a big Youtube user, make sure to subscribe to my channel to see more videos – there’s a link at the end of the video.

 

Is visiting Moraine Lake worth the effort?

Yes, visiting Moraine Lake is well worth the trouble of getting there. Even for sunrise if you’re into that.

You can find quiet spots along the trails and even around the lake to sit and soak in the natural beauty of Moraine Lake, and there is plenty of it to go around.

I hope you enjoyed this post about visiting Moraine Lake. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

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Thanks for reading!
Happy and safe travels,
Ben – Horizon Unknown