Same thought with Peyto Lake; too many tourons that only want an Instagram picture and climbing…read moreover railings and acting a fool. 3rd world country stuff here. If you take the trail off the beaten path, you can hike for miles without another person and get some peace and quiet to yourself! The overlook is a 2/5 for me, the trail is a 5/5!

This is a scenic and attractive lake with an entrancing deep turquoise color. It is conveniently…read morelocated right off of the Icefields Parkway about halfway between Banff and the Columbia Icefield, so there's really no excuse for not stopping for a view. There are actually two parking levels and only tour buses are allowed on the top level closer to the Kodak viewing lookout. Private cars need to park on the lower level and folks need to do a modest hike upward to the lookout. This lake is fed by a receding Peyto glacier that is in view also. We saw quite a few lakes on this trip, but they are all worth seeing and all spectacular in their own individual way, and this one was no different in that regards.

I go to see three beautiful lakes on my first day in Banff National Park. Our last stop was at…read moreEmerald Lake in Yoho National Park. Yoho National Park is one of the four contiguous national parks in Canada's Rocky Mountains. Emerald Lake is a freshwater lake near the town of Golden. The lake has a emerald green color to it and is enclosed by mountains of the President Range. I had a nice time here. I did some of the hiking trials and saw a little bit of wildlife along the way. This lake is less crowed than Louise and Moraine lakes which I enjoyed. I enjoyed the views while hiking and came across a plaque about the fossil-bearing deposits of the Burgess Shale in the area. I grabbed lunch at the Cilantro on the Lake restaurant before heading out. There are canoe rentals at Emerald Lake if you want to get out on the water.

Highly recommend this stop while visiting Yoho National Park! The lake is a gorgeous emerald green,…read morehence the name. They offer canoe rentals so you can get up close and personal with the beautiful water. We walked around the lake then up to the lodge for lunch. We came during Fall, so the crowds were tolerable. The parking lot was full, so we parked along the road by the parking lot entrance. Highly recommend!

this is one of the most beautiful lakes that I have ever been to and it probably remain one of the…read moremost beautiful lakes that I have ever seen for a very long time.

After spending time at Lake Louise, our shuttle took us over to Moraine Lake. Seeing both of these…read morebeautiful lakes in person was awesome. Moraine Lake is only open during the summer season and requires a park shuttle to reach. It can get really crowed here. Moraine Lake is at an elevation of 6,181 ft and is situated in the Valley of Ten Peaks. There is an info sign in the front that shows you where the ten peaks are. Moraine Lake has a beautiful torquiest blue color to it. The color comes from the sunlight bouncing off the rock sediment in the lake and the surrounding glaciers. The water comes from the snow that melts in the glaciers. Moraine Lake has no dam and has not been altered by humans. The views of the lake are incredible. Because of the crowds, I hiked up to a higher point on top of a rock pile to get a better view. It was cloudy when I was here and it added to the beauty of the photos that I took. I really enjoyed my brief time at Moraine Lake and hope to come back and explore it a little more next time.

Lake O'Hara is a beautiful, well-preserved lake that is tucked away within Yoho National Park, and…read moreis a wonderful place to get in a good hike and enjoy the beautiful scenery without the hustle and bustle of loud tour buses and disruptive tourists. I visited in early July and the weather was quite warm, so you won't need any heavy jackets. A simple t-shirt should suffice. Shuttle bus passes up the mountain to view the actual lake are hard to get a hold of, so be prepared for a 11km (~6.8 miles) uphill hike. There aren't any rest stops until you hit the 10 or 11km mark where the campground area is, so be sure to use the restroom beforehand and fill up on water accordingly. There may be more spots on the shuttle for a ride back down depending on the demand, but the bus only leaves every 2 hours (2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm) and tickets are $10 cash per person. I saw a mama bear and her cubs crossing the path on my way down while I was inside the bus, so bears really do walk onto the trail! Bring bear spray with you as a safety precaution if you're unfamiliar with how to deal with wildlife. Overall, I really loved Lake O'Hara and its serene waters and breathtaking surroundings. I want to go back already!

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can stay at either a lodge, cabin or campground. The…read morecampground reminded us of a United Nations meeting as we may have been the only English-as-first-language speakers. From Lake O'Hara we climbed trails to gorgeous Lakes Oesa and Opabin. Breathtakingly beautiful.

The trail for Helen Lake is located across the Icefields Parkway road opposite Bow Lake. It sits in…read morea popular section of tourist activities including Peyto Lake, Crowfoot Glacier and Bow Glacier Falls. First off, I'd like to stress the most important element for being here. When the weather is poor and not ripe for prime summer hiking conditions, the trail can be a rough challenge! That was my lasting thought. To use the expression, "I bit off more than I could chew" would be quite appropriate for the day I picked to come here. Alright, so Helen Lake according to the trailhead sign is one of the more popular hikes in Banff National Park. It's a 6 kilometer trail (each way) or 3.75 miles gaining 450 meters in elevation or nearly 1500 feet. Immediately starting out it's nothing but climbing and climbing. Be prepared for strenuous aspects to the trail. The pathway does level off around the tree line where you can capture distant views of Bow Lake in the background. Then it's a return to more uphill hiking. Finally, again the path flattens out at the mountaintop. But interestingly, for late June, the trail was filled with snow. Snow and slush...it was hard to make headway. The scenery is beautiful though, all the peaks were covered in white and it makes for worthwhile pictures. Problem is, it was uncomfortably windy and cold. Sort of standing around and admiring the landscape was hard to maintain. It's certainly no picnic of a setting, lol. Eventually you'll pass around a small streaming creek that's suggests a pure element factor, and in the moment it had me thinking how long and far I had traveled to arrive at this subtle landmark. But, past the creek is when you start getting knee deep in snow. At this point the hike was no longer fun. But, when you're determined to accomplish a goal, you strive to push yourself. I knew in the back of my head I was not ready to quit the journey to Helen Lake! High stepping the rest of the way, I had finally encountered a lake! But, here's a bit of puzzlement...according to a hiker ahead of me on the trail who I caught up to, we mutually agreed that the lake we had arrived at wasn't the real Helen Lake. Helen Lake (most likely) was situated a little higher up the mountain, but without footprints in the snow to guide us along and being blanketed by desolate surroundings, it was best to err on the side of caution and live to see tomorrow, lol. Ultimately, although I will confess I never laid eyes on the real Helen Lake, I put forth my best effort and used a calm and collective decision making process to determine what would best serve me for completing a successful hiking excursion. And that was to return back down the mountain. In the end, for my 2nd visit to the Canadian Rockies and now that I'm much more comfortably familiar with the lay of the landscape, this hiking adventure to Helen Lake is best attempted during the months of August and September when snow is fully melted and won't be an impactful hinderance. Still, I'm grateful for the story I have to tell.

Gorgeous waterfall! A must-see for this national park. Plenty of parking available. Restrooms…read moreavailable as well. The path up to the falls is paved. You can see the waterfall very well from the bridge, but we walked all the way up. It was pretty crowded at the base of the falls. There are plenty of areas off the path to take photos with less people in them. The glacier-fed water is beautiful! A milky-blue color. That with the mountains and trees, the colors are so vivid. We also saw a mountain goat on the hillside and a rainbow in the mist. Highly recommend!

Takakkaw falls is worth the stop when visiting Yoho National Park! It's just under a mile hike to…read moreget up close to these powerful falls. I didn't go all the way up since there was a lot of spray from the water and it was quite cold. I also think the best view is before the end. There was a beautiful rainbow near the bottom of the falls. It was busy but since people come and go quickly, we had no issue getting a parking spot.

Serenity can be found here. It's right off Icefields Parkway, you can't miss it. In off peak season…read moreit isn't as crowded with people and it's a bit more peaceful. There is ample parking too.

I only spent one evening at Waterfowl Lake on the way to Jasper. What I liked about it, was that…read moreit had a "laid back" crowd. The campground was reasonably quiet and even though there were lots of people, it wasn`t packed. There were a fair number of people there, but my impression was that they were there to enjoy the space. The scenery was gorgerous. I uplaoded some pictures of the sceneary around the campground. The camp sights are surrounded by tall trees, and there are washrooms and free firewood available. The campground was a little over $20 a night and you are able to pay by credit card, which was convenient.

Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is…read moreoff the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff Park. The lake is turquoise it's just spectacular; It looks like it was just painted. It was a spectacular day. We went off the main trail and climbed around here. Unfortunately, they had a photograph of the glacier not too long ago, and we peaked through the window and saw how it is shrinking.

You've got to come to see peyto lake if you're in the area visiting…read more Peyto lake has a beautiful bright blue colour to it that is spectacular to see and makes for great photos. There's main parking lot at the base and then it's about a 10-15 minute hike uphill to the main viewpoint. Warning - some parts are a bit steep on the way up. Tourbuses and those with handicap parking can drive further up the hill for their designated parking lot for a shorter walk to the viewpoint. We opted to drop off older family members at the higher point and then park at the main base to make their hike a bit easier physically. The path is clear and it's a pretty popular place since it's quite short walk to the view point. Definitely recommend making a short stop there to see the beautiful peyto lake.

Grassi Lakes are amazing!!!! Truly emerald color and crystal clear waters. Since the easy trail was…read moreunder construction and closed, we took the difficult trail, which was much more steep. Totally worth the climb. Loved it.

So grateful for the recommendation we received from a local Calgarian Canadian to try this trail!…read moreThe views are absolutely spectacular!! This hike is located near a residential area in Canmore. Follow your GPS navigation which ultimately will take you down a single road, surrounded by tall evergreen trees, and a small dirt lot on the left for parking before you embark on the trail. A few recommendations: Park on the street as the lot fills up quick, bring sunscreen, and take the harder trail. Initially when starting the hike there will be two signs for the "Easy" and "More Difficult" trail paths. Trust me when I say the more difficult path is worth the extra strenuous steps. We had no idea that halfway through the path you stumble upon a gorgeous waterfall and incredible views of a giant lake surrounded by beautiful mountains. Then as you continue on this trail, you'll ultimately come to a clearing with emerald and turquoise lakes which is the perfect spot to stop, indulge in a quick snack, and soak in all those spectacular views. All in all if you take the not so easy trail you'll complete the entire thing within an hour and a half, including those moments where you stop and contemplate just gorgeous this country is. One final tip: bring Bear spray and attach bells to your hiking gear. The last thing you want to do is startle a bear and end up in a frightening situation. Luckily we did not see any bears on the trail, but we did see a Black Bear crossing the road as we were leaving the parking lot! We heard from locals that Canmore has a lot of Bear sightings so just plan ahead, be aware of your surroundings, and enjoy your fantastic hike on this beautiful trail!

There is nothing more beautiful than visiting a glacial lake in the middle of Banff National Park…read more This lake was one of our first stops for viewing and hiking. Lake Minnewanka is 142 meters deep (465 feet) and 21 kilometers (13 miles) long. It is the closest lake to the town of Banff and it is the largest lake in the park. The color of the lake is so striking with jewel tones of emerald, it is so clear and clean. The beautiful color comes from the glacial meltwater. Minnewanka means "Water of the Spirits" and there is a legend that when the Stoney people would travel in the neighborhood of the lake, they could hear voices of the resident spirits. The lake offers plenty of recreation opportunities such as picnicking, hiking, taking a cruise, renting a canoe or kayak, rent a motorboat, or fishing for lake trout and mountain whitefish, and relaxing lakeside. Swimming is not recommended as the water is pretty frigid. The most unique thing about this lake is the town of Minnewanka Landing. In the early 1800's, it was once a thriving resort town. When the lake was dammed in 1941 to provide power to Banff and Calgary the water rose and now all that's left is a ghost town underwater. We decided to take a trail and hike. We were there in September and we were cautiously aware that bear season was approaching. We did not hike too far just about five miles around the lake's perimeter and returned as we had no bear spray. The scenery with the surrounding mountains was absolutely stunning and gorgeous. I believe the trail was the Stewart Canyon - Aylmer Pass Junction. On our way out, we got to see a couple of big horn sheep roadside. So cute! So much to see here and a great way to start our trip in Banff National Park. Love CANADA!!

I know Moraine Lake and Lake Louise get all the glory, but I actually really liked Lake Minnewanka…read more It was less crowded and there were more things to do. They had boat cruises and you could rent a canoe, kayak, or motorized boat. Also, it was convenient and fast to take the Roam Transit 6 bus here. Also, it seems like all the wedding photoshoots were here since it's less crowded and you don't have to hike very far to get really great pictures. My tip - just follow the wedding photographers, they know the best spots to get good shots. The pier was just nice to hang out and take pictures as well.