Guide to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Without a doubt, my favourite destination on our entire Rockies road trip was visiting Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. If you've ever seen those famous photos of vivid turquoise water surrounded by towering mountain peaks, chances are you're already familiar with both.

It's not hard to see why millions of people want to visit these two lakes every year. The scenery is incredible. Their popularity does come with one downside, though: they can get very busy.

With a little planning, you can make your visit much more enjoyable. Here are a few things I learned along the way.

Choose the right time of day

Both lakes are hugely popular tourist attractions, so if you're hoping for that perfect photo of yourself standing alone at the water's edge in the middle of the day, you'll probably need some very good photo-editing software!

If you'd rather have a quieter experience, your best option is to visit either very early in the morning or later in the day. For an early visit, aim for sunrise or shortly afterwards. You'll have fewer people around, softer light for photography and a much more peaceful atmosphere.

There is something particularly special about seeing the mountains and lakes before the crowds arrive.

Allow two to three hours at each lake

There are plenty of walking trails and viewpoints around both lakes, so don't make the mistake of treating them as quick photo stops.

Depending on what else you have planned, I'd allow around two to three hours at each lake. That gave us enough time to explore, take photos and simply enjoy the surroundings without feeling rushed.

If you're short on time, you could squeeze both lakes into a morning or an afternoon. If you'd rather take things at a slower pace, or explore some of the surrounding trails, I'd recommend setting aside a full day.

Make use of the Parks Canada shuttle

Getting to the lakes is probably the biggest logistical challenge, particularly during the summer months.

There is parking at the Lake Louise lakeshore, but during peak season it fills up very early and can remain full for most of the day. Unless you're arriving very early and get lucky, it's best to plan on not being able to park there.

Moraine Lake is even more restricted, with private vehicles unable to access the lake at all. Your alternatives are to use the shuttle service or, if you're feeling particularly energetic, walk the roughly 14.5 km from the Lake Louise area.

During the summer, the Lake Louise Ski Resort car park is used for Park and Ride services, which makes the shuttle the easiest option for most visitors. It avoids the hassle of trying to find parking at the lakes themselves. You can book your space and bus pass through the Parks Canada reservation system, and I'd recommend doing this well in advance if you have fixed dates.

Tickets are sold against a departure time window, so you'll need to arrive in time to catch a bus within the period shown on your ticket. A limited number are also held back for sale on the day, but these are likely to sell quickly. If you know when you're visiting, booking ahead is definitely the safer option.

Prices can vary, but when we visited it was around $8–10 per person.

Consider riding the Lake Louise Summer Gondola

If you have some extra time, the Lake Louise Summer Gondola is another option worth considering.

The gondola takes you up into the ski area from the car park just outside town and offers some fantastic views across the surrounding mountains and lakes. There's also a good chance of spotting wildlife along the way, including bears, which makes the ride even more interesting.

It's a seasonal attraction and operates through the summer before finishing in early October, so keep that in mind if you're planning a trip later in the season.

It is more expensive than the shuttle, at around $65 per person, but if you're interested in the views and the wildlife, it can be a worthwhile addition to your itinerary.

Where did we stay?

If you're travelling by campervan or RV, there are several camping options around Lake Louise. If you want to stay close to the area, the main options are the soft-sided and hard-sided campgrounds.

Both are located just outside town and offer useful facilities, including showers and toilets, food storage, electric hook-ups and sanitation dumps.

We stayed at the hard-sided campground with our RV. The facilities were good and the site was well maintained, although the one downside for us was that we couldn't find a water hook-up. It wasn't a major problem, but it's something worth considering when planning where and when you'll top up your water during the trip.

The soft-sided campground also closes towards the end of the season, so check the operating dates if you're visiting later in the year.

At the time of writing, a night at the hard-sided campground will set you back around $90.

Parks Canada campsites aren't the cheapest option, but you generally know what you're getting. The sites are well maintained, the facilities are reliable and, most importantly, they put you in a great position for exploring the surrounding area.

For us, being able to stay close to Lake Louise made the early start much easier — and getting to the lake before the crowds was definitely worth it.