Moraine Lake
Encyclopedia
Moraine Lake is a glacially-fed lake
in Banff National Park
, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) outside the Village of Lake Louise
, Alberta
, Canada
. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks
, at an elevation of approximately 6183 feet (1,884.6 m). The lake has a surface area of 0.5 square kilometre (0.193051079296268 sq mi).
The lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late June. When it is full, it reflects a distinct shade of blue. The color is due to the refraction
of light off the rock flour
deposited in the lake on a continual basis.
activity. Parks Canada provides updated trail conditions and/or restrictions.
The easiest of the hiking trails is the one most commonly taken by tourists. The Rockpile Trail along the actual moraine
is approximately 300 metres long, with an elevation change of 24 metres (79 ft). The view of the lake from the top of the rockpile is one of the most photographed locations in all of Canada. That view of the mountains behind the lake in Valley of the Ten Peaks
is known as the Twenty Dollar View, as Moraine Lake was featured on the reverse side of the 1969 and 1979 issues of the Canadian twenty dollar bill.
Along the same trailhead, the Consolation Lakes trail starts, which is approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long, with an elevation change of 90 metres (295.3 ft). Upon reaching Consolation Lakes hikers may continue along to the upper lake, which is not visible from the end of the lower lake. There is, however, no clearly marked trail, and can often be a scramble over large rocky areas.
Near the canoe docks of Moraine Lake Lodge there is another trailhead. This trailhead is the start of two trails, one of which branches out into four different trails - so there are in total, five trails starting at that trailhead (Moraine Lake Lakeshore Trail, Eiffel Lake, Wenkchemna Pass, Larch Valley, and Sentinel Pass). The Lake Louise & Yoho Map provides information on these trails.
can be reached in 8 to 12 hours climbing the Perren Route from Moraine Lake.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) outside the Village of Lake Louise
Lake Louise, Alberta
Lake Louise is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Improvement District No. 9 Banff . It is named for the nearby Lake Louise, which in turn was named after the Princess Louise Caroline Alberta , the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, and the wife of John Campbell, the 9th Duke of Argyll, who was the...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks
Valley of the Ten Peaks
Valley of the Ten Peaks is a valley in Banff National Park that is crowned by ten notable peaks and also includes Moraine Lake. The valley can be reached by following the Moraine Lake road near Lake Louise...
, at an elevation of approximately 6183 feet (1,884.6 m). The lake has a surface area of 0.5 square kilometre (0.193051079296268 sq mi).
The lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late June. When it is full, it reflects a distinct shade of blue. The color is due to the refraction
Refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed...
of light off the rock flour
Rock flour
Rock flour, or glacial flour, consists of fine-grained, silt-sized particles of rock, generated by mechanical grinding of bedrock by glacial erosion or by artificial grinding to a similar size...
deposited in the lake on a continual basis.
Hiking trails
The area around the lake has several walking/hiking trails which are, from time to time, restricted because of grizzly bearGrizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
activity. Parks Canada provides updated trail conditions and/or restrictions.
The easiest of the hiking trails is the one most commonly taken by tourists. The Rockpile Trail along the actual moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
is approximately 300 metres long, with an elevation change of 24 metres (79 ft). The view of the lake from the top of the rockpile is one of the most photographed locations in all of Canada. That view of the mountains behind the lake in Valley of the Ten Peaks
Valley of the Ten Peaks
Valley of the Ten Peaks is a valley in Banff National Park that is crowned by ten notable peaks and also includes Moraine Lake. The valley can be reached by following the Moraine Lake road near Lake Louise...
is known as the Twenty Dollar View, as Moraine Lake was featured on the reverse side of the 1969 and 1979 issues of the Canadian twenty dollar bill.
Along the same trailhead, the Consolation Lakes trail starts, which is approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long, with an elevation change of 90 metres (295.3 ft). Upon reaching Consolation Lakes hikers may continue along to the upper lake, which is not visible from the end of the lower lake. There is, however, no clearly marked trail, and can often be a scramble over large rocky areas.
Near the canoe docks of Moraine Lake Lodge there is another trailhead. This trailhead is the start of two trails, one of which branches out into four different trails - so there are in total, five trails starting at that trailhead (Moraine Lake Lakeshore Trail, Eiffel Lake, Wenkchemna Pass, Larch Valley, and Sentinel Pass). The Lake Louise & Yoho Map provides information on these trails.
Mountaineering routes
The Neil Colgan HutNeil Colgan Hut
The Neil Colgan Hut is an alpine hut located on the Fay Glacier in Kootenay National Park. It is situated in a col between Mount Little and Mount Bowlen, which is one of the peaks overlooking The Valley of the Ten Peaks. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada...
can be reached in 8 to 12 hours climbing the Perren Route from Moraine Lake.
Appearances
The image of Moraine Lake is world famous and appears in many places including:- On the reverse side of the 1969 and 1979 issues of the Canadian twenty dollar bill.
- In one of the main preview pictures for GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's operating system Android, Moraine lake was used as a background picture. - Bernard Callebaut print advertisements
- In one of the backgrounds available on the Blackberry PearlBlackBerry PearlThe BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by Research In Motion the first BlackBerry device with a camera and media player. It was originally released on September 12, 2006...
. - In one of the backgrounds available on the Palm PrePalm PreThe Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
- In one of Windows 7's backgrounds in the "Canada" series.
- As the Bing homepage on 13 October 2009.
External links
- Parks Canada - Banff National Park Visitor Information Centres, including hours of operation and contact information.
- Moraine Lake Video - Video and Geographic Position of Moraine Lake.
- Interactive Panorama: Moraine Lake