20241006_121545Moraine Lake in the fall (October 2024)

Banff National Park had been on my bucket list of places to visit for years. I fell in love with photos of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake online, and I knew I had to go sooner than later. That said, I had the opportunity to visit Banff for three nights, where my friend “A” and I took guided tours to see the highlights. We even dipped our toes into Yoho National Park, another gorgeous part of the region!

As Canada’s “first national park,” Banff National Park was established in 1885, and it’s part of the long mountain range known as the Rocky Mountains, from the northern tip of British Columbia in Canada to as south as New Mexico in the United States. With over 6600 square kilometers (2500 squared miles) of mountains, lakes, forests, even glaciers, Banff actually only takes up a small part of the Alberta province. Nonetheless, it is a huge draw for tourists who visit this part of Canada, and it sees over 4 million visitors each year.

20241006_102850Lake Louise

It’s also important to acknowledge that, before Banff became a national park under the Canadian government, it was the land of the First Nations, with many Indigenous groups like the Stoney Nakoda and Plains Cree inhabiting the area dating back to at least 10,000 BCE. Sadly, many First Nations people were forcibly-removed in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, to make room for the Canadian government to establish the national park for tourism for European settlers. Not the proudest moment in the country’s history, but the government today has acknowledged the land as the First Nation’s (even if there have been no talks to return the land to them).

Banff is a large national park, and it can take days, even weeks, to explore every nook and cranny of it all. However, “A” and I only had three nights to spend, but we got to see many of the highlights (and then some). We’d booked a one-day, one-way guided tour from Calgary to Banff, where the tour bus would take us over to explore the national park and drop us off in Banff at the end of the day. It wasn’t too expensive at about $134 CAD ($96 USD) per person, and it included lunch. It was also a bilingual Chinese-English tour, with about 25 passengers on board, many from mainland China. While not the most-fantastic tour I’ve taken, it did the trick not only for seeing the famous parts of the national park, but also to get to Banff.

That said, it was an early wake-up call from Calgary; “A” and I checked out from our hotel and the tour bus picked us up to leave the city by 7h00. The sun was slowly rising as we got onto the Trans-Canada Highway, the second longest national highway in the world at over 7800 kilometers (4800 miles). As we were traveling through the middle of the country, we saw plenty of flat prairies and, basically, the “Midwest” of Canada. Our journey took about 90 minutes to 2 hours, as Banff was about 127 kilometers (78 miles) west of Calgary.

Soon enough, we entered Banff National Park and headed to our first stop of the day: the famous Lake Louise. We were given 90 minutes to explore the lake. Named after Princess Louise, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, this lake is a popular site for visitors who come to Banff to hike, canoe, and otherwise admire its turquoise beauty. Lake Louise gets its distinctive color from the glacial deposits from the nearby mountains, and it’s said that, depending on the day or season, the lake is never the same shade of blue.

20241006_105011Lake Louise with the Fairmont Château Lake Louise in the distance

Lake Louise was filled with tourists by the time we arrived around 10h00. However, it wasn’t so horribly crowded that we couldn’t get good photos; it was also less busy the more we walked further away from the entrance, and it made for a quieter, more peaceful time to simply enjoy Nature’s beauty. Weather was a bit chilly, and it drizzled a bit, but it made for some somber and atmospheric photos. “A” and I walked a little around the lake, where we got a vantage-point view of the fancy Fairmont Château Lake Louise before returning to the entrance to regroup with the tour.

Next was a short drive away to Moraine Lake, considered the most-photographed lake in Banff National Park. I can see why it’s so widely-photographed, as it was unbelievably stunning. There was a short, 10-minute hike on the Rockpile Trail to get a bird’s-eye view of the lake, and it was incredible. While also inundated with tourists (especially on the narrow trail), Moraine Lake was gorgeous, with deep, turquoise waters that mirror the snow-capped mountains and majestic fir, spruce, and pine trees towering in the foreground. If I’d thought Lake Louise was beautiful, I found Moraine Lake even more so!

20241006_115234Moraine Lake from the top of the Rockpile Trail

20241006_120455Snow already?!

Following Moraine Lake, our tour took us to Lake Louise town proper, where we got lunch at a restaurant in a small, pit-stop plaza. As mentioned, the tour included lunch, and we could choose from the Western or Chinese set menus. “A” and I opted for the Western set, which came with an enormous cut of chicken, fries, and soup. Nothing to write home about, but it did the trick of filling us up.

We spent the afternoon dipping our toes into Yoho National Park, a smaller national park adjacent to Banff. In fact, this region of Alberta (EDIT: British Columbia) is home not just to one, but four different national parks: Banff, Yoho, Jasper, and Kootenay. It was nice our tour included another national park besides Banff, and we visited Yoho’s Emerald Lake and Natural Bridge, the latter being a natural rock formation with some impressive waterfalls that flow into Kicking Horse River. It was a brief visit to Yoho National Park, but nonetheless a pleasant one.

20241006_142359Emerald Lake

20241006_150834Natural Bridge

That concluded our day tour of Banff (and Yoho) National Park, as the tour bus took us to Banff Town, dropping the majority of us off (as some were returning to Calgary) by 17h00. “A” and I got off in Banff and headed to our hotel to check in: accommodations in Banff can be pricey, but thankfully, we’d booked ours five months in advance, so it averaged about $307 CAD ($220 USD) per night. It was also about a 15-minute walk from downtown, so while not exactly right in the center, it was doable. I would definitely book way in advance!

Any case, “A” and I dropped off our belongings in our room and headed out to grab dinner in town. Downtown was packed with tourists, with many of the restaurants being extremely crowded. We managed to squeeze into a random pub-restaurant, where we enjoyed some greasy, but yummy Happy Hour pizzas for half off. It was then a matter of returning to our hotel to rest after a long day out and about– we would do more exploring for the next two nights in Banff, to see more of its sublime beauty.

20241006_175821Pizzas for dinner

Thanks for reading, and more of Banff to come soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

51 thoughts on “Destination: Banff, Canada (Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Yoho National Park– DAY 1)”

  10. Beautiful photos of the lakes! We did the opposite to you – stayed in Yoho and did a day trip into Banff. I thought Lake Louise was one of those rare places that looked exactly as it does in all the photos, only better 😀 But we didn’t get to Moraine Lake and I regret that now, as I can see from your photo that it would have wowed us too!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah! Nice you did the inverse of our trip. Lake Louise was stunning, even in the colder months. You have to visit Moraine Lake, as it was one of the most beautiful places on this planet, maybe even more so than Lake Louise!! I hope you get to return to Banff to see Moraine Lake 😊

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    1. I’m surprised you haven’t visited, given that you’ve been to practically every corner of the world, it seems. I hope you can visit and appreciate the beauty of Banff some day, Marion!

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  15. No matter how many blog posts I’ve read about Banff, I’m always impressed by how beautiful it looks, no matter the season or the weather. This part of Canada is so picturesque. I hope I’ll get to see it one day, before the crowds get even bigger!

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  18. My parents still talk about how pretty Lake Louise is, and they visited over thirty years ago (before I was born!). I can see why that area attracts so many visitors, as the scenery is spectacular. I would love to see more of Canada one day. Thanks for sharing 😊

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  20. Your photo of Moraine Lake is stunning, as I’m sure it was being there! I’ve always meant to drive north to Banff but haven’t made it yet. Someday I’ll have to drive up north (I’m in Colorado). Your post is inspiring.

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  22. Thank you for bringing me back fond memories from Banff. We haven’t visited Moraine lake, and I hear it has become quite difficult these days, to book a shuttle in advance, etc.

    One of the most beautiful places in Canada🥰

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    1. You’re welcome! Moraine Lake is extremely touristy and crowded, that’s for sure. My friend and I booked a guided tour, so we didn’t use the shuttle; however, I agree shuttle reservations are a must, way in advance, in order to go! So glad I got to visit Moraine Lake, as it’s truly one of the most spots in Canada, if not the world! Hope you can go some day 😊

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  24. When I remember that I arrived in Banff in September without having booked a hotel, I was uncomfortable, but I managed just fine. There is so much accommodation that once the peak season is over, it becomes easier. You’ve seen some beautiful places in Banff. It’s the kind of natural park where nature seems perfect, like visiting a postcard.

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    1. I don’t know how long ago you visited Banff, but unless one goes in the dead of winter, tourist season has gotten even more extended with each year, to the point that even accommodations are nearly fully booked for September and October. All the same, Banff is such a gorgeous part of the world, and I’d happily go back in a heartbeat!

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