Melting Glaciers Form Moraine Lake
Icefields Hanging High in the Mountains above Fill the Green Lake
Moraine Lake, a must-see sight in the Canadian province of Alberta, is the quintessential Rocky Mountain lake, an unspoiled Mecca for nature lovers.
Only a 20-minute ride from Lake Louise, Moraine Lake sits in a wilderness area approached through a forested valley whose scenery alone is worth a trip. At the foot of the valley’s steep slopes, a river winds through green forests, from melting glaciers high among the distant steep, sharp peaks.
The river feeds Moraine Lake, which sits in a deep valley carved out by bigger glaciers long ago. Steep slopes around the edge are covered with tall, straight firs and lodge-pole pines. High above, sharp gray peaks of 10 mountains surround it, all of them reflected in the deep green glacial waters of the lake.
Glaciers Created Moraine Lake
A rock and gravel mound left by melting glaciers forms a natural dam across the outlet end of the lake and towers high above it, with only a few tough evergreen trees taking hold on its slopes. This debris, called glacial moraine, was wrested from the peaks above by those glaciers, remnants of which still cling to the valleys above.
This rough hill has a vantage point that looks straight up the length of the lake. The almost vertical slopes of one side fall barren to the shore, showing the broken rock and shattered trees brought down by landslides. The outlet end of the lake is silver with the bleached trunks of these fallen trees.
Visiting Moraine Lake
The only man-made intrusion here is the small Moraine Lake Lodge and its dock, where canoes and kayaks are available for rent. The log cabin-style lodge is comfortable and fits into its environment as though it had grown there. In addition to its rooms, the lodge offers dining services at lunch and dinner.
Moraine Lake is best seen early in the morning, both for the light and to avoid the tour-bus loads of visitors that begin to arrive on its shore at about 10 o’clock in the morning. It is also the best time to assure solitude if you want to paddle a canoe or kayak these placid blue-green waters. This is a flat-water paddle, and you can explore into a natural wilderness where great rivers of sand, gravel and rock flow down the valleys, showing where glaciers once scoured the landscape.
Moraine Lake is best reached by private car because it allows you to choose the best time to arrive and depart. But it is also accessible by taxi and by shuttle from the town of Lake Louise and from the Château Lake Louise.
