​The Ultimate Guide to Canada’s Most Stunning Glacial Lakes

 Roughly 60 percent of all the natural lakes on our planet are found within Canada's borders. Standing on the edge of one of these glacial-fed basins in the Canadian Rockies, you can easily experience the feeling that you have stumbled upon a completely unreal place. ​It’s not Photoshop, those impossibly bright teal hues are actually caused by glacial flour, incredibly tiny rock particles left behind from glaciers grinding against bedrock as they move along the landscape, which are held in suspension within the lake itself, refracting light into various shades of blue and green.

​Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks

Moraine Lake sits in Banff National Park surrounded by ten mountains which are completely exposed from the edge of the lake. The best view is reached with a short hike on the Rockpile Trail. From the top of the Rockpile Trail, you have a complete view of the whole scene. Canoe rentals are a must while you are here! As you paddle towards the end of the lake, you are struck with the magnitude of the mountain faces above you. Due to regulations to preserve the fragile alpine ecosystem, you can no longer drive your own car on Moraine Lake Road; you must book transportation in advance via a Parks Canada or local transit service.

Lake Louise and the High Alpine Trails

A short drive away sits Lake Louise, renowned for the imposing Fairmont Chateau, which juts out into the lake, and for the vertical granite wall of Mount Victoria at the far end of the valley. Most people spend their time strolling the lakeside promenade, but most of the magic of Lake Louise is found on the trails that lead up into the mountains above. The trail to the historic Lake Agnes Tea House takes you about 3.5km uphill through pine forest to a subalpine retreat dating to 1901. From here, visitors can sit beside a serene mountain tarn and drink loose-leaf tea and eat homemade cookies. The Plain of Six Glaciers Trail takes you past hanging glaciers, where the sound of avalanches of ice crashing down is deafening.

The Icefields Parkway to Peyto Lake

The northern drive to Jasper via the famed Icefields Parkway leads us up to Peyto Lake at Bow Summit. From the lofty vantage point, the lake takes on a striking silhouette resembling a howling wolf’s head set against the surrounding thick boreal forest. The silt-rich glacial water flowing in from the enormous Wapta Icefield is what gives Peyto its intense shade of turquoise, which reaches its most brilliant mid-summer color when the snowmelt is greatest.

Maligne Lake and Spirit Island

In Jasper National Park, the landscape opens up into huge, untouched wilderness anchored by Maligne Lake. The massive, 22-kilometre-long lake is the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies. At the southern end, the tiny, sacred, spruce-dotted Spirit Island sits on a peninsula between ice-blue, glacier-fed waters and imposing limestone walls. You can access the island only via boat tour or multi-hour kayak expedition. For the latter, spend the night in a backcountry campsite; there is no one around after the day’s boat trips.

Coast to Coast Diversity

This is by no means limited to the Rockies, however. British Columbia's Garibaldi Lake is tucked away behind volcanoes on the BC coast. A challenging backcountry trail leads through dense old-growth forest to reach this pristine mountain lake. Further east lies Lake Superior, which is more like an inland sea, complete with granite cliffs, sea caves, and turquoise waters. Still further in, there are a number of unusual natural phenomena such as Spotted Lake in the BC interior, where mineral-rich water evaporates in the summer to reveal dozens of small, brightly coloured pools.

Essential Travel Considerations

The best time to view the lakes is from late June to early September, after all the snow and ice have thawed out, and the water levels are still high. It’s also a good idea to arrive early in the day or in the evening. The water tends to be very clear and still at those times, which allows for amazing reflections. Lastly, bear spray should be carried on any hike since many of these areas are in bear habitat.