Banff, Alberta has got to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. This was the first time I got to visit in the summertime and it was GORGEOUS! I was staying in Calgary for the weekend and I knew I had to see Banff before the cold winters of Alberta come and freeze the lakes over! I went and saw 3 of the many lakes in Banff, Alberta, and in my opinion, are the prettiest! I did a lot of research (by research I mean saving Instagram pictures and making Pinterest boards), about which lakes were the most important to see while in Banff! We drove all the way out to the farthest lake first and made our way back towards Calgary while stopping at the other 2 lakes.
FIRST STOP:
EMERALD LAKE
(2 hour drive from Calgary)
This lake was so different than the other two we visited. It's named "EMERALD Lake" for a reason. The water is the colour of emeralds! It is a greenish-turquoise colour and it was breathtaking! Even though the drive is a bit of a longer one, it is so worth it to make it out. I was so lucky to have pretty good weather while touring the area so I could snap all of these beautiful pictures!
Emerald Lake is located in Yolo National Park in Field, British Columbia! Located directly on the lake is Emerald Lake Lodge where you can spend the night! It is pretty pricy to stay at these remote lodges, but I bet it is quite the experience!
You can go for a nice little walk through the trees, around the lake! You will be destined to stop on your walk at the little lookout points! Since we were there in September, the leaves were all changing colours, so it was even more beautiful that I could even imagine!
SECOND STOP:
MORAINE LAKE
(40 minutes from Emerald Lake toward Calgary)
Yes I know. It looks like blue cool aide! This stunning glacially fed lake in Banff National Park was my favourite lake out of the 3 we visited, so if you only have time to visit 1, THIS IS THE ONE!
You can rent canoes and enjoy the view from the water or do a little rock hike and see the views from up high like we did! I would urge you to stay warm, as you can tell I was all bundled up in my Nordstrom coat! This lake is a MUST SEE and has to be on your travel bucket list if you are ever in the area!
There is a nice little walk you can do around this lake as well with many little photo stops! Moraine Lake is so photogenic, its unreal!
THIRD STOP:
LAKE LOUISE
(20 minutes from Moraine Lake towards Calgary)
Lake Louise is the most iconic lake in Banff National Park! Lake Louise is the face of the Banff lakes, and it is gorgeous! The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise sits right on the lake with the most amazing views. There is a canoe dock where you can be situated right on the lake, but for me, sitting on these rocks and taking in the view was more than enough!
At the beginning of this year, almost a year ago (January 1st), we made a little trip out to Banff because I was dying to see this place that everybody raved about! Lake Louise was completely frozen over so we took a picture standing on top of the lake! And while we were there in the summertime, we took a picture in the same spot standing on the rocks!
My trip to Banff was absolutely amazing and I would highly recommend taking a trip out there! It can be very pricy staying in Banff so my advice to you would be to stay in the city of Calgary or Canmore and spend just the day (12 hours) exploring like I did! This was an unforgettable little road-trip!