Departure from Canmore before the light was up was necessary for us to get to Lake Louise early enough for a slot on the shuttle bus into the town. We got there in good time and took the bus down to the lake, but we immediately switched buses to get a ride down to Lake Moraine. This was about a 15-20 minute ride down some pretty interesting roads – particularly in a large bus. It dropped us at the bottom of Lake Moraine (by which I mean one end – not at the lowest point of the lake) and we walked the short distance to the lake itself.
There were quite a few people around but, given how beautiful the location was, it was surprising how few people were there. A large pile of rock at one end of the lake did provide a spot to climb and some were taking advantage of this. I assume this is the moraine that results in the name of the lake. Instead, we decided to take the trail that went up the side of the lake towards the falls entering it at the far end.
There were definitely a lot of people doing the same thing, but it never felt like there were too many people around. The early morning, the soft light and the low temperatures might have made for an uncomfortable time but instead it felt tranquil and beautiful. No one was crowded and everyone seemed to be in a friendly mood. The trail provided plenty of lovely views of the lake and wound gently along the shore until we were up at the location of the shallow falls where the water ran into the lake from the surrounding hills.
The whole place was absolutely stunning. I experimented with some straight shots and some HDR brackets because the shadows of the hills were deep compared to the sky above. It was hard to believe that it could be so lovely. (When we headed back to Lake Louise, the contrast between the peace of Moraine Lake and the mayhem of Lake Louise was jarring.) By the time we retraced our steps along the shore, we were feeling a little chilly so a stop in the café was in order. (I did chuckle to myself when one of the staff casually turned down the volume of the music during an Alanis Morissette song at just the right moment to avoid causing any offense!) With Nancy reinforced with a warm drink, we continued on our explorations.
Go up the icefield parkway in Alberta and you see plenty of glaciers around the mountains that tower over you. You can do a trip out on to the glacier while you are there, and a special vehicle is provided to get you out there. It required more time than we wanted to give up to do the full tour but I did want to see the buses that they use to go out on the ice. Giant tires, loads of clearance and very tough looking construction. These things look immense.
There is one in the parking lot by the visitor center so you can get an up-close look. I don’t know whether this is the same as the ones currently in use or if it is an old version that has been superseded. We did see the active buses out on the roads and heading up on the ice. I bet they are not the most comfortable ride but a fantastic way to get to somewhere special.
