Emerald Lake Magic & A Surprise Trip To Moraine Lake

A Western Canada Road Trip – Day 11

Today’s adventure took my boyfriend Callum, and I to Yoho National Park, specifically Emerald Lake in British Columbia (BC) with a surprise trip to Moraine Lake in Alberta!

This was one of my favourite days of our whole trip.

Emerald Lake Parking

To visit Emerald Lake, it’s recommended you arrive early. With a campervan, this is no problem since you just have to unplug, and hit the road.

Even leaving early, parking was a bit of a challenge – the main lot was completely full, so we ended up parking behind a bunch of other cars on the road leading to the lake. It was probably a 5 minute walk, and I’m not realllllly sure if where we parked is allowed, but we didn’t get in trouble, and we were just doing what everyone else was doing.

Emerald Lake Reflections

Emerald Lake is worth waking up early for. The water was this stunning, vibrant green mixed with glacial blue, and the whole scene just radiated peacefulness, with the trees reflecting in the water of the still lake.

I couldn’t help but imagine how amazing it would be to stay at the lodge right on the lake. Waking up to that landscape before all the people arrive. Maybe a coffee or tea in hand. Experiencing its beauty, it’s stillness, in the quiet. Maybe one day. Maybe one day.

The Emerald Basin and Emerald Lakeshore Loop Hike

There are a lot of activities to do at Emerald Lake. You could rent a kayak, hike, just sit on a bench and look at the lake (yes, I consider sitting on a bench an activity), but we opted to hike.

We chose the Emerald Basin and Emerald Lakeshore Loop hike. The hike starts and ends on the Emerald Lakeshore Loop. You start on one side of the lake, and then deviate from the loop towards the basin, before returning to the loop.

The lakeshore portion was paved, which was a nice surprise – super accessible for anyone, even if you’re not a seasoned hiker. The trail leading up to the basin is your typical dirt trail. This path was less crowded, and gave me a chance to really soak in the different landscapes of Yoho National Park.

As we hiked towards the basin, I kept thinking maybe we would see bears, but we didn’t. I would like to see a bear, but at a safe distance.

A Glacier Shower

Not gonna lie, it had been a while since I had a proper hair wash (thanks to a certain shower bag incident that did not go as planned, and the showers at all campgrounds being closed due to the COVID pandemic). So, when we reached the basin, I decided to take advantage of the glacial water and dunk my head in a running stream. It was refreshing, especially on a warm day, but this didn’t clean my hair. I realized I needed to buy dry shampoo.

At the top, Callum decided to try and hike to a glacier he spotted. Turns out it was further than he expected, so he ended up turning back while I just sat on a rock air-drying my hair.

By the time we got back to the Emerald Lakeshore Loop, the sun was at its brightest. The lake was looking particularly Emerald. We took some photos of the lake and I took some sneaky photos of Callum, before continuing our walk around the other side of the lake. This side was a bit more wooded, but honestly, the whole loop was worth doing just for the different perspectives of the lake.

Overall, Emerald Lake is worth it! The hike to the basin was definitely a highlight, but honestly, even just strolling around the lake or trying out some of the other activities they offer would be a blast. The paved loop with no elevation gain makes the path very accessible.

From Emerald Lake to Moraine Lake

Later in the day, we headed over to Moraine Lake – a place that holds a special place in my heart. We got a tip from a woman at the Lake Louise visitor center: try visiting Moraine Lake after work, as the crowds tend to die down.

So, we rolled in around 7 pm, and snagged a fantastic parking spot! This spot was right by the lodge. I would love to stay at that Moraine Lake Lodge one day, so Callum could take photos of the stars, but its definitely luxury pricing. The lake is only accessible to the public during specific hours so this isn’t possible without staying at the lodge.

Surprise Trip to Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake is one of my favourite places in the Canadian Rockies. Visiting at this time, the sun was setting, and it wasn’t super crowded.

We spotted a massive rock overlooking the lake (pretty sure it’s called “The Rock”) with a lot of people on it. I looked at all of the people on the rock and was like “meh, I don’t need to go on a big rock, I’ll walk this less busy path.” The path was along the lake, and was really nice. There were hardly any people except for a couple taking engagement photos and some other people with a dog. We took some nice photos in front of the lake and mountains, and then walked back.

Callum decided he would go up on the giant rock that was facing the lake, but I decided to stroll back leisurely and go to the bathroom instead. The bathrooms were really dirty and smelly porta-potties.

After the bathroom, I met back up with Callum. He showed me the beautiful photos he took of Moraine Lake from the rock in the sunset. I should have gone up on the rock. The shots were incredible. The lesson here is if everyone is up there, the shot is probably worth it or at least its worth checking out. I’m glad Callum has photos at least.

After our lovely time at Moraine Lake, we jumped in our campervan and headed to our campsite at Lake Louise campground. Tomorrow, we are headed to the iconic Lake Louise.

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Prepare for your Trip

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