After a crazy backcountry adventure to Mount Assiniboine, we headed into Banff National Park to explore some of their famous lakes. If you haven't visited them already, you've definitely either seen or heard of them! People flock from around the world to witness these colourful waters for themselves and you don't truly understand why until you stand before them yourself.

Lake Louise

Other than the turquoise waters and the rugged peaks, Lake Louise has been made particularly famous thanks to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. This luxury hotel sits right on the water's edge. If you're happy to fork out around $300 dollars a night, you can wake up with one of the most iconic vistas right outside your window.

Lake Louise is 2km long and 0.5km wide and has many hiking trails to choose from. You can hike to Saddleback Pass, Fairview Mountain, Mirror Lake, Lake Agnes, and more, right from the lakeside. You can also go mountain biking and horseback riding on some of the trails, or rock climbing on the surrounding mountain faces. If you're hoping for more waterbased activities, you can rent a canoe on the northside of the shoreline. Bear in mind it will set you back $125 an hour to get that Instagram famous canoeing shot!

In other words, there is plenty of things to keep you entertained during your visit.

Despite the high prices and crowded shoreline, I think it's still worth visiting for the experience of seeing this incredible natural wonder with your own eyes. Even though we weren't graced with that perfect reflection that everyone hopes for, it was still quite a sight.

Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake is just a short drive from Lake Louise. Though equally as famous, in our opinion, it is even more spectacular. The water just seemed to stand out more. To us, it looked like mouthwash. That's the only way we know how to describe the clarity and vibrancy that we saw. Also, the mountains weren't hidden by the clouds as before and so stood tall in all their rugged charm. They towered above the lake with snow just starting to cover the tops of the peaks, framing what was already a beautiful view.

Again, we weren't fortunate enough to see any reflections, but, again, it was worth standing out in the biting cold to witness this place for ourselves and capture a few memories.

These are the busiest pair of viewpoints we've visited since our trip to Mount Huangshan in China. They're the only places we've seen people wake up before 5am for a selfie! I guess it comes with the territory of such an Instagram famous place, that is also so easily accessible. If you don't mind sharing the view though, you'll surely love the experience.

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Canada was the fourteenth stop on The Big Trip. Follow us to see the rest of our journey as we spend 3 months exploring America’s most beautiful National Parks.

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