Emerald Lake is so beautiful that you just have to go back and see it again. In a previous Emerald Lake post I said we would rather bring our own boat than pay $90 to canoe around the lake but it is a once in a lifetime experience so we commandeered a vessel and headed out onto the turquoise waters.
Yes it really does look like this, these photos are not filtered and were taken from on the lake. The colour changes from blue to green to regular water colour and everything in between depending on the sunlight. If you are a decent paddler you can get around the entire lake in under an hour, that is stopping to take a lot of pictures of course!
We are surrounded by the Rocky Mountains here, in Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada. This is near Banff, Alberta and the more famous Lake Louise. All the lakes around here are beautiful and it is close to Lake O'hara which I've posted about many times before. The general area is one of the most visually stunning places on the planet.
Nothing beats spending an afternoon at the lake. This one is better to be admired from the boat than in the water as it would be really cold, especially in June. We were going to Canoe on Moraine Lake but it was still partially frozen a week before and when coming to the Rocky Mountain National Parks it is best to plan ones trips in advanced.
The easiest way to see these waters is to drive from Calgary, it is about a two and a half hour drive west of the airport. You need a parks pace and should arrive early or you will not find parking. The lake gets extremely crowded and they turn around cars on weekends in the Summer. Taking a bus is another option.
Another way to enjoy the lake is to stay at the Emerald Lake Lodge while prices are fairly steep in the Summer ($850 Canadian per night), it isn't so bad in the fall as prices can drop to below $200 in November. Just try to arrive before the lake freezes. They have fireplaces and activities for all seasons but you would want to sit near the fire and see the lake, not a field of snow.
We were able to get very close to a loon and her chicks on the lake. This is an amazing picture for a camera phone. These ducks are found across Canada and are on our one dollar coin, the Loonie.
After Canoeing we took a hike around the lake, which I will write about in a future post but the views aren't as nice from the shore. You can still see the colours from the right angles when the light is right but one can't help wish they too were out over the water in a Canoe.
As I write this we are still staring at the snow. It is almost technically Spring, next weekend we will be there astronomically speaking in Canada but in the Canadian Rockies, Spring really doesn't come until May or June depending on your altitude. This lake is at 1200m above sea level which isn't very high up compared to some of the other alpine lakes in the area making it a great place for your first hike of the season. Lake circuit hikes are generally flat too, making it an easy place to work on ones hiking legs.
Thank you for reading and have a nice week all photos were taken with an s24 and are unfiltered.