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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
Some sources spell Moraine Lake with one "r", others with two. The spelling with one "r" seems to be in the majority, so that is what is used on this web site.
Lake Louise (the lake) is west of Lake Louise (the town).
Moraine Lake is southwest of Lake Louise (the town). The lake is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks.
All three are in Banff National Park.
The signposting in Lake Louise (the town) is inadequate and a source of much confusion and therefore frustration and danger. We have got lost there on at least two occasions and have seen several other visiting motorists in a similar position. The situation is not helped by the difficulty of obtaining maps which show the detailed road layout in this area.
Highway 1A (the Bow Valley Parkway) runs parallel to Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) for most of the way between Banff and Lake Louise (the town). The Bow Valley Parkway offers a slower and more scenic alternative to the main road. These two roads merge together at a junction located about two miles south of Lake Louise (the town).
About one mile north of Lake Louise (the town) there is another junction, from which Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) heads west to Kicking Horse Pass, the Spiral Tunnels, Field and Golden. The other road from the junction is Highway 93 (the Icefields Parkway), which heads roughly northwest to Saskatchewan River Crossing, the Columbia Icefield and Jasper.
Therefore all traffic is funnelled along the one road for the three miles or so between these two junctions. The exit for Lake Louise (both the town and the lake) lies on this stretch of road. Lake Louise (the town) is located immediately west of the exit. It is an extremely small town - just a few shops at a crossroads.
After taking the exit from the main road, continue straight on at the crossroads where the shops are and you will be on the road towards Lake Louise (the lake and the famous hotel) where the road ends. A few miles along this road another spur road branches off (to the left) to Moraine Lake. An unpaved backroad, possibly very scenic, also branches off (to the right) toward Golden, British Columbia.
The signposting for Lake Louise (the lake) isn't too clear at the crossroads, largely due to the confusion between Lake Louise (the town) and Lake Louise (the lake).
Upon returning from Lake Louise (the lake) and/or Moraine Lake back to Lake Louise (the town) there are signposts for the roads to Golden and Banff but (at least initially) none whatsoever for the Icefields Parkway and Jasper. For the Icefields Parkway and Jasper you should carry straight on at the crossroads where the shops are, then continue straight on again and not take the slip-road on the right which is for traffic wishing to join the road heading south to Banff. On the other side of the bridge over the main highway there is (at last!) a signpost for the Icefields Parkway and Jasper (you have to turn left, so as to head north). As stated before, the junction for Golden (Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway) or Jasper (Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway) is reached on this road after about a mile.
Erecting some signposts for the Icefields Parkway and Jasper at the crossroads and at the Banff slip-road junction would save the numerous visitors to this area, unfamiliar with the geography and the road layout, a vast amount of frustration and consequent potential danger.
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Lake Louise is the more commercialised of the two lakes, with a lavish high-rise hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, located right on the shore of the lake. It is possible to walk at least part of the way round the lake.
Moraine Lake is more natural, with its much more limited accommodation situated away from the lake shore amongst some trees. Although Lake Louise is the more famous, many people including ourselves consider Moraine Lake to be the more scenic of the two. I don't believe that it is possible to walk round the lake at all. Moraine Lake is in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, a scene of which is depicted on the reverse of a Canadian $20 banknote.
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Most recently modified 22-Jul-01