Visiting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake
A not-so-fun fact that many people don’t know when they get here for their Rocky Mountain getaway – Moraine Lake is not accessible during the winter months. The road closes in mid-October every year and reopens around the 1st of June the following year.
During this time, Lake Louise and the other lakes are visitable, but they are frozen. You will not see those beautiful emerald and blue colours that you've seen in photographs between November and June. You will see white, snowy, icy lakes. We still recommend visiting Emerald, Louise, and Peyto in the winter months for a Winter Wonderland experience. You can even skate on Lake Louise!
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In the summer months, there are many ways of getting to these lakes; so if you want to go, you can go. It’s just a matter of how much it will cost you and what that will look like. The options range from government-subsidized transit to private companies.
We’ve listed the options below:
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The cheapest option to visit Moraine Lake and Lake Louise will be by taking the Parks Canada shuttle. Tickets for these shuttles go on sale early in the year, so if you know the dates of your trip, book a shuttle in advance! Parks Canada will also release a small portion of shuttle tickets 48 hours in advance throughout the season. At 8am each day, they will release tickets for two days in advance (i.e. on a Tuesday at 8am you can buy tickets for Thursday, on a Wednesday at 8am, you can buy tickets for Friday, etc.). These tickets go incredibly fast, within minutes, so it’s best to have a back-up plan. Departures on the Parks Canada shuttle will go from the Lake Louise ski resort. You will need to drive to the Lake Louise ski resort and park your car there (for free once you have the Banff National Park Pass).
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The public transit bus ROAM is the next cheapest option. If you purchase the Super Day Pass on the 8x to Lake Louise, you will be able to take a connector bus from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake. This bus will depart from the town of Banff and is the best option for those who are not renting a car during their stay. You will need to book your departure time from the town of Banff as well as your departure time from Lake Louise back to Banff. These tickets also sell out during summer months. There are same-day tickets, but you are not able to reserve a time to return from Lake Louise, so you could be waiting until one of the later buses in the day when there's room.
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If you’d like to go to the lakes from the town of Canmore or the town of Banff, Into the Wild tours offers a really nice experience. They will pick you up in either Canmore or Banff and take you to both Louise and Moraine. You will get 2 hours at each lake and the driver will provide some local information along the way. They also include beverages and chocolate (and blankets/headlamps for their sunrise tours!). There are only 10 people on each tour so it feels like a private tour. Leave the driving and logistics and stress to Into the Wild – book your spot!
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If you are a fan of a full-day tour to see all of the highlights and/or only have one day to do it, the 'Mountains, Lakes, and Waterfalls tour' with Pursuit might be your best bet. This tour takes place on a 50-seat, air-conditioned bus and stops at Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Emerald Lake, the Natural Bridge, and Takkakkaw Falls. Lunch at Emerald Lake Lodge is also included. The tour will provide great local information and history as well – you’ll be in really good hands. Book here!