11 Most beautiful Lakes in Western Canada
Canada is renowned for being one huge outdoor adventure playground amongst the incredible wilderness.
On top of diverse wildlife, snow-capped peaks, towering canyons, icy glaciers and thundering waterfalls are hundreds of magnificent emerald lakes. But which ones should you make it a priority to see?!
Western Canada hands down has the title for the most spectacular scenery in the country and is the ideal place for a road trip. Driving from Calgary to Vancouver, taking in the majestic Rocky Mountains will be the trip of a lifetime.
In this guide to lakes in Western Canada, we’ve rounded up our absolute favourites after having lived there. At the end, we’ve provided a map showing you where each lake is.
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Contents
Lakes in Western Canada
Moraine Lake
Our Top Tip: Moraine Lake limits the number of vehicles so get here early!! We arrived at 7am and the car park was half full.
When we left around 10am, the road to the lake was closed. It opens again later in the afternoon once the crowds have died down. Alternatively, use the park and ride shuttles.
Moraine Lake can be visited from Banff as a day trip combined with Lake Louise (more on that beauty shortly). Or, we’d recommend staying in Lake Louise Village so you can visit the lakes early morning and late afternoon without the crowds.
Garibaldi Lake – Our Favourite Lake in Western Canada
Garibaldi Lake is our absolute favourite lake in Western Canada! Unfortunately, this hike isn’t accessible by car and requires a bit of effort to get to. It does, however, make for completely unspoiled scenery and fewer crowds than some of the other lakes on this list.
Garibaldi Lake is located in Garibaldi Provincial Park, close to Whistler. It’s an 18-kilometre round-trip hike so you’ll need a full day but it’s worth it, we promise!
Nestled between snow-capped mountains and a breathtaking backdrop of Sphinx Glacier is one of the most spectacular scenes in British Columbia!
If you have the time and camping gear, we’d recommend spending a night by the lake and doing some of the other hikes in the area. We also hiked Black Tusk and Panorama Ridge when we spent a weekend here and what an experience it was!!
We’ve got a dedicated guide to hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park so check that out if you’d like to know more about the area.
Lake Louise
Peyto Lake
It’s probably the easiest lake to visit on this guide. It’s a stop on the infamous Icefield Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise. This viewpoint across the lake is only a 15-minute walk from the car park so you don’t need to work hard to be rewarded with this amazing view.
Joffre Lakes
Maligne Lake
The best way to explore the lake and appreciate its grandeur is on a cruise. Keep your eyes peeled for the diverse wildlife that this area is home to including; bighorn sheep, bears, wolverines, elk and mountain goats.
Wedgemount Lake
Lake Minnewanka
A short drive from Banff is the 21-kilometre long glacial Lake Minnewanka. The First Nations Storey people gave it its name “Minn-Waki” meaning “Lake of the Spirits” as they believed spirits resided in the lake.
Lake Minnewanka is surrounded by towering mountain peaks and is a hot spot for recreational activities; some of which may surprise you!
Hiking around Lake Minnewanka is a wonderful experience. Hikes range from short easy strolls along its rocky shores through aspen trees, to more challenging hikes up rugged peaks treating you to panoramic views across the lake.
There are also a few biking trails at certain times of the year.
To really discover the beauty of the lake up close, hop on a boat cruise or rent your own canoe or kayak. Alternatively, you can have an incredible underwater exploration of an old dam, bridge and resort that have been completely submerged by the lake.
Lake Minnewanka is also a fantastic place just to relax by the water and soak up the views. There are numerous picnic spots, a cooking shelter and a cafe.
Bow Lake
Bow Lake is another lake you can stop off to see on the Icefields Parkway. It’s probably one of the most overlooked lakes in Western Canada as it’s quite small. People tend to stop, take a quick photo then continue on to Lake Louise or Peyto Lake.
Bow Lake, however, is beautiful! Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies and fed by meltwater from Bow Glacier in the Wapta Icefield, it has some of the most striking craggy mountainscapes.
On a clear, calm day, the emerald waters are a perfect mirror for the surrounding mountains.
There’s an easy shoreline trail you can do with amazing views of Crowfoot Mountain flanked by Crowfoot Glacier looming over Bow Lake.
Cheakamus Lake
Once you reach the lake, you’ll be rewarded with yet another remarkably blue lake surrounded on all sides by towering mountains and untouched wilderness.
Rainbow Lake
We’re going to finish this list of the 11 most beautiful lakes in Western Canada off with Rainbow Lake. Rainbow Lake is one of Whistler’s most pristine alpine lakes. Again, it’s a hike to reach but it’s easily accessible from the village.
This was one of our favourite hikes we did while living in Whistler. The hike itself is mostly through scenic forests and across fairytale creek bridges; feels a bit like the enchanted forest!
Once you reach Rainbow Lake, we’d recommend following the path to the other side of the lake. Here, there’s a slightly higher vantage point with incredible views of Rainbow Lake and Wedge Mountain looming in the distance.
The hike is rated as intermediate and will take approximately 6 hours for the 16-kilometre return trip.
Our Top Tip: Rainbow Lake is a source of drinking water for Whistler Village, so camping and swimming are prohibited.
Well, there you have it, our favourite lakes in Western Canada. We hope we’ve inspired you to visit many of these lakes on your Canadian road trip and maybe even spend a night camping in Garibaldi Provincial Park or Joffre Lakes Provincial Park.
Always make sure you’re well-prepared in the mountains. The weather can change drastically in a matter of minutes so take layers, wear proper hiking shoes and always tell someone where you’re going.
We’d recommend, if you’re hiking more remotely, to also carry bear spray with you.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our post on the most beautiful lakes in Western Canada. Leave a comment or contact us if you have any questions or want to say hi 🙂