Moraine Lake
모레인 호수
Moraine Lake is a lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, about 14 kilometres outside the village of Lake Louise. It lies in the Valley of the Ten Peaks at about 1,884 metres above sea level, and its surface covers about 50 hectares. It is famous for its bright blue colour, and for the mountains standing behind it.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Country
- Canada
- Location
- Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Quick answers
Where is Moraine Lake?
Moraine Lake is in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
A glacier-fed lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, famous for its vivid turquoise colour.
The lake is fed almost entirely by melting snow and glaciers, so it does not fill to its full level until the middle or end of June. Nature made it: it has never been dammed or drained by people, apart from strictly controlled visitor services run by the national park.
Why is the water so blue?
The blue comes from sunlight. Glaciers around the lake grind rock into a fine powder, and the meltwater carries it into the lake all summer. These tiny pieces bend sunlight so that the blue part of the spectrum comes back to our eyes, giving the lake a vivid azure shade when it is full.
Even though it looks clean, the water is full of silt and bacteria, so visitors must not drink it without filtering and boiling it first.
The Twenty Dollar View
A short path called the Rockpile Trail climbs a pile of boulders, which is the moraine that gave the lake its name. It is only about 300 metres long, and from the top you see the lake with the Valley of the Ten Peaks behind it. This is one of the most photographed views in Canada. It is called the Twenty Dollar View because it appeared on the back of Canada's 20 dollar bill in 1969 and 1979.
The picture has also been used as a computer wallpaper and in video games.
Visiting today
The road to the lake is 10 kilometres long and only open from June to September. Since 2023, Parks Canada has closed it to private cars all year because parking was overwhelmed. Visitors take park shuttles, public transit or tour operators, or they walk or cycle. Longer trails also start near the canoe docks, including paths to Eiffel Lake, Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass.
Fun facts
- Moraine Lake sits at about 1,884 metres above sea level.
- Its view was printed on the back of Canada's 20 dollar bills in 1969 and 1979.
- The lake is made entirely by nature; people have not dammed or drained it.
- The lake fills slowly from melting snow, so it reaches its full level only in mid to late June.
On the globe
The model shows the turquoise lake below a row of mountain peaks. Look for the blue-green water.
Nearby on the globe
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14