Photo by Bantersnaps
In Banff National Park, Moraine Lake is a glacial-fed lake 14kms outside the village of Lake Louise. Without a doubt, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The lake is famous for its azure blue waters and being surrounded by snowcapped peaks in the area known as the Valley of Ten Peaks. This combined makes it one of the most picturesque locations sought by tourists the world-around, as it creates the definitive Canadian mountain backdrop. To be frank it is a breathtaking view.
Moraine Lake is a Cat. 2 climb that is accessible from May to September. For cyclists, the beauty here is if you time things right you will be able to do this climb, before the parks opens the road to vehicular traffic. Just before the May Long weekend, the park will clear the final bit of snow from the roadway, giving cyclists the perfect opportunity to ride up traffic free!
Elevation Map of Moraine Lake Climb
Even with the increased popularity of the area over the past few years, after the road opens for the season traffic is not as bad as one might think. This is because cars are restricted once the parking is full in the morning, making still an enjoyable ride with limited cars. Even so, depending on where you want to start your ride during the summer, parking in the Lake Louise area can be limited, so plan to arrive early if you strictly want to do the climb.
If you start at the base of Moraine Lake road, you are looking at a climb of 8.5 km’s with an average gradient of 4 percent. To the lake, it is 11.4 km’s, as you will have a small 55-meter descent from the peak elevation of 1738 meters. The out and back is recommend for someone with moderate fitness, or if you want a little adventure I imagine a beginner would have a fantastic time on an e-bike. The ride will be approximately an hour to the lake and half hour return, depending on fitness and bike skills for the descent.
For an added challenge, and a little more climbing one can start from the Lake Louise Visitor Centre. This will add an additional 121 meters of climbing over 1.63 km’s with an average gradient of 7.4% and a maximum gradient of 13% before turning left on Moraine Lake Road to complete the rest of the trip as described above.
If you start at the visitor center, a café stop may be in order. We recommend that you grab a slice of pizza or a brownie if you have a sweet tooth from Laggan’s Mountain Bakery & Delicatessen, along with a nice cup of espresso to round out the day. The Village Market that is directly next door is also a fantastic place to grab fluids and snacks, especially if this ride was part of a longer out and back ride along the Bow Valley Parkway from Castle Junction or Banff.
If you are visiting the area, and are likely not to return anytime soon for another ride, or have never visited the area, once completing the climb to Moraine Lake, rather than turning right to descend on Lake Louise Drive, consider turning left, and visiting Lake Louise and the Fairmount Chateau, which is another world renowned view. It is just an additional 2.3 km’s and 89 meters of climb, before your reach the Chateau Lake Louise, and provides another fantastic opportunity to refuel with an amazing view. Just keep in mind that the road to the Chateau is a little busier in terms of traffic, but again does quiet down once the lots are full, and traffic are diverted to the Lake Louise overflow parking.
Now if you do happen to arrive late, and are unable to park at Lake Louise, rather than starting from the Lake Louise overflow parking. I recommend starting your ride from Castle Junction, and ride to Lake Louise via the Bow Valley Parkway. This route covers 83.1 km’s and includes 990m of total climbing.
You can get the route for Castle Mountain to Moraine Lake - Out and Back on Kamoot by clicking the link: https://www.komoot.com/tour/379008509?ref=wta
Photo by: Jakub Fryš
With the gorgeous scenery, the opportunity to ride traffic free, we think that this really is a bucket list climb. An absolute must for anyone visiting the Rocky Mountains!