Moraine Lake is a glacially fed lake about 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.
It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks in Banff National Park.
Moraine Lake is a small, spectacular, unique and famous lake.
The lake is at an elevation of approximately 1,885 meters (6,183 feet) above sea level.
It has a surface area of 50 hectares (120 acres) or 0.5 square kilometers (0.19 square miles).
The lake’s maximum depth is 15 meters (49 feet).
Because it is glacially fed, the lake only starts to thaw in June. When Moraine is full, it gets an amazing shade of turquoise, because of the refraction of light off the rock flour gathering in the lake continuously.
The breathtaking sight of the surrounding mountains and their snowy peaks also contributes to its uniqueness and fame.
Moraine Lake is a popular natural attraction site in the Canadian Rockies because of its beauty and activities.
The area around the lake has several walking/hiking trails which are, from time to time, restricted. The trail most commonly taken by tourists is The Rockpile Trail, which is along the actual moraine. The trail is approximately 300 meters (980 ft) long, with an elevation change of 24 meters (79 ft).
The view of the lake from the top of the rockpile is one of the most photographed locations in all of Canada.
Moraine Lake is nicknamed the lake with the twenty dollar view, since it was featured on the backside of the 1969 and 1979 issues of the Canadian Twenty Dollar bill.
The image of Moraine Lake also appears:
• In one of the main preview pictures for Google’s operating system Android, Moraine lake was used as a background picture.
• In one of Windows 7’s backgrounds in the “Canada” and the “Winter” series; and in the login screen of Windows 10.
• In the Bing homepage on October 13, 2009, on October 2, 2013, and again on September 10, 2014.
Moraine Lake is home to a variety of fish species including trout, Mountain Whitefish, and Lake Whitefish.
One of the major threats facing Moraine Lake and other glacial lakes around the world is the thawing of glaciers due to global warming.