How Much Time Do You Need at Moraine Lake?

Most visitors to Moraine Lake spend between 1 and 1.5 hours at the lake before moving on. However, you can easily spend longer here depending on what you want to do with your day! No matter what, we never recommend that anyone spend less than one hour at one of the most beautiful lakes in the world! To fully appreciate the surreal beauty, it’s best not to rush your time.

Walking up to the famous Rockpile Trail and taking in a million-dollar view of Moraine Lake and the Ten Peaks will take most visitors one hour. However, if you want to sit at the cafe, canoe around the lake, or enjoy one of the epic hikes in the area, you will need more time. One could easily spend the entire day at Moraine Lake. But it all depends on what you want to do. Let’s break it down.

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Why Do You Have to Plan Your Time at Moraine Lake?

You don’t have to plan out your time and schedule hour by hour. However, we get lots of questions about timing at Moraine Lake. Since visitors cannot simply drive and park at the lake, coming and going whenever they please, it’s understandable they ask about timing.

While the Parks Canada buses have a flexible operation, private companies like the Moraine Lake Bus Company and Via Via, ask for return shuttle times from Moraine Lake.

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How Long Does it Take to Get to Moraine Lake?

If you are taking the Parks Canada shuttle or an alternative option, it takes about 30 minutes to get to Moraine Lake and back. If you are choosing an adventurous option like biking to Moraine Lake, plan for that ride to take 2 hours one way.

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Where Do Most Visitors Spend Their Time at Moraine Lake

• The Rockpile Trail: Heading up the Rockpile Trail is the most popular thing to do at Moraine Lake. From up here, visitors get the most epic views over Moraine Lake. We personally love to explore other hikes and areas around Moraine Lake, but many people seem content with just heading up here. Getting up the Rockpile Trail takes about 10 minutes up. If you just plan on heading up this trail and taking in the views, plan to spend 1-1.5 hours at Moraine Lake.
• Consolation Lakes: Consolation Lakes is an easy trail in the Moraine Lake area. It is a 7km round trip that takes about 3 hours to complete. We love to combine this with a walk on the Rockpile Trail. If you plan to tackle this trail, plan to spend 4 hours at Moraine Lake.
• Walking the Lakeshore: Walking the Moraine Lake Lakeshore is a simple, but not physically demanding activity. There’s a nice trail around the lake where you can enjoy different views of the Ten Peaks. This is great to combine with the Rockpile Trail. Plan to spend 2 hours at Moraine Lake if this is what you’d like to do.
• Canoe on Moraine Lake: Canoe rentals are by the hour. We recommend canoeing on Moraine Lake, heading up the Rockpile Trail, and enjoying the gift shop. All of this should take about 4 hours.
• Soaking Up The Sun: At Moraine Lake, you don’t have to do anything at all besides sit and soak up the sun! If this sounds like your cup of tea, plan to spend one hour at the Lake.
• Additional Hikes in the Moraine Lake Area: There are some other popular hikes in the area. Most notable are Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass. If you want to tackle these hikes, plan to spend most of the day at Moraine Lake, anywhere between 5 and 7 hours.

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How Many Hours Do You Have?

• One Hour at Moraine Lake: Walk around the lakeshore, or head up the Rockpile Trail and take in the view from the top.
• Two Hours at Moraine Lake: Walk around the lakeshore AND head up The Rockpile Trail, have a coffee at the cafe and enjoy the gift shop.
• Three Hours at Moraine Lake: Head up the Rockpile Trail and enjoy a canoe on Moraine Lake.
• Four Hours at Moraine Lake: Hike back to Consolation Lakes
• Five Hours Plus: Combine a canoe and a hike at Moraine Lake. Head up to Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass for a long and epic day out.

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Keep in Mind

• There’s a nice cafe and souvenir shop at Moraine Lake. If you want to visit these, plan for extra time. The souvenir shop is surprisingly well-stocked and fun to walk around. Last time, my mom spent 30 minutes alone in here. The cafe is a great spot to soak up the sun. The cafe and shop don’t open until after 8 a.m. in the summer.
• Accessibility: The Moraine Lake area is not super accessible. If you have accessibility needs, the best thing to do is walk the lakeshore trail.
• There’s no service at Moraine Lake: Have a plan before you get there so you aren’t stuck twiddling your thumbs without plans.
• Days are long: The sun rises at 5:30am and sets after 10pm in the summer. Days are super long, so you have plenty of time to plan a visit to Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, and so much more!
• Sunrise visitors take note: Many visitors can’t wait to get to Moraine Lake for sunrise. However, after sunrise, around 7 a.m., the area clears out considerably until around 9 a.m., when it really gets busy again.

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Moraine Lake and Lake Louise in One Day

Most visitors visit Moraine Lake and Lake Louise on the same day, and we highly recommend this, as the two lakes are well connected. Though to do this will take some planning during the summer months as they are both very busy Banff lakes. We recommend using the Parks Canada shuttle or a private tour or bus company, like Moraine Lake Bus Co, to travel between the two lakes. If you plan to take on any large hikes or canoe on both lakes in one day, it’s best to plan your day out and start early to make the most out of your Banff itinerary.

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Our Recommendation

Many people think the Moraine Lake area is like Downtown Banff, with shops and restaurants everywhere. This means they might plan to spend more time there than they should. Moraine Lake is actually a very natural area with little development.

As locals, when we go to Moraine Lake, we typically make a full day out of it and paddle on the lake and go for a hike. It’s truly one of the most spectacular areas in the world. Look at our suggested times and activities and choose which is right for you. We recommend spending 1-2 hours at Moraine Lake for most visitors who are not looking to hike or canoe.