Moraine Lake
Kaylee
Perhaps the most photographed lake in Canada and for good reason. Moraine Lake is situated up in between the mountains just south of Lake Louise and has several trails to hike in and around the area, however we only adventured down the shoreline trail which was short, easy, and absolutely beautiful. However, unless you arrive in the early morning (9 am or earlier), the road to the lake is carefully monitored by staff to control the overwhelming amount of people trying to access the lake and even if the staff finally let you through, you could be parking a good kilometer or two down the road since they only have a very small parking lot and a whole lodge of people that are already staying there during their visit. In short the earlier you get there the better, and the popular lake is stunning to say the least.
Kim
First off, don’t even try to do this hike on a nice weekend. There’s a small chance that you will get to go up the hill to even get to the lake. We ended up driving around a couple of times, before anyone let us even drive up the hill to the parking lot at Moraine Lake. We even did it in the early morning on a weekday, and it still took us a while to drive up towards the lake. Personally, I think the guy that was in charge of letting people in just liked to see our frustration as we kept driving around. We finally made our way up the hill, and parking was hard to find. So if you see a spot along the side of the road, just take it and walk the rest of the way. The lake here is really amazing and I can see why it’s so popular. It is a bit further out of the way, but you can also stop at Lake Louise while you’re here! At Moraine lake there are places to stay in overnight and a nice place to eat as well. You can take a nice stroll along the lake and go right up along the shore. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can rent a canoe and take it around the lake. Again, when we went, it was pretty smoky, but it was a nice warm day, so it was enjoyable to spend the day out there. It was so warm in fact, that Sophie decided to take a dip in the water. I got my feet in and that was good enough for me. We made it to the end of the boardwalk and then continued back where we found a nice big rock to sit on and take a break. While we were taking a break Sunali screamed and swatted a bee right towards Sophie and I. RIGHT TOWARDS US. She screamed so much that it attracted the attention of a passerby who checked on us and needless to say Sophie and I were laughing pretty good. I would really reccomend adding this to your "to do/see" list because it is absolutely worth it.
Sunali
Moraine Lake is one of the nicest lakes I’ve seen – the lake is always a turquoise blue and it’s nestled nicely in the mountains so it’s very picturesque. This is another popular hike in Banff because of how beautiful it is although I'd call it more of a walk than a hike. Sophie thought it would be a good idea to go swimming even though I reminded her it was glacier water! Kim and I just put our feet in since it was so warm outside – holy man the water was so cold, I could feel my body dropping to the same temperature as my heart (ha). Then there was the bee incident…. It landed on my bare thigh and I felt my soul leave my body with the ear-piercing shriek that came from my mouth which elicited the unwanted attention of some passersby who asked if I needed help (I did. But not the kind they meant). In between panicked gasps I managed to tell them that no, I was not allergic to bees and yes, I was fine except that I was terrified and then when they went on their way, I used my hand to fling the bee off my leg and in Kim’s direction (clearly I didn’t think this through). It was a taxing experience to say the least. After that, we hurried back to the car because I was soooo done with nature for the day.
Sophie
Moraine lake was by far the most beautiful hike out of all the ones we did this summer. I feel like saying its a hike is a bit of a stretch, its more of a casual stroll. The hike is alongside the bright blue lake with the option of occasionally walking on the lake shore or on the forest path. This area is incredibly busy during all times because of how picturesque it is. The trail isn't terribly crowded. Canoeing is offered on the lake but unfortunately the prices are rather expensive. We were planning on canoeing (mostly for the photographic opportunities) but it just wasn't worth it for three broke students. Instead I did a very spontaneous thing and actually jumped into the lake. Twice. Let me tell you that is not a swimming lake. It is mountain water and so its aggressively cold. Like, I-would-die-if-I-spent-more-than-45-seconds-in-the-lake kind if cold. One pesky thing about this trail is all the bees. If you are allergic or just really scared of bee, I suggest you sit this one out. There aren't many flowers on the trail so the bees were a surprise. Right after I jumped into the lake I came out onto the rocks with Kim and Sunali. Sunali had a bee land on her and proceeded to scream, then fling the bee at Kim and I. All this commotion brought a couple towards us where they proceeded to ask if Sunali was allergic. Turns out Sunali's not allergic just traumatized.