Wild Rose Country is an enchanting place, but don’t just take our word for it! In addition to vibrant cities and the Rocky Mountains, Alberta is also home to Moraine Lake—one of the world’s most beautiful lakes, according to a respected publication.

Located west of Calgary, Banff is known for its fresh air, active wildlife, charming town, and hiking trails, but few spots can compare to the lake hidden in the ‘Valley of the Ten Peaks.’

“While pretty much the entire region is known for its beauty, you could argue that this lake is the most gorgeous spot of all,” Time Out explains in their 2024 list of the “World’s 11 Most Beautiful Lakes.”

“Surrounded by jagged mountains and hiking trails, Moraine was named by nineteenth-century Yale student Walter Wilcox, who described it as a place of ‘inspiring solitude and rugged grandeur.’ While the former has been lost in the face of tourism, the latter very much remains – just look at the colour of it.”

Photo via Shutterstock

Want to know who else made their list? Here are their picks for this year:

  1. Lake Kawaguchi, Japan
  2. Crater Lake, USA
  3. Lake Bled, Slovenia
  4. Lake Nakuru, Kenya’
  5. Lake Hillier, Australia
  6. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia
  7. Sørvágsvatn, Faroe Islands
  8. Moraine Lake, Canada
  9. West Lake, China
  10. Lake Natron, Tanzania
  11. Lake Como, Italy

If you’re feeling inspired and would like to check it out you’ll have to plan ahead!

Due to the “high demand of visitation,” personal vehicles are no longer able to access the road to Moraine Lake.

Luckily, there are several tours, shuttles, and transit busses that will take you to where you need to go.

For more information or to book now, check out this website here and enjoy.

You won’t regret your next mountainous adventure!

Moraine Lake 

Where: Location here

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Parts of Alberta are currently facing significant fire activity. If you’d like to help the many communities affected, please head to the Canadian Wildfire Fund

Cassandra Stefanic

Regional Editor, Prairies –Cassandra is a Calgary-based journalist with a deep appreciation for music, film, food, travelling, and storytelling. When she’s not chasing a story, writing, or editing, you’ll likely find her in the mountains, binge-watching a new series, at a speakeasy, cooking, or getting lost in a Taylor Swift re-record.

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