How To Do One Epic Day Trip To Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are two places that you’ll no doubt have seen photos of while researching your holiday to Canada. They’re on many people’s bucket lists, and for good reason. These two lakes in the Rocky Mountains are stunning, definitely worthy of all the postcards they’re on!

If you’re planning to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake on your trip to Canada, you might be wondering how you do this? “How do I do a day trip to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake?”.

You might have questions like “Can I visit with my own transport?”, or “Do I have to book on a tour to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake?” It can get overwhelming with so many options and choices.

We had the same questions, and many, many more when looking on how to get to both lakes. Hopefully this guide will give you some insight on how we booked our day trip to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, some tips on how to make the most of your visit, and what to expect if you can’t get Shuttle Passes through the Parks Canada website.

The option we ended up going for was great in the end – super flexible, allowing us to see both lakes without rushing around.

What is for certain is that a day trip to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake should definitely be on your itinerary for Canada, especially if you’re visiting the Rocky Mountains. It was one of the best days we had on our 2 week adventure to Banff and Vancouver – one which I won’t forget for a long, long time.

A Day Trip To Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

How Do I Visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake?

Lake Louise

Lake Louise By Car

There are a few options to get to Lake Louise by car. First you can drive to Lake Louise Park and Ride which is the recommended option. It’s free to park at the Lake Louise Park and Ride and then you can take the Parks Canada Shuttle to Lake Louise. The shuttle bus operates from May to October and does have to be reserved through Parks Canada. You can do this when reservations open for the year (perfect if you’re good at planning ahead) or at 8am two days prior to departure.

If you don’t manage to get a shuttle bus reservation, don’t worry – there are plenty of other options and I’ll go through some options below.

Alternatively you can drive to the Lake Louise Lakeshore. This means you’re able to park right at Lake Louise but the car park does get full up quickly (often by sunrise) and parking is limited. Parking here also costs around $36.75. 

Lake Louise By Public Transport

All year round you can get to Lake Louise by bus. Hop on the Roam Route 8X and you’ll get transported straight from Banff to Lake Louise. Reservations are recommended on Roam Transit and during the summer months, this will include tickets for the shuttle connector between Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.

Lake Louise By Organised Tour

👉 Enjoy a flexible day which allows you to take in Lake Louise and Moraine Lake at your own pace. This shuttle bus has an hourly timetable and runs between Lake Louise and Moraine Lake giving you plenty of time to explore both on a day trip, rather than run to someone else’s schedule.

Check it out: Lake Louise and Moraine Lake Big Bus Shuttle

👉 This tour includes 2 hours at Moraine Lake and 2 hours at Lake Louise – plenty of time to enjoy both lakes. Not only that but you get to enjoy sunrise at Moraine Lake and watch as the morning light wraps the Ten Peaks in a golden glow. A bucket list experience if you do it!

Check it out: Sunrise and Moraine Lake and Lake Louise

Moraine Lake

Visitors to Moraine Lake are unable to travel to Moraine Lake via their own personal vehicle. This rule has been put in place to manage the congestion that happens during peak months. That means you do have to be organised to get to Moraine Lake but there are plenty of options to see this incredible piece of nature.

Moraine Lake by Parks Canada Shuttle

Just like Lake Louise, you can reserve your shuttle pass to Moraine Lake through Parks Canada. Again you have to be organised but don’t be too disappointed if you don’t get a shuttle reservation as there are other options such as organised tours.

Moraine Lake By Organised Tour

• Fairview Limousine and Moraine Lake Bus Company operate shuttles multiple times daily from June to October with various pick-up points available in Lake Louise. 
• Mountain Park Transportation offers shuttles from Banff town with a stop at Lake Louise and Moraine lake. 
• Ten Peaks Shuttles & Tours offer shuttles from Banff, the Bow Valley Parkway and Lake Louise.

When Can I Visit Lake Louise And Moraine Lake

Lake Louise can be visited all year round. In summer, expect to see a glorious blue lake with great trails perfect for hiking and in winter, a snow and ice covered part of Canada where you’ll find people skating and enjoying the winter landscape.

Moraine Lake is only open to visitors between June and October – dates may vary due to weather conditions so it’s always best to check before you plan a visit. With there being a limited time to visit Moraine Lake, make sure you book your travel between these months to avoid missing out.

What Walks Can I Do Around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

There are many day walks you can do around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. These range from easy to difficult and you can see these on the Parks Canada website but include many popular walks including the Moraine Lake Lakeshore, Plain of Six Glaciers, and Consolation Lakes.

Resources For Lake Louise And Moraine Lake

There are many useful resources for visiting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake and it’s always best to check for up to date transport routes and opening times. Plus there’s also loads of inspiration on the below websites for your holiday in Canada and the Rocky Mountains.

• Parks Canada
• Lake Louise Shuttle
• The Banff Blog – Lake Louise Information and Moraine Lake Information

My Lake Louise and Moraine Lake Day Trip Itinerary: A Flexible Day Trip Through Get Your Guide

How We Booked Our Day Trip To Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Picture this: You’re sat having breakfast at Sudden Sally, at the top of Banff’s high street in the gorgeous Hotel Canoe and Suites. You have your phone ready, poised for the 8am opening slots for a Lake Louise and Moraine Lake Shuttle Pass. 8am arrives, and boom, all passes are sold out.

Cue panic stations. Had we missed our chance to see two of the most beautiful places on earth? The one thing that we all wanted to do on our Canadian holiday? Honestly, I did think that and I was gutted.

So when our initial plan of booking a shuttle pass through the Parks Canada website didn’t work, we quickly had to find another plan. I’ve used Get Your Guide a lot in the past so this was my first port of call for other alternatives for a day trip to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. There were a lot of options – some included hotel pick ups and transfers from Banff (perfect if you don’t have your own car!). Eventually, we saw one which fitted what we wanted perfectly.

The Lake Louise and Moraine Lake Day trip with flexible shuttle buses between the two was just what we wanted. Our day trip departed from Lake Louise Village and as we had our own hire car, this was ideal for us. The transport in between Lake Louise and Moraine Lake was also flexible, departing each lake every hour, giving us plenty of time to explore each place and fit in a longer walk rather than just having time to take a few photos.

I believe now you can park up at Deer Lodge, this is a 5 minute walk from Lake Louise so still really convenient!

It was easy enough to book through Get Your Guide, we simply chose the time we wanted to depart on the bus from the meeting point, added how many people we were booking for and we had our tickets! It was simple and easy and although we were able to do this the day before departure, I’d recommend booking in advance so you don’t miss out. 

Day Trip Schedule

We chose the earliest departure of 8am to Lake Louise. All we had to do was park up at the meeting point and off we went for our first stop of the day – the iconic Lake Louise.

We were at Lake Louise in no time and the journey was made extra entertaining thanks to our lovely driver with his personal anecdotes and various warnings (and jokes) about bears.

At Lake Louise, we had as much time as we wanted to explore – one of the main reasons for booking this day trip option. Buses to Moraine Lake departed every hour from Lake Louise so we knew we had lots of time. One of the best parts of this tour option was the fact that we could travel in between each destination via an open top double decker bus. This meant we had more opportunity to view the amazing scenery surrounding us – unless it’s raining, I’d recommend grabbing a seat on the top deck if you can!

Once we’d enjoyed Lake Louise, we hopped on the bus to Moraine Lake and the same applied here – buses departed back to the meeting point every hour. There’s no timed reservations for any buses apart from the bus that departs to Lake Louise in the morning. This means you can hop on and off at times that suit you.

What We Did At Lake Louise

Our early arrival at Lake Louise meant we were some of the first people there – apart from the super early birds that arrived for sunrise. We hadn’t planned anything specific but knew we had time on our side so we looked for a good walk around the area. We looked at the lake shore walk, a flat 2km walk which sounded perfect after a long walk the previous day. 

Off we went, with few other people around us, skirting the edge of this iconic lake. Reaching the end of the lake shore, we looked back to views of Fairmont Lake Louise – absolutely stunning. We couldn’t resist walking a bit further, to get a better view.

However, the further we walked, the more amazing the walk got. We also saw signs for the Plain of Six Glaciers walk, and the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. Again, with time on our side, we decided to make the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse our end point. Climbing further up the mountain side, through forest and then onto rocky paths, our loose plan turned into one of the best things we did all trip.

Plain of Six Glaciers Walk

At around 11km return from Lake Louise up to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse, this is a fairly decent length hike with 595m of elevation from the lake shore. It’s moderate in its level of difficulty with no technical aspects but could be tough going with the hills if you’re not used to walking. 

However, even if you’re not a regular walker, you could do this and take your time – not hard to do when there’s all the beautiful views to take in.

The Banff Blog has a great guide on the Plain Of Six Glaciers Hike and although we went with zero preparation (although we were wearing layers and had water and snacks with us), it would be handy to do some basic preparation especially when the weather can be unpredictable. 

We did this walk in September and although the day started off cool, it turned out to be bright and warm by mid-morning. With views getting better and better as we walked further towards the mountains, it’s hard not to stop every few minutes just to take it all in. When we reached the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse in the mid-morning sun, we did get talking to someone who had done the same walk at the same time the year before. She said on that day it had been heavily snowing and she was unable to complete the walk so was back a year later to do it again. Fortunately for her, and for us, the weather was on our side.

Walking to the entrance of Plain Of Six Glaciers Teahouse, we ordered a selection of food including homemade lemonade, chocolate cake, nachos and tea. Everything here is made with no electricity and supplies have to be carried up the trail every few days with staff staying over until the next lot of supplies arrive. We spent a good half an hour here, maybe more, already talking about how amazing our walk had been, people watching as others were arriving at the teahouse, and spotting the giant dog (actually an 11 month old puppy) – the pet of one of the staff at the teahouse – going round trying his luck with friendly walkers for scraps of food. Can you spot him in one of the pictures above?

After refreshing ourselves with snacks, we started our journey back down the trail, coming across horses trekking in the opposite direction and a stream of people who’d started their walk later in the morning than we did.

Travelling To Moraine Lake

Once we’d reached the edge of Lake Louise, we reluctantly (the view is very hard to tear yourself away from) headed to the bus pick up point to go to Lake Louise. With buses leaving every 30 minutes, we’d managed to time our departure to Moraine Lake with an open-top double decker bus. This allowed us to  enjoy 360 degree views of the Rocky Mountains as we travelled the quiet road to Moraine Lake. 

With this tour, there’s no need to book which bus you want to depart on from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake, just turn up and hop on – it’s as easy as that!

What We Did At Moraine Lake

There are several walks to do around Moraine Lake, so if you only spend a short time at Lake Louise, you could do a longer hike at Moraine Lake. As we’d done a long walk at Lake Louise, we were content with just meandering at Moraine Lake. Wandering around the lake shore and enjoying the Moraine Lake Rockpile Trail for the classic view of Moraine Lake.

The Moraine Lake Rockpile Trail is around half a km long and although uphill, is relatively easy with a high reward view for low effort.

We also had a good walk around the souvenir shop here – it’s kitted out with plenty of clothing and outdoor items. Ideal if you want to pick up a little something to remember the day by.

Around 90 minutes later we caught the bus back to where we parked the car, again on a double decker bus so we could enjoy the views. I’d sit at the front or back of the bus if you can!

It was such an amazing day, one which we all still talk about very fondly now. And although our day trip to Lake Louse and Moraine Lake didn’t quite start out as planned, it ended up being one of the best days of our trip. It was so enjoyable having time to really explore Lake Louise and not have to rush at Moraine Lake.

If you can’t get your passes through Parks Canada, this day trip through Get Your Guide really is a great way to do it although there are a lot of other options available. Just take a look at which one is the best for you. 

Have you done a day trip to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake? Maybe it’s on your bucket list for your Canadian holiday? Let me know if this blog post was helpful in your planning or if you’ve had other good experiences on visiting these two incredible lakes!