Lake Louise Moraine Lake Emerald Lake Tour: three lakes and Yoho in one day

What the Lake Louise Moraine Lake Emerald Lake tour covers

The day crosses a provincial border and takes in three glacial lakes. Pickup is in Calgary, Canmore or Banff, the drive from Calgary to Banff National Park takes about 1.5 hours, and the schedule gives an hour each at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise before the van heads west into Yoho National Park in British Columbia for Emerald Lake and the Natural Bridge over the Kicking Horse River.

Moraine Lake admission is included from June 1 to October 11 only. That is not a scheduling choice: Moraine Lake Road is closed to personal vehicles all year and only licensed commercial operators, Parks Canada shuttles and a few permit holders use it, within the season Parks Canada sets. From October 12 to May 31 the itinerary swaps in Marble Canyon, Johnston Canyon or Peyto Lake, and that admission is included instead. Emerald Lake stays on the route in every month, since Emerald Lake Road is open year-round.

Winter departures come with crampons, handed over for use at your own responsibility, which is what you want on packed snow at the Lake Louise shoreline and on a canyon trail. Lunch is a 45-minute stop at Lake Louise Village or the Lake Louise Ski Resort at your own cost. Meals and personal expenses are not included, and the operator suggests a guide tip of CAD 12 cash per person.

Transport is an air-conditioned van and the local guide drives it, so the commentary runs between stops rather than over a microphone at the back of a coach. The tour finishes in Banff, and you choose whether to be dropped there, in Canmore or back in Calgary.

How the day runs, stop by stop

1. Banff National Park 90 min
   Pickups run in Calgary, Canmore or Banff. From Calgary, the drive to Banff National Park, where the sightseeing starts, takes about 1.5 hours.
2. Marble Canyon 60 min
   Marble Canyon stands in for Moraine Lake from October 12 to May 31, with Johnston Canyon and Peyto Lake as the other alternatives. Tokumm Creek has cut a deep limestone gorge here, crossed by footbridges, with an easy walking trail along the rim.
3. Moraine Lake 60 min
   Moraine Lake is on the itinerary from June 1 to October 11. You get an hour at the shoreline below the Valley of the Ten Peaks, with the vivid blue water that rock flour gives it. Outside that window the stop becomes Marble Canyon, Johnston Canyon or Peyto Lake.
4. Lake Louise 60 min
   An hour at Lake Louise, with the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise at your back and Mount Victoria and its hanging Victoria Glacier at the far end of the water. The flat lakeshore path will take as much of the hour as you give it.
5. Lunch stop at Lake Louise Village 45 min
   Forty-five minutes for lunch at Lake Louise Village or at the Lake Louise Ski Resort, at your own cost. Nothing is included, so bring a card or cash.
6. Emerald Lake 30 min
   Half an hour at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, 39 km from Lake Louise. The wooden footbridge across to the lodge is where most photographs are taken, and the 5.2 km shoreline loop starts from the same point if you would rather walk than stand.
7. Natural Bridge 15 min
   Fifteen minutes at the Natural Bridge, 4 km west of Field, where the Kicking Horse River has worn an arch through a limestone slab. The viewpoints are a short walk from the parking area.
8. Banff Avenue 45 min
   The last stop is your choice of Banff Avenue or Bow Falls. Pick Banff Avenue and you get 45 minutes for the shops, the galleries and something to eat before the drive back.
9. Bow Falls 15 min
   Bow Falls is the other option for the final stop, 15 minutes at the wide ledge where the Bow River drops below the Fairmont Banff Springs. Choose this one if you would rather have the river than the shops.
10. Calgary 90 min
    The tour ends in Banff and you choose the drop-off point: Banff, Canmore or Calgary. The transfer from Banff to Calgary adds about 90 minutes.

What is included

Meeting point, pickup and cancellation

• Meeting point: Please wait in front of the hotel; Please wait at the parking lot; Please wait at the bus stop at the Harry Hays Building on 4th Avenue, across the street from the hotel. Departure time is at 7:30 am, so kindly arrive 5-10 minutes earlier.
• Cancellation: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
• Ages: infant 0–2, child 3–12, adult 13+

Other Lake Louise Moraine Lake Emerald Lake tour options compared

The tour on this page is the only one of the five that lets you pick Banff Avenue or Bow Falls as the final stop, and it is the one with the widest time range at 8-11 hours. The 4-lake version swaps in Bow Lake and Peyto Lake and runs to a fixed ten hours; the two Johnston Canyon combinations are longer and dearer at nine and eleven hours; the 8-10 hour departure from Banff, Canmore or Calgary carries the lowest starting price and the lowest rating of the group. Compare the tours below, then check availability for the date you have in mind.

Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 24 October 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.

More ways to plan your visit

Moraine Lake: season, road rules and what to expect

Emerald Lake and the Yoho side of the trip

Shuttles and parking at Lake Louise