Accessible icons: Moraine and Peyto Lake
Hey Folks,
Here’s another image from Moraine Lake, a couple of tourists enjoying the view, lakeside, of Wenkchmena Peaks and Moraine Lake.
Banff National Park is a sweet place, with an incredible array of photographic opportunities and interesting subjects to shoot. I could go up to Moraine Lake a thousand times and not get bored with that view, I reckon. It does get a little sticky, inundated with bus loads of tourists as the day goes by, but early in the morning there’s usually very few people there.
One of the cool things about Banff National Park, for the nature photographer, is there are so many simply awesome scenes that are super-accessible. Just a short walk off the road and you’ve got this incredible scene. For the more adventurous traveller, there’s a ton of hikes and trails to explore and places to get into the backcountry and away from it all, which is great too, but for some really easy access, Banff National Park is the spot. Moraine Lake is just one of the places among literally dozens of scenic opportunities. I’ll try to post a few more along the way.
Glacial flour and the blue of the Rockies
I promised I’d stop with the dog-fest today, so indeed, being a man of my word, I did exactly that. Here’s a photo I shot last September on the now infamous trip thru the Canadian Rockies with my parents. This is Peyto Lake, one of the icons of the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park. Little trivia again. Anyone care to explain the rich color of the lake? I’ll give ya a hint. It’s cold. ?
This photo is from Moose Meadows, in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
I took this in the fall on the trip through the Canadian and North American Rockies with my mum and dad.
A farewell to the Lower 48 and my folks.
Well, this shall be my last post from the Lower 48 states, for a while at least. Tomorrow on the eve I fly to Alaska, and settle down for some winter fun. It’s been a short trip, and tons of fun with my parents – hopefully it won’t take 3 more years for me to get the chance to see them again.
I’m looking forward to getting back to Alaska, and if the weather is at all reasonable, trying to get some more images from Wrangell-St. Elias. I also have a boatload of files to process, website updates to do, emails to return, and more computer stuff as well – which I’m not so eager to undertake, but, it seems, I have to. I have a ton of writing I want to, and also have had a few books recommended to me that I am keen to read. On top of that the moose rut is just starting to get underway, and that will be fun to photograph, so it seems I’ll be kept busy. I guess that’s good.
For now, I’ll just post this picture of my mum and her new friend from Banff National Park, waving us all goodbye.
Cheers
Carl
Banff Quick Photography Guide
Moraine Lake and the Ten PeaksÂ
To get the classic view of the Wenkchmena Peaks reflecting in the water, you have to beat the “sticky” crowds. Aim for sunrise; the light hits those granite spires first, and you’ll have a much better chance of finding a quiet spot on the Rockpile before the first tour buses roll in.
The Electric Blue of Peyto LakeÂ
If you’re heading to the Peyto Lake overlook, don’t feel like you have to be there at the crack of dawn. This is one of the few spots where a bit of overhead sun actually helps. The higher the sun, the more that “glacial flour”—the fine rock silt suspended in the water—glows that incredible turquoise color.
Moose Meadows and the Shoulder SeasonsÂ
For a break from the crowds, Moose Meadows is a great spot to catch the transition into fall. It’s perfect for low-angle light and catching the local wildlife as the rut begins. Plus, it’s one of those spots that feels a bit more like “Old Alberta” and less like a tourist trap.
