As a child growing up in Alberta I have many memories of vacations to Banff National Park, and to Lake Louise. We were lucky enough to live within 100 miles of the park. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe a lake could be that beautiful. The emerald green surface set in the backdrop of mountain and glacier is something I'll never forget.
Lake Louise was named for Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter and the mountain in the backdrop for Queen Victoria herself, as well as the glacier on the mountain. Though much diminished in recent years, Victoria Glacier hasn't yet disappeared entirely. If one wishes to see it, though, they will have to make the trip soon as it will likely vanish in coming years.
When I was young Lake Louise was somewhat of an enigma to me, in that its color and the intensity of its color will vary from year to year, and from season to season. At times the intensity of the colour of the water is incredible, yet at other times the emerald color fades considerably, leaving the lake appearing quite ordinary. But, as I later learned, the heavier the runoff into the lake, the more glacier silt is deposited, which gives the lake its color.
I've included some pix from Wiki Commons that better capture the colour of the lake than do ours. The three in the gallery are ours, from two different trips a few years ago to Banff/Lake Louise, while the three below are from Wiki.
Lake Louise is world famous for its turquoise lakes, the Victoria Glacier, soaring mountain backdrop, palatial hotel, and incredible hiking and skiing. Surrounded by a lifetime’s worth of jaw-dropping sights and adventures, Lake Louise is a rare place that must be experienced to be believed.
You couldn’t ask for more natural beauty every time you open your eyes.
– Jade Anna Hughes of From the Inside blog
The vibrant waters of Lake Louise are 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the hamlet of Lake Louise. Named for Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter, Lake Louise is a truly awe-inspiring sight. The hanging Victoria Glacier and an amphitheatre of rugged peaks provide an imposing backdrop to the lake, which is about 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) long and 90 metres (295 feet) deep.
During the summer the lake is an intense shade of turquoise, the result of light refracting off the “rock flour” (glacier silt) deposited in the lake by glacier run off. The colour of the lake is most vibrant in July and August when the flow of the melt water is at its highest. At an elevation of 1750 metres (5740 feet), Lake Louise normally thaws in June.
From Lake Louise