Nothing can relax me more than the presence of water. Be it a splashing rivulet, a roaring waterfall, a waving sea or in this case a large body of calm water surrounded by those majestic Rocky Mountains. If you’re a sucker for the natural wonders of water, Canada really is the place to be. It seems you can find a waterfall or lake behind every bush or rock over there. Which makes it quite hard to list the five most beautiful lakes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains!

Don’t be fooled though by the appealing photos my boyfriend took. I can assure you those lakes are even more impressive in real life. 🙂 If you get the chance to feast your eyes on those wonders of nature, you’ll easily fall in love with Canada for the rest of your life!

5. Clearwater Lake

A bit of a hidden gem in the Rocky Mountains is Clearwater Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park. To enjoy this lake you have to deviate a bit from the standard Rocky Mountains travel way. I can assure you though it really is worth it! Not only for us adventurous wanderers, but also for bear-lovers.

The best way to take in the beauty of Clearwater Lake is to rent a canoe and peddle your way to one of the many campsites dotted along the shores. It’s such a lovely way to reach your destination, just gliding past the rugged shoreline hoping to spot some wildlife. We saw a bald eagle flying just over head and heard the wolves howl in the not so far distance. Also, you can swim in Clearwater Lake! A nice change from all those ice cold glacier lakes further down this list. 😉

On this photo I just got up from our tent early in the morning and decided to rub the sleep from my eyes while gently floating on the mirror like lake. It can’t get any better than this!

4. Joffre Lakes

This little daredevil wanted “a really cool shot” and decided to climb this fallen tree that was lying in freezing cold glacier water. One slipup and I would have been in real trouble! It is that same glacier water that gives the Middle Joffre Lake its otherworldly turquoise color. The other lake is the Upper Joffre Lake, while not as blue as the middle lake, it is just as cold! Just witness the glacier you see lying on the mountain rug in the distance. When you get closer you’ll see a magical blue glow around the mound where the glacier spews its ice water in the lake. A must see!

By now you might be wondering if there is also a Lower Joffre Lake? Well yes! You walk right past it when you start the Joffre Lakes trail, but you’ll likely forget it right away. If you do stop though, be warned! It is swarmed by billions of mosquitos all trying to get a drop of your sweet, sweet blood.

3. Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake is also known as ‘the postcard of Canada’. It might not be considered original to put Peyto Lake in this list, as it is one of the most visited spots in the Rocky Mountains. But that view! 🙂 If you look a bit sideways and have a bit of imagination you’ll see the shape of a fox in the outlines of the lake. Just a fun, random fact that makes me giggle with glee every time! Also I love, love, love the geological lines in the rocks above Peyto Lake as it gives the whole a very dynamic look. Oh Canada, such beauty!

2. Berg Lake

The heavy and steep climb up Mount Robson to reach this one makes Berg Lake one of my favourite lakes worldwide, just by the sheer energy it takes to get there. Things usually become more beautiful if you put in some blood, sweat and tears. 😉

When walking around Berg Lake you’ll probably hear “gunshots” echoing through the mountains. No real guns are fired, but what you hear are packs of ice that crumble off the glacier. Quite normal in the summertime, but very sad to know this process is sped up by global warming. The more reason to enjoy the precarious beauty of Berg Lake … and to take action by making my own ecological footprint smaller and inspire others to do the same.

1. Moraine Lake

First place in this list of most beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rocky Mountains is for Moraine Lake. Not only for its magnificent blue water, but also for the gigantic mountaintops towering over Moraine Lake (the Ten Peaks). The view is simply breathtaking 360°. And to know I discovered this beauty on one of the last days of my Canadatrip. Just when I thought I couldn’t be more blown away, the Rocky Mountains offered me Moraine Lake and proved how wrong I was.

But to be totally honest, I like all five lakes in this list as much as the other. So this is just a foolish attempt to put them in some kind of order. 😉 Which one of these five lakes is your favourite? (see how hard it is?!)