Emerald Lake is located in Yoho National Park, right next door to Banff and Jasper National Parks. While the latter two seem to get all the attention, Yoho is definitely worth exploring. It is equally beautiful and has a much calmer vibe than Banff.
My Favorite Photos
Here are a few of my favorite photos from Emerald Lake. Prints of images in this blog are available from my on-line gallery through Pictorem. If you see an image which you like and it is not available on Pictorem, just contact me here. To save some dollars, frame your own picture. I can print a variety of sizes up to 19×13 inches. Just contact me.
Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park is the next door neighbor to Banff and Jasper National Parks. It is only 66 km from the town of Banff, so easy to get to. While Banff and Jasper seem to get all the attention, Yoho is definitely worth checking out. Yoho boasts stunning scenery like Kicking Horse Pass, Takakkaw Falls, Emerald Lake, and Lake O’Hara. Not to mention the charming and laid back town of Field. If you are really adventurous you can take a guided hike to the Burgess Shale Fossils.
We spent the majority of our time in Yoho around Emerald Lake over a two night stay. It was plenty of time to experience the splendor. We partook in some hiking, enjoyed the ever-changing weather and soaked in the beauty. I couldn’t put the camera away as there were just so many incredible compositions. We were lucky with the weather. Great Sunsets, Sunrises and a cold front with rain, snow, mist and fog. Everything you need for a photographic bonanza.
For more information about Yoho, check out this link.
Emerald Lake
The name Emerald Lake is very well deserved. The color of the water is truly – well – Emerald. Before going to Emerald Lake we had just spent two days at Moraine Lake. The difference in color between the lakes is striking as Moraine Lake tends toward the Blue-Azure side of the spectrum.
According to folklore, Emerald Lake was ‘discovered’ by a mountain guide rounding up horses in the 1880’s. He happened upon the lake and was mesmerized by its beauty. The Canadian Pacific Railway built a lodge on the peninsula in 1902. Their aim was to promote tourism and passenger rail traffic to the area. That lodge evolved to become the present day Emerald Lake Lodge. More about the lodge below.
Getting to Emerald Lake
Unlike Moraine Lake, which requires a shuttle bus to get to the lake, you can drive to Emerald Lake. It is an easy 20 minute drive from Lake Louise. The road follows the Kicking Horse Pass, so be sure to stop at the Spiral Tunnel lookout. I was skeptical of this viewpoint, but we stopped and were lucky enough to catch a freight train. It was amazing to see three parts of same train snaking its way through the spiral tunnels. It is incredible that this was all one train! Amazing to see the ingenuity and engineering that went into this project, and this was in the early 1900’s!
Emerald Lake is another 10 minutes from the lookout, just past the town of Field. Be forewarned that the parking lot is very, very small, and fills up quickly. When we arrived in late afternoon, cars were parked about 1 km from the lake. If you are a guest of the lodge, you must park in the employee parking lot, and then take the free shuttle to the lodge.
Activities at Emerald Lake
Of course there is the stunning scenery, which makes this a top photography stop. But there are a few more things to enjoy while you are here.
Canoeing
Canoeing out onto those waters, and viewing the scenery from all of the different angles is a great activity. Emerald Lake is larger than Moraine Lake, so there is more to explore. It is expensive (at $100/hour in 2024) – and at peak times there can be a line up. But definitely an experience you will remember.
Photography
With such stunning scenery, how can photography not be a prime activity. Facing the Lodge from the bridge, sunrise is on your right; sunset on your left. The exact location of where the sun rises or sets depends entirely on what time of year you are here. Get your photography apps ready!
The primary spots for photography will be around the lodge, on the Lake’s edge. Explore either side of the bridge. Align the lodge with the mountains and use whatever foreground interest you can find. These are very attractive at twilight, especially if you can also capture the lights of the lodge reflecting in the waters, which I did not manage to do. Hmmmm, that sounds like a great excuse to go back.
Hiking
There are a couple of hikes in the area. We chose to stick close to the lake to maximize our time there.
The Shoreline Trail:
This trail circumnavigates the lake, offering stunning views of the lake, the lodge and the surrounding mountains. The trail is about 5 km’s with minimal elevation gain (only some normal ups and downs towards the end). I would recommend doing the hike clockwise from the lodge. The first half is a well manicured, smooth path. When you reach the bridge pictured above, you have reached just past the half way point. This is a good point to decide whether to press on for the second half, or to double back to the lodge.
If you decide to press on, the trail becomes more gnarly, with exposed roots, mud, and small ponds. A little more of a challenge to walk, but still very doable, just be careful with those puddles. The first and second half of the walks are actually in two different climatic zones. The conditions on the first half are dry and arid. The conditions on the second half however are more typical of a rain forest; wet, green, mossy and beautiful.
We did several other hikes during our stay, but these were outside of the Emerald Lake area. So more on those in coming posts.
Some Practical Advice
Besides the limited parking space there are a couple of other things to plan for your trip. First of all are the bathroom “facilities” if you are not a guest of the lodge. Hard to plan for but good to be aware of. They are all located in the parking lot, are essentially outhouses, and suffer from some significant use during the day.
The second issue is food and drink. There is one small take out cafe on-site, and a sit down Cafe called Cilantro on the Lake. Given the crowds, these can get very busy.
Emerald Lake Lodge
This is not an ad for the Emerald Lake Lodge, just some advice if you decide to stay here. This is a great location to experience the lake during sunrise and sunset, and avoid those daytime crowds. It really felt like Camp for Adults. The food and service were remarkable. If you are considering a stay here, my recommendation is to reserve early. I booked nine months in advance, and it was still a challenge. CRMR (who own Emerald Lake Lodge) have embarked on some much needed renovations. It is highly recommended to book a renovated room if available. The room we booked was not renovated, and the first impression of the room was not great. But the room was clean, spacious, had gorgeous views, and a fireplace to boot.
More on the Lodge can be found here.
Conclusion
Well I hope you found this info useful. Contact me if you have any questions. Emerald Lake is an amazing location and well worth a visit as part of your Canadian Rockies travels.
Copyright 2025 Philip Colet 
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