The best time to visit Lake Moraine is during the summer. In fact, the time between late spring and early fall is pretty much the only time to visit Lake Moraine, since the shuttle to the lake will only operate between June 1st and October 14th in 2024.
Unfortunately, the road connecting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake was closed in 2023 by the Banff National Park authorities and had yet to reopen by the time this blog was written. We recommend securing your reservation for the Moraine Lake shuttle as early as possible since the slots fill up quickly in the spring. If you can’t get a reservation for the shuttle, you can still visit Moraine Lake as part of an authorized guided tour, but you won’t be able to relax and enjoy the sights on your own.
Unfortunately, you can’t really visit Moraine Lake during the winter. The road is closed during the winter months and the shuttle doesn’t operate between October and June. It’s possible to cross-country ski along the road—in fact, the park authorities put up ski lines to make it easier—but the ski path ends before you actually reach the lake.
Continuing past the end of the ski lines will place you in a dangerous avalanche zone and there’s no way to ensure that you actually reach your destination safely. Since Moraine Lake is frozen over during the winter anyway and you won’t be able to see the distinctive light blue color, there’s really no reason to risk your life hiking out there through the avalanche zone, and we absolutely don’t recommend trying.
To make the most of your next summertime trip to Banff National Park, check out our Lake Louise and Moraine Lake Self-Guided Driving Tour, or you can sign up for Action+ and gain access to over 100 tours for a single yearly price.
