It’s easy enough to take a Lake Louise tour by car. It takes about two hours to drive to the lake from Calgary, the nearest major city, so you can even do it as a day trip if you leave early enough. However, the area around the lake is pretty crowded, so it can be difficult to find parking even during the off-season. If you’re staying in the nearby town of Banff, you can leave your car at the hotel and take public transportation all the way up to the lakeshore. We would still recommend driving if you plan on touring the rest of the national park, however.
Bringing your car on a Moraine Lake tour, however, is currently impossible. There’s only a single access road connecting Lake Louise to Moraine Lake, and it’s been closed to private vehicles since early 2023 due to crowding concerns. That leaves you with a few options. You can take the shuttle from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake, but you’ll have to get reservations early in the year since the slots fill up pretty quickly.
You can also take a guided tour, although you won’t be able to enjoy the lake on your own schedule. Finally, you can take a bicycle up the access road from Lake Louise. It’s not an easy ride—about 9 miles uphill the entire way—but if you’re in good enough shape, it should take you less than an hour to reach Moraine Lake. From there, you can relax and enjoy the sights or hike down the trails on your own schedule without worrying about catching the shuttle back.
To make the most of your trip to Banff National Park, we recommend checking 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.
