The Portfolio

Everyone Loves Peyto Lake

This must be one of the most photographed lakes in the Canadian Rockies, up there with Louise and Moraine. The odd thing is that everyone's photo looks the same - there are not many options to photograph. A little viewing platform after a short but steep walk from the parking lot is all there is. I got there one morning a bit after six … there was't much colour in the sky, even a little bit earlier in the morning. Oddly enough, I had the only car in the parking lot that time of day … and if you know Peyto Lake, you know getting a parking spot is often a challenge. I took a few dozen shots from this point and the couple other minor variations. This one is with an ND filter giving a six second exposure. It gives a pretty interest effect on the clouds, but there were so many that day it barely looks like a long exposure. People have told me that it's often quite cloudy over the lake. My previous visit was in the middle of a bright and sunny afternoon and the photo looked like a dull snapshot. I found the trail down to the base of the lake leading to Peyto Glacier and Cauldron Lake that morning … now that would be a great hike to do sometime. Unlike the long descent that you get from many Rocky Mountain hikes, Cauldron Lake finishes with a huge ascent up from the river to the Peyto Lake viewing platform. I ended up hiking Helen Lake -Cirque Peak later in the day, which was quite a bit easier but quite enjoyable.

Lake Louisebanffbanff national parkcanadian rockiesglaciericefields parkwaylakelong exposurenational parkparks canadapeyto lakerockiesrocky mountains