Magnificent Peyto Lake

Unfortunately, I couldn't capture the beautiful, deep turquoise colour that the lake is so well known for. Too many grey clouds were to blame, I guess, but you can still see the beauty of this lake and its gorgeous surroundings. Taken on 29 August 2013, when friend Sandy and I went off for a day in the Rocky Mountains, driving as far as Mistaya Canyon along the Icefields Parkway. This day trip included Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon, Bow Lake and Lake Louise. What more could one want? This photo was taken from the Lookout, at the end of a walk/hike through the forest - an uphill walk back to the car! I've seen this glacier-fed lake described as dog-shaped, fox-shaped, bear-shaped and wolf-shaped. The last time I saw this lake was 30+ years ago, so our recent visit was a real treat.

"Peyto Lake (pea-toe) is a glacier-fed lake located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessed from the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Ebenezer William Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area. The lake is formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, between Caldron Peak, Peyto Peak and Mount Jimmy Simpson, at an elevation of 1,860 m (6,100 ft). During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake, and these suspended rock particles give the lake a bright, turquoise color. Because of its bright color, photos of the lake often appear in illustrated books, and area around the lake is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists in the park. The lake is best seen from Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefield Parkway. The lake is fed by the Peyto Creek, which drains water from the Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield), and flows into the Mistaya River."

wikimapia.org/655560/Peyto-lake