Bow Summit and Peyto Lake — Attraction in Alberta

Peyto Lake is one of the most stunning and iconic spots in the Canadian Rockies, and hiking to see it is a must-do experience if you’re around Banff National Park. Here’s what people should know:

📍 Location • Peyto Lake is about 40 km (25 miles) north of Lake Louise, right along the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93).

🥾 Hiking / Viewpoint Options Main Peyto Lake Lookout • Short, paved trail (about 10–15 minutes from the parking lot). • Easy walk suitable for families and all fitness levels. • Leads to the famous overlook where the lake’s wolf-head shape and turquoise color are most visible. Bow Summit / Peyto Lake Hike • Moderate trail that goes beyond the main viewpoint. • Around 6 km (3.7 miles) round trip with ~250 m elevation gain. • Offers quieter viewpoints, panoramic mountain vistas, and a less crowded experience compared to the main platform.

💎 Why It’s Special • The lake gets its brilliant turquoise color from glacial rock flour that flows in during the summer. • From above, it’s shaped like the head of a wolf (or coyote, depending who you ask), which makes it one of the most photographed lakes in the Rockies. • In fall, the surrounding larch trees turn golden, making it extra breathtaking.

🕒 Best Time to Visit • June to September for the best colors and trail access. • Winter visits are possible but trails can be icy and the lake will be snow-covered.

✅ Tips • Go early morning or later in the evening to avoid heavy crowds. • Bring layers—the weather at Bow Summit can change quickly. • Stay on designated trails to help preserve the fragile alpine...

Just 50 mins from Banff this is a must see experience. We arrived at 9:45 am and there was plenty of parking. It was maybe 3/4 empty. When we left at 12:30 pm it was completely full. To the point where the trail to the Peyto Lake viewpoint was quite slow.

The view from the platform was amazing but if you hit the loop you can also see it from the upper viewpoint with much less crowds.

Off the loop is the Bow Summit trail which is worth your time if you have an 90-120 mins to spare. The path is well marked and maintained but it’s straight up so quite demanding. But the view at the top of Bow Lake and Crowfoot glacier is worth it. You can also see a small sliver of Peyto Lake as well. Spent about 30 mins at the top soaking it in....

A few weeks ago, I visited Peyto Lake and Bow Summit during my trip to Canada. Peyto Lake was absolutely beautiful from the viewpoint — the water was such a vibrant blue, and it was a perfect spot for photos. There were a lot of tourists, but everyone was super respectful and took turns taking pictures, which was really nice!

My boyfriend and I decided to hike up to Bow Summit. We’re not expert hikers, so we took it slow and ended up taking a bit more than 1.5 hours to reach the top. The hike down was much easier, though. In the end, it was totally worth it — the view from the top of Bow Summit was stunning and felt almost unreal. We got some amazing pictures up there.

We also spotted some pikas along the way, which was really...