A Picture of the President Range Viewed from the Shore of Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park.

Emerald Lake earned its name from the lovely blue-green color imparted by the fine particles of glacial flour (aka rock flour) suspended in the water. Although that color doesn't show dramatically in the above photo, another photo on this website of a family of mergansers on Emerald Lake illustrates how rich this color becomes in late summer.

Emerald Lake is one of the highlights of a visit to the Canadian Rockies. Emerald Lake is located in Yoho National Park about 23 miles west of Lake Louise via the TransCanada Highway (see vicinity map) on a short spur road that leaves the main highway just west of the railroad town of Field, BC (see detailed map). Also located on the Emerald Lake Road is Natural Bridge, where the Kicking Horse River has dissolved a channel through a limestone formation.

Once you arrive at the Emerald Lake parking lot, your natural inclination may be to walk over a bridge that crosses the outlet creek. This bridge leads to Emerald Lake Lodge, one of the Canadian Rockies' fine lodges. At the foot of the bridge is a canoe rental facility that is very popular with visitors. They even offer brief lessons for novices. Just across the bridge is a concession stand that offers light refreshments.

A pleasant and mostly level 5 km / 3 mile trail circles the lake. One can hike either direction from the parking lot, but it is easiest to pick up the trail by starting in a clockwise direction. Traveling that way, the above photo was taken about 4 km around the lake.

The mountains in this picture are known as the President Range. The apparent peaks in the foreground are actually ridge ends of lower elevation. The two major peaks, The President and The Vice President, are behind them. The mountains were named by Edward Whymper, famous for his first ascent of the Matterhorn. They were named in honor of the top executives of the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway), who sponsored Whymper's trips to Canada.