Moraine Lake

The last time we were at Moraine Lake, it was crowded, but there was no problem getting a parking spot or finding a good place to take a picture.  That has changed dramatically.  They now have traffic officers at the turn-off, monitoring the parking lot and closing off the drive when it gets full.  So we left camp at 6:00 a.m. to make sure we had a parking spot.  We did not leave too early.

It had snowed the night before in the higher elevations!

Although there were plenty of spots available by the time we arrived, when we left an hour later, the lot was full and closed off.  I asked why suddenly it had become so popular, and one woman suggested it was the Instagram generation – and she may be on to something.  A number of people were leaving even before the sun was up, which did not make sense to me.  The lake is at its prettiest when the sun is warming the peaks, and they were missing that.  So maybe just saying “I was here” is all that mattered.

We had no idea what this lake was like in 2013, but after capturing the best picture of the trip then, we had to return.  This morning it was cold – 42 – a little cloudy, and just windy enough to ripple the lake.  We were able to take some pretty pictures but none that rival this one:

The next evening, however, the sun actually came out.  We were able to get a comparable picture - but I like my one from 2013 better!

We almost waited until the next morning to go back, but when the sun came out, we quickly went up. Good thing . . . when we left, the line was so long for the parking lot, we never would have gotten this picture!