Long ago, glaciers carved out thousands of lakes in the U.S. and Canadian Rockies. While most are alpine jewels you have to hike to, there are also many you can drive to.
They’re perfect for photography, casual hikes, picnics, swimming, and more.
Following are some of the best you can get to without any more effort than gassing up your car and hitting the road!
Moraine Lake, Alberta
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Canada’s Banff National Park has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and Moraine Lake, with its backdrop of steep, glacier-clad peaks, is one of the world’s most iconic mountain settings. This lake’s color is a striking blue courtesy of the “glacial flour” that makes its way into it via meltwater, and it’s even more stunning when seen from above, which you can do from spots along the trail to Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass.
Lake Louise, Alberta
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Also located in Banff and not far from Moraine Lake, Lake Louise has spectacular Mt. Victoria and its glaciers as a backdrop. On still mornings, both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake present a perfect reflection of the dramatic peaks that flank them.
Waterton Lake, Alberta
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Waterton Lakes National Park is in southern Alberta and shares a boundary with Glacier National Park in Montana to the south. Getting to the shores of this lake is easy, but the classic view is that of the historic Prince of Wales Hotel atop a hill with the lake and mountains in the background.
Lake McDonald, Montana
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Glacier National Park has three large natural lakes that you can get to by paved roads. Lake McDonald on the western side of the park is the largest, longest, and deepest of them. There are many pullouts that allow you to access its rocky beaches.
St. Mary Lake, Montana
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The second largest lake in Glacier, St. Mary Lake is on the eastern side of the park across the Continental Divide. This side of the park tends to be much windier, so the waters of this lake are often choppy, creating a dramatic effect that includes waves with whitecaps. The mountains surrounding this lake are also more rugged, colorful, and spectacular.
Two Medicine Lake, Montana
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Also on the east side of Glacier, Two Medicine Valley is accessed by a paved spur near the community of East Glacier Park. From the parking lot at the end of the road, it takes just seconds to reach the shores of Two Medicine Lake, where people swim, relax, rent boats, and go on guided boat tours.
Freezeout Lake, Montana
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Between Choteau and Great Falls, U.S. Highway 89 passes right by Freezeout Lake, which frames great views of the distant peaks of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Freezeout Lake is the centerpiece of a national wildlife refuge, and during the months that the lake isn’t frozen over, it’s an important habitat for migrating birds, so there’s usually a lot of bird activity there during those times.
Beartooth Lake, Wyoming
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The spectacular and legendary Beartooth Highway that connects the Montana towns of Cooke City and Red Lodge passes several lakes both named and unnamed, and Beartooth Lake is arguably the most beautiful of them. That’s because rising directly behind it is bold and rugged Beartooth Butte. When there’s no breeze, and your best chance for that is early in the morning, you get a perfect reflection of Beartooth Butte on the still waters.
Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming
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Drivers can enjoy more than 30 miles of scenic roadside views of this largest high-altitude lake in the U.S. The waters of this Yellowstone National Park icon are always cold, but people still like to get their feet wet, wade in a bit, or even take the plunge for a real swim.
Brooks Lake, Wyoming
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The drive over Togwotee Pass between Dubois and Grand Teton National Park is one of the best in Wyoming. A few miles east of the pass, there’s a signed turnoff for Brooks Lake. You don’t want to miss this. The five unpaved miles can be bumpy at times, but the reward is one of the most incredible lake settings you can ever drive to. To the west, the unbroken wall of Mount Sublette, also known as the Brooks Lake Cliffs, rises over 1000’. To the east are the Pinnacle Buttes, a group of dramatic peaks and spires, many of which have never been climbed due to the difficulty of reaching them and their treacherous rock quality.
Mirror Lake, Wyoming
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The Snowy Range in southeastern Wyoming is small– it has only four named peaks– but there’s a lot of alpine splendor packed into it. Its main thoroughfare– the Snowy Range Scenic Byway– passes or has short spurs to several alpine lakes. Mirror Lake is one along the paved byway, and on still mornings, it lives up to its name perfectly.
Redfish Lake, Idaho
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The Sawtooth Mountains do not have Idaho’s highest peak, but they are the state’s most spectacular range. A great way to get closer to these well-named peaks is to take the turnoff to Redfish Lake a few miles south of Stanley. The lake has great views of nearby peaks, and there are hiking trails, boat rentals, and a lodge, campground, and restaurant there.
Brainerd Lake, Colorado
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Directly south of Rocky Mountain National Park are the Indian Peaks, a wilderness of lakes, peaks, and even some small glaciers. Brainerd Lake has views of some of the most dramatic of these peaks, and spurs from it get you to hiking trails that take you deeper into the gorgeous scenery.
Summit Lake, Colorado
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Paved roads to alpine lakes well above timberline aren’t plentiful. The Mount Evans Scenic Byway is one such paved road, and one of the best stops along it is Summit Lake, which is directly below the summit of Evans. After you finish admiring the scenery here, continue on to the summit of this 14er, a peak above 14,000’ in elevation, and see the lake from a different perspective.
Maroon Lake, Colorado
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Maroon Lake, with its perfect framing of the famous Maroon Bells, twin Colorado 14ers, is Colorado’s Moraine Lake considering how iconic it is and how often it appears in ads, calendar, postcards, and other publications. A paved road leads to the lake from Aspen, and if you want more, you can take a hiking trail to Crater Lake, which is even closer to the Maroon Bells.
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