Moraine Lake Road Biking Route

Route Description for Moraine Lake Road Biking Route

Our map starts at the Great Divide parking lot, which is the best situated parking lot for this route, and usually the last one to fill up in the morning. In summer, getting here after 8am means there is a chance it can be full. If Great Divide and Lake Louise parking lots are full, you can usually find parking in Lake Louise Village and ride the 1.7 km up Lake Louise Drive; an annoying bike ride as it’s a very busy road.

If you parked at the Great Divide parking lot, ride towards Lake Louise Drive and turn left, heading downhill for just over 1.1 km, where you take a right-hand turn onto Moraine Lake Road. There are typically barriers and attendants here, however they will let you through on your bike.

In the past, when Moraine Lake wasn’t as popular, this road would be replete with vehicle traffic. Now that cars are restricted once the parking is full in the morning, this beautiful bike ride can be enjoyed with limited cars. In fact, on a recent bike ride we only saw about 15-20 cars during our 12.0 km ride each way.

The first 2.0 km on the road are an ascent, gaining 55 m in elevation before a brief respite for 500 m. After this, there is another 3.5 km ascent, during which you gain 170 m of elevation, before descending 1.3 km and heading to your right as the road contours around Mount Temple.

From here, you have a 2.0 km ascent, where you will gain 50 m. From this highpoint, you have a gentle 3.0 km ride down towards Moraine Lake. You can ride right up to Moraine Lake to take a look.

We recommend bringing a lock and finding a place to lock your bike up and having a look around. If you’re only at Moraine Lake for a short while, consider the hike up to the Rockpile and then around Moraine Lake’s shoreline trail. There are variety of other great hikes nearby, such as Consolation Lakes, Sentinel Pass and Wenkchemna Pass.

The Snowshoe Café at Moraine Lake Lodge is also a good place to get a snack or coffee before your ride back.

To return, ride back the way you came.

Insider Hints for Moraine Lake Road Biking Route

• Start early or late to grab a parking stall at the Great Divide Parking Lot.
• Be careful, once they open the gates to traffic on Moraine Lake Road, it gets busy and is a lot less fun to ride. This is especially the case after dinner where there are more cars on the road.
• The Patio at Deer Lodge is a great place to have a cold drink after this ride.
• We often pair this ride with the Great Divide Trail, accessed from the same parking lot. The Great Divide Road is pretty rough, and some parts are quite marginal on a road bike.
• Rent a bike at Wilsons in Lake Louise village.