Consolation Lakes-ab

The Consolation Lakes Trail is a hiking adventure route located in Banff National Park near Moraine Lake in Lake Louise, Alberta,Canada. The hiking route explores through a forest of trees, follows Babel Creek and crosses rock slides before leading to a lake surrounded by glaciers and large boulders left behind by a rock slide.

Consolation Lakes Trail measures 3 kilometres one-way with a small elevation gain of about 60 metres. The lakes are situated in Consolation Valley which is surrounded by the Panorama Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains. From the lake the views of the jagged peaks and sagging glaciers are fantastic.

This Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada trail begins following a a single-track, dirt and earthy trail with some exposed tree roots and boulders to high step over and around. Along the route you walk across a rock slide near the base of the Tower of Babel, navigate along mountain ridges, climb up wooden and rock steps, follow rock cairns and cross over foot bridges.

Footing can be tricky in some areas of the trail near the rock slides as rocks are loose. Depending on the season and weather, the trail can also be muddy and slippery. All in all the trail is relatively level with a few steep sections.

It should take no longer than a couple hours to hike to the lakes and back. Add an hour for sightseeing and picnicking at the lake. There are no picnic tables but a massive boulder works just as well. For such little effort the views while in Consolation Valley are some of the best.

At the main lake the shores are marsh-like, colored with wildflowers surrounded by a landscape of massive boulders. In and out of the cracks of the rocks are heads of wildlife critters like marmots and squirrels.

The entrance (trailhead) to the Consolation Trail is near Moraine Lake located south of the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta. It is the same area for accessing many of the wilderness trails exploring the Moraine Lake region like the Larch Valley, Sentinel Pass, Eiffel Lake, Lakeshore and Wenkchemna Pass Trails.