Banff offers some of the most magical photography opportunities in the world. The scenery is jaw dropping from just about everywhere but we’ve picked out some of the most beautiful lakes, viewpoints and waterfalls in the area to make sure you don’t miss the best spots.
Our photographs are all taken in summer or fall, if you’re visiting in spring and winter some spots may be closed, but others will take on an even more dream like appearance; blanketed in snow.
It’s tough to choose favourites, but these are our top picks for glorious Banff photography spots.
Banff photography spots
These are 13 best photography spots in Banff:
1. Moraine Lake
Almost everyone who visits Banff will make the 72km journey out to Moraine Lake. It’s always hard to know if somewhere will live up to expectations, but we’re happy to say that Moraine Lake truly does.
The best place by far to take photos of the lake is from the top of the Rockpile Trail.
Moraine Lake from the Rockpile Trail
It takes less than 10 minutes to get to the top at which point you’ll have a lot of space to spread out and get your shots. Most people taking landscape photos with tripods congregate at the main lookout area, and even at sunrise it will be packed. Those looking to take more Instagrammy shots walk out on to the rocks or down to the shoreline.
We visited Moraine Lake three times and can tell you sunrise light is fantastic but sunset is also glorious. The middle of the day is a major no-no due to glare. For absolutely everything you need to know about photographing the lake you can read our guide as to whether sunrise or sunset is better at Moraine Lake.
Moraine Lake just above the shoreline
2. Lake Louise
I’m not sure if anyone has ever visited Banff and not visited Lake Louise. You’ll find it busy at all times of day and it’s easy to see why.
The milky blue water backed by the mountains and glaciers is a photographers dream.
Lake Louise at sunrise
There’s no ambiguity here: the best time for photography is definitely sunrise. Most people take their photos right on the shoreline at the first point you come to from the car park.
If you’re looking to get one of the popular Instagram photos standing on the rocks, then head to the right of the shoreline, over the little bridge (just a two minute walk away).
The weather in this area is notoriously difficult to predict, and even a clear forecast can turn to clouds within minutes, so pick the clearest morning you have and take lots of photos while you can.
If the cloud comes in low, you will not be able to see the glaciers behind the lake. Having said that, the weather changes quickly so if it’s bad hang around a while and see if it changes for you.
We’ve got a great list of things you can do at Lake Louise while you wait!
3. Lake Agnes shoreline
Lake Agnes is a beautiful lake which sits in a picture perfect spot 3.5km up a hiking trail from Lake Louise. The surrounding mountains are dramatic and if you visit early morning the water will be at its stillest for photography.
It is also the base for three of the photography spots on this list (Lake Agnes Shoreline, Little Beehive and Big Beehive).
As with so many of these spots, early morning is the best time to take photos. Alternatively if you visit on a cloudy day you can get some decent shots in the middle of the day as you won’t get the glare from the sun.
The teahouse is perched right beside the lake so if you’re a fan of ‘food with a view’ photography this will be a double whammy for you.
Early morning at Lake Agnes
4. Little Beehive
From the Lake Agnes Teahouse you can access many epic views and Little Beehive is one that fewer people go to visit.
It’s easiest to describe this spot as Little Beehive, but it’s actually just before you reach the main lookout. To get here you hike for roughly 3.5km along the Lake Agnes Teahouse Trail and then turn onto the Little Beehive Trail and start looking for openings on your right.
Canoes on Lake Louise from the Little Beehive Trail
The initial walk is uphill but it’s on a series of switchbacks which ease the pain, you can also treat yourself to a cup of tea at the teahouse before you head back down.
There are several epic spots along the trail from Lake Agnes to Little Beehive, but our favourite was the one with the large rock to sit on and enjoy the incredible view of Lake Louise from above.
The best light is at sunrise or shortly after, we did sunrise at Lake Louise and then hiked up to Little Beehive after a quick tea stop.
5. Big Beehive
Big Beehive is definitely one of our favourite Banff photography spots. It’s a fair climb to reach, although again as it is by the Lake Agnes Teahouse you can take a break there on route.
The top of Big Beehive is 1.6km from the teahouse. The first section is flat and skirts the lake, and the second is pretty steep but it doesn’t last too long!
The view from Big Beehive
The view of Lake Louise from here is the very best along with Little Beehive in our opinion. As with the other spots around Lake Louise the best light is early morning.
We hiked to Lake Agnes after sunrise, stopped for tea and scones (how British!) at the teahouse, hiked to Little Beehive and then continued on to Big Beehive; arriving at around 9am. The light was good but would have been even better a little earlier!
Big Beehive forms part of one of our favourite hikes in Canada, if not the world! You can read more about it here.
6. Vermillion Lakes
Vermillion Lakes are one of our favourite Banff sunset spots and has to be on your list if you’re a photographer. Considering they are just 2.4km from the town itself it’s incredible that we got almost all of sunset to ourselves here!
Our favourite photography spot was the small wooden jetty which was a perfect sunset vantage point.
The lake here is not glacial so it doesn’t have that striking blue colour that many others in the area have, but it’s still gorgeous and of course backed by mountains! If you are into wildlife photography it’s a good area for birds, including Bald Eagles and Osprey, and if you’re very lucky maybe even a bear or moose!
Vermillion Lakes jetty
7. Peyto Lake View Point One
Peyto Lake is incredible. The colour was possibly my favourite of all the Lakes in the Canadian Rockies and that’s saying something!
The first view point is roughly a 5-10 minute steep uphill walk from the car park. You’ll arrive at a lookout which is surrounded by railings.
It’s a great spot for landscape photos, but if you want to get one with a person in it you need to walk for one minute to the right of the railings, where unless you’re visiting early there will probably be a big crowd of people.
The main lookout at Peyto Lake
The best light is at sunrise, but we didn’t make it out here at that time unfortunately. Our photographs are from the middle of the day and sunset.
Sunset was spectacular with a gorgeous glow - but you will lose that milky blue colour from the water so if you can only visit once you might not want it to be sunset.
Midday at Peyto Lake Lookout
8. Peyto Lake View Point Two
This secret viewpoint was our favourite of the two and offers a chance to escape the crowds no matter what time of day you visit.
The trail is unmarked, but we’ve outlined how to get there in this post. It’s a really big area with plenty of spots for photos and is a favourite with Instagrammers.
There are so many places to take photos, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Sunset at Peyto Lake secret lookout
9. Johnston Canyon
Johnston Canyon is one of the most famous sights in all of Banff. The tall, narrow canyon has an electric blue river running through it which is spectacular in its own right, but then there are two dramatic waterfalls too!
The 0.5 mile trail to the lower falls is paved and almost flat so it’s the most popular of the two. Whilst it’s stunning, we liked the upper falls even more which are a further one mile along the trail.
It does get steep and it’s not paved but it’s also not too difficult, especially by Rockies standards.
Johnston Canyon lower falls
Along this route is the famous Johnston Canyon Cave which is really popular on Instagram, unfortunately due to swifts nesting in the area you can no longer visit.
There is tape everywhere and lots of signs, yet still people break the rules. Like with all the amazing photography spots in Banff, it is better to be respectful and choose another.
Johnston Canyon is incredibly busy so you’ll need to arrive early or late to beat the crowds. There was still a queue to takes photos at both falls when we visited at 7pm, so early is better if you can handle another sunrise alarm clock. Although we visited late the best light is actually in the morning. Either way Johnston Canyon is a must for your Banff itinerary.
Johnston Canyon upper falls
10. Ink pots
The Ink Pots are the hidden gem of the Johnston Canyon area. You have to work a little bit harder to reach this magnificent spot but it is well worth it.
After visiting the upper falls continue for a further 2.2 miles uphill through the forest until you reach a meadow surrounded by mountains and dotted with some spectacular coloured pools - the Ink Pots!
The pools are a mixture of blue and green, and there are lots of sweet little bridges over them which make for some lovely photographs.
The Ink Pots
We’ll warn you that the walk from the upper falls is in fairly dense forest, so there is little in the way of views until you get there but when you do it will all be worth it!
As with Johnston Canyon, sunrise is perfect for photography here but if not the late afternoon was also gorgeous.
11. Larch Valley
The Larch Valley is one of the greatest photography spots - if not the greatest - if you are visiting in fall, when the larches turn a vivid golden. Photographers often plan their whole trip around being able to visit this valley in autumn.
The valley is surrounded by the snow-capped Ten Peaks and to say it is a mesmerising sight doesn’t really begin to cover it.
It is one of the most magical places we’ve ever visited.
The Larch Valley in fall
If you can’t visit in fall then it will still be spectacular but the trees will be green rather than yellow.
The valley begins 3km from the trailhead at Moraine Lake and though it’s uphill pretty much uphill all the way you won’t regret it! The best time for photography is early morning so it’s a good one to do straight after sunrise at the lake. Here’s more details on the Larch Valley trail.
12. Lake Minnewanka
It’s hard to believe that one area can be blessed with so many incredible lakes! This is one of the most spectacular lakes that is close to Banff town.
It’s just a few minutes walk from the car park to the main dock, or alternatively you can photograph the lake from one of the ever popular boat cruises or the hiking trail which runs alongside it.
The light is ideal at sunrise but also nice at sunset, our photo is taken close to sunset.
13. Emerald Lake
Emerald Lake is spectacular and would be much more popular if it wasn’t so close to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. The good news is that it’s slightly less busy than its more famous sisters.
The sparkling emerald water is (of course) backed by huge jagged mountains - are you seeing a theme here? However, one difference is that the light is actually better for photography later in the day - hello sleep in, my long lost friend!
There are plenty of places to take photos just a few minutes walk from the car park or anywhere around the 5.2km lake loop walk will also be amazing.
Our photos are taken from along the first third of the lake loop heading in a clockwise direction.
Emerald Lake is a must visit and one of our favourite places in Banff.
14. Lake Louise Gondola
The Lake Louise Gondola is the one for you if you love wildlife photography. It offers one of the best chances to see grizzly bears in the wild in the whole Rockies area.
You’ll have the option of an enclosed gondola or a chairlift, obviously the chairlift will give you much better photos as you won’t need to worry about glare through the glass.
Grizzly bear cubs from the Lake Louise Gondola
Wildlife sightings are usually best in the early morning and evening so in this case early morning is best. It pairs up nicely with a Lake Louise sunrise.
We’ve got all the gondola details including how to access the recent sightings calendar in this blog.
Lake Louise from the top of the gondola
If wildlife photography isn’t your thing it probably isn’t worth paying the high gondola fee, although there is also a rather spectacular mountain view at the lookout at the top complete with a teeny tiny sparkling Lake Louise in the distance.
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Have we missed your favourite Banff photography spot? If you haven’t been yet, which would be top of your list? Let us know in the comments below!
