Peyto Lake, Glacial lake in Banff National Park, Canada.
Peyto Lake is a glacial lake in Banff National Park, located high in the Canadian Rockies with distinctive turquoise-colored water. The water gets its striking color from fine rock particles created by glacial grinding and suspended in the lake.
In 1896 the topographer Walter Wilcox explored the area with Bill Peyto, an English-born mountain guide and trapper, and named Peyto Peak and the lake after him. The Geographic Board of Canada approved the name Peyto Lake in 1911 and recorded it in 1934.
The lake's name honours Ebenzer William "Bill" Peyto, an English-born mountain guide and trapper who led explorers through the Rockies in the late 19th century. Topographer Walter Wilcoux named Peyto Peak and the lake after him in 1896, and the Geographic Board of Canada approved the name in 1911. Visitors today photograph the water from the viewpoint at Bow Summit.
A short, mostly level walk of about 10 minutes leads from the parking area to the main viewpoint overlooking the water. The path is well-maintained and easy to navigate for most visitors.
The turquoise color is not constant but shifts with the seasons and the amount of glacial water flowing into the lake. The water appears more vivid in some months and paler at other times depending on glacial melt patterns.
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