I’ve stood at the edge of Lake Louise so many times that I should be used to it by now. I’m not. Every single time, the colour stops me — that impossible, almost aggressive turquoise that doesn’t look real until you’re actually standing in front of it, cold wind off the glacier, the Victoria Glacier hanging above like a painting that hasn’t finished drying.
Canada holds roughly 20% of the world’s fresh surface water. Over two million lakes dot this country — more than all other nations combined. But a handful of them have earned the kind of fame that draws people from every corner of the world. I’ve camped beside most of them. Some I’ve returned to four or five times, each season different, each visit pulling something new out of me.
This is the guide I wish I’d had before my first trip: exact coordinates, honest RV park reviews, what to expect at each lake, and embedded maps so you can start planning the moment you finish reading.
1. Lake Louise — Banff National Park, Alberta
Coordinates: 51.4254° N, 116.1773° W Nearest Town: Lake Louise village (4 km) / Banff (57 km) Best Season: June – October (road accessible); winter for snowshoeing
There is a reason Lake Louise appears on more Canadian travel posters than any other single location. The lake sits at 1,731 metres elevation in the heart of Banff National Park, fed by glacial meltwater from the Victoria Glacier that towers above its southern shore. The water’s turquoise colour comes from rock flour — ultra-fine glacial sediment suspended in the water that scatters light at short wavelengths, producing that electric blue-green that no photograph ever quite captures faithfully.
The Chateau Lake Louise hotel has stood on the northeastern shore since 1890. You don’t need to stay there — though if you ever get the chance, you should — but walking the 4 km lakeshore trail at sunrise, when the tour buses haven’t yet arrived and the surface is absolutely still, is one of the great free experiences in Canada.
What to do here:
- Lakeshore trail (4 km, flat, fully accessible)
- Plain of Six Glaciers hike (14 km return, moderate — extraordinary views)
- Lake Agnes Teahouse hike (7.4 km return — the teahouse has been operating since 1905)
- Winter snowshoeing and ice skating on the frozen lake (December–March)
- Canoe rentals on the lake (June–September, ~$135/hour)
Google Map — Lake Louise:
RV Parks Near Lake Louise:
| RV Park | Distance to Lake | Sites | Hookups | Price/Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Louise Campground (Parks Canada) | 1.5 km | 189 sites | Electrical only | $28–$39 CAD | Reservable at reservation.pc.gc.ca |
| Protection Mountain Campground | 18 km east | 89 sites | None (tenting/RV) | $22 CAD | Quieter, more remote feel |
| Tunnel Mountain Village II (Banff) | 57 km | 321 sites | Full hookups | $39–$46 CAD | Largest serviced campground in Banff |
Honest RV note: Lake Louise Campground fills months in advance for July and August. Book the moment reservations open (typically in January for summer). Tunnel Mountain in Banff is your reliable backup — it’s large, well-serviced, and the town of Banff is genuinely worth an evening on its own.
2. Moraine Lake — Valley of the Ten Peaks, Alberta
Coordinates: 51.3217° N, 116.1860° W Nearest Town: Lake Louise village (14 km) Best Season: Late June – early October (road closes in winter)
Moraine Lake was on the back of the Canadian twenty-dollar bill from 1969 to 1979. It appeared there for a simple reason: there may not be a more photographically perfect landscape in this country. Ten peaks — each over 3,000 metres — rise in a semicircle above a lake that turns an even more vivid turquoise than Lake Louise, if that’s possible, because it sits higher and receives more direct glacial input.
The catch: since 2023, Parks Canada has implemented a no private vehicle access policy during peak season (late May to mid-October). You must arrive by Parks Canada shuttle, the Lake Louise Ski Area connector, or by bicycle. The shuttles run from the Park & Ride facility in Lake Louise village and book out weeks in advance.
What to do here:
- Rockpile Trail (0.8 km — the famous panoramic viewpoint above the lake, 20-minute walk)
- Lakeshore Trail (3.4 km return, flat)
- Consolation Lakes hike (5.8 km return, moderate)
- Wenkchemna Pass (19 km return, challenging — all ten peaks visible)
Google Map — Moraine Lake:
RV Parking Strategy: There is no RV camping at Moraine Lake itself. Base at Lake Louise Campground or Tunnel Mountain in Banff, then take the shuttle. The shuttle from Lake Louise village costs approximately $8 CAD each way and is the only reliable way in during summer.
3. Maligne Lake — Jasper National Park, Alberta
Coordinates: 52.7026° N, 117.6337° W Nearest Town: Jasper (48 km) Best Season: June – September
Maligne Lake is the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies and the second-largest glacially-fed lake in the world. It stretches 22 kilometres through a valley flanked by mountains that rise so steeply they seem to lean over the water. The light here in the afternoon — when the sun is behind the peaks to the west and the lake surface catches the reflection of the eastern slopes — produces a particular quality of stillness that I’ve never felt anywhere else.
Spirit Island, accessible only by boat, is one of the most photographed spots in Alberta. A 90-minute guided boat cruise takes you there, operated by Pursuit Jasper.
What to do here:
- Guided boat cruise to Spirit Island (~$75 CAD, book in advance)
- Bald Hills hike (10.4 km return, moderate — panoramic views of the full lake)
- Moose spotting along the access road (Maligne Road is one of the best wildlife corridors in Jasper)
- Kayak and canoe rentals at the lake day-use area
- Maligne Canyon (32 km toward Jasper — extraordinary limestone gorge, worth combining into one day)
Google Map — Maligne Lake:
RV Parks Near Maligne Lake:
| RV Park | Distance | Sites | Hookups | Price/Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whistlers Campground (Parks Canada) | 45 km | 781 sites | Full hookups available | $28–$46 CAD | Largest campground in Jasper NP |
| Wapiti Campground | 46 km | 362 sites | Electrical | $28–$36 CAD | Open year-round (rare in mountain parks) |
| Pocahontas Campground | 55 km | 140 sites | None | $22 CAD | Remote feel, near Miette Hot Springs |
4. Lake Superior — Ontario / Michigan Border
Coordinates: 47.7000° N, 87.5000° W (centre) Shoreline Communities: Thunder Bay, Marathon, Wawa, Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Best Season: Year-round; summer for swimming, fall for colour, winter for ice formations
Lake Superior is not just a famous lake. It is a fact of geology that rewrites your sense of scale. The largest freshwater lake on Earth by surface area — 82,100 square kilometres — Superior holds more water than all the other Great Lakes combined, and its northern shore along Ontario’s Highway 17 is some of the most dramatic freshwater coastline anywhere on the planet.
I drove the north shore in September once, during peak fall colour, and pulled over so many times that a 6-hour drive took eleven. The Canadian Shield here — ancient exposed rock, billions of years old, banded pink and grey — drops straight into water that looks more like an ocean than a lake. The horizon is just water. No far shore. Just blue to the edge of the world.
What to do here:
- Pukaskwa National Park — the most remote national park in Ontario, accessible only by boat or floatplane beyond the trailhead; extraordinary backcountry
- Pancake Bay Provincial Park — one of the finest sand beaches on the entire lake
- Agawa Rock Pictographs — 400-year-old Indigenous rock art painted on the lakeshore cliffs of Lake Superior Provincial Park
- Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay — the “giant” is visible from the city across Thunder Bay harbour
- Old Woman Bay — the single most dramatic viewpoint on the Trans-Canada Highway
Google Map — Lake Superior North Shore:
RV Parks Along the North Shore:
| RV Park | Location | Sites | Hookups | Price/Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pancake Bay Provincial Park | Pancake Bay | 330 sites | Electrical | $42–$52 CAD | Beach access, extremely popular |
| Lake Superior Provincial Park | Wawa area | 270+ sites across 3 campgrounds | Electrical + unserviced | $36–$48 CAD | Book early; Agawa Bay best for RVs |
| Sleeping Giant Provincial Park | Thunder Bay | 200+ sites | Electrical available | $38–$48 CAD | Dramatic scenery right from campground |
| Neys Provincial Park | Marathon area | 144 sites | Electrical | $40–$50 CAD | On the lakeshore; former WWII POW camp site |
5. Garibaldi Lake — British Columbia
Coordinates: 49.9397° N, 122.9919° W Nearest Town: Squamish (37 km) / Whistler (40 km) Best Season: July – September (trail snow-free)
Garibaldi Lake sits inside Garibaldi Provincial Park in the Coast Mountains north of Vancouver, and reaching it requires a 9 km hike gaining 820 metres of elevation. It is not accessible by road. It does not have RV camping at the lake itself.
I am including it anyway because it may be the single most beautiful lake I have ever seen, and if you have legs and a backpack, you owe it to yourself.
The lake is a vivid glacial blue — deeper and more saturated than Louise, if you can believe it — ringed by volcanic peaks including Mount Garibaldi (2,678 m) and flanked by the Sphinx Glacier. The Barrier, a 300-metre lava wall that holds the lake in its current basin, is one of the most geologically strange formations in British Columbia.
What to do here:
- Garibaldi Lake Trail (18.6 km return, strenuous — the classic route)
- Black Tusk via Garibaldi Lake (30 km return, very challenging — iconic volcanic summit)
- Panorama Ridge (30 km return, strenuous — arguably the best view in BC)
- Backcountry camping at Taylor Meadows and Garibaldi Lake campgrounds (reservation required through BC Parks)
Google Map — Garibaldi Lake Trailhead:
RV Base Camps for Garibaldi:
| RV Park | Distance to Trailhead | Sites | Hookups | Price/Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandywine Falls Provincial Park | 28 km north | 15 sites | None | $22 CAD | Small, first-come-first-served |
| Porteau Cove Provincial Park | 25 km south | 44 sites | Electrical | $35–$44 CAD | On the ocean; stunning setting |
| Alice Lake Provincial Park | 15 km south (Squamish) | 108 sites | Electrical | $35–$44 CAD | Best full-service base for Garibaldi |
6. Lac Saint-Jean — Quebec
Coordinates: 48.6000° N, 72.0500° W Nearest Town: Roberval, Alma, Saint-Félicien Best Season: June – September
Most international visitors have never heard of Lac Saint-Jean. Most Quebecers consider it the emotional centre of their province.
It is a vast, shallow lake — 1,053 square kilometres — that drains into the Saguenay River through one of Quebec’s most beautiful fjord systems. The communities around it are deeply rooted, proudly Québécois, and built around a lake culture — open-water swimming, lake fishing, cycling the full 256 km perimeter on the Véloroute des Bleuets (the Blueberry Cycling Route) — that feels entirely distinct from anything else in the country.
The wild blueberries grown in the thin glacial soil around the lake are considered among the finest in the world. In August, you can pick them from the side of the road. The local dish is tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean — a deep-dish meat pie completely unlike its southern cousin — and eating it beside the lake after a day of cycling is one of the great regional food experiences in Quebec.
What to do here:
- Cycle all or part of the Véloroute des Bleuets (256 km perimeter, 4–6 days)
- Zoo de Saint-Félicien — one of Canada’s best zoos, uniquely designed so the animals roam free and visitors ride through enclosed vehicles
- Val-Jalbert Historic Village — a perfectly preserved ghost town from 1927, beside a 72m waterfall
- Open-water swimming (the lake warms considerably in July and August — remarkable for Quebec)
- Fishing (walleye, pike, lake trout)
Google Map — Lac Saint-Jean:
RV Parks Around Lac Saint-Jean:
| RV Park | Location | Sites | Hookups | Price/Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camping municipal de Roberval | Roberval | 180 sites | Full hookups | $38–$48 CAD | On the lakeshore, excellent facilities |
| Camping Plage Saint-Gédéon | Saint-Gédéon | 250+ sites | Electrical + full | $35–$52 CAD | Sandy beach, family-oriented |
| Camping Val-Jalbert | Chambord | 130 sites | Electrical | $35–$44 CAD | Adjacent to the historic village |
The Complete Planning Table
| Lake | Province | Drive from Nearest City | RV Access | Permit Required | Peak Crowd Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Louise | AB | 57 km from Banff | Yes, good access | Parks Canada pass | July–August |
| Moraine Lake | AB | 14 km from Lake Louise village | Shuttle only in summer | Parks Canada pass | July–August |
| Maligne Lake | AB | 48 km from Jasper | Yes, good access | Parks Canada pass | July–August |
| Lake Superior (north shore) | ON | Continuous along Hwy 17 | Excellent | None | July–August |
| Garibaldi Lake | BC | Trailhead 37 km from Squamish | No (hike-in only) | BC Parks day use | July–September |
| Lac Saint-Jean | QC | 200 km from Quebec City | Excellent | None | July–August |
RV Power Planning: A Note for Lake Travelers
Many of the most spectacular lake destinations in Canada — particularly in the national parks — sit in areas with limited electrical hookups, inconsistent cell service, and long distances between service stations. If you’re doing this route in an RV, particularly hitting multiple Banff/Jasper lakes in sequence, understanding your rig’s power consumption before you leave home will save you real problems in the field.
We cover this in detail in our guide to how much power RVs actually consume in Canada — essential reading before a mountain parks trip where boondocking is sometimes your only option.
And if you’re building a longer Quebec loop that includes Lac Saint-Jean alongside the cities, our Montreal and Quebec City itinerary pairs naturally with this lake as an extension into the Saguenay region — one of the most underexplored travel corridors in the province.
The Lakes That Don’t Make Lists
Before I finish, a short word about the lakes that don’t appear on anyone’s famous list.
Canada has 2 million of them. Most have no name that appears on any map. Some of the most extraordinary hours of my travelling life have happened beside lakes I found by pulling off a gravel road and walking 200 metres into the trees — lakes that were completely still, completely silent, reflecting a sky that had nothing else to compete with.
The famous lakes are famous for good reason. But if you ever find yourself on a backcountry road in BC, or a forest service route in Ontario, or a rang road in Quebec, and you see a flash of water through the trees — stop. Get out. Walk to the edge.
Canada’s greatest lake might not be on any list yet.
It might be waiting for you to find it.
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