Banff National Park is a really popular tourist spot for a reason - there is so much Canadian beauty happening close by. If you’re into chasing sunrises, there is a spot that you have to check out on one of the days you’re in Banff.
Lake Minnewanka in the early morning.
Located only 20 minutes away from Banff City Centre and within the Banff National Park system, the Lake Minnewanka Loop is where you want to go. It’s a scenic drive by itself but there are two specific stops you would want to make if you want that perfect sunrise shot.
The first is Two Jack Lake - in the winter, the lake is frozen and has the amazing backdrop of Mount Rundle. On a clear, winter day, the tops of the mountains will be lightly touched by the sun and the wisps of the morning cloud. The shot of the mountain itself is great, but there are other things going on to help set up the shot like some picnic chairs and if you’re lucky, someone has left a shovel there after shoving the lake for skating.
Two Jack Lake and Porgi the Corgi
Same spot but with chairs instead of dogs…
After Two Jack Lake, you’ll continue moving towards Lake Minnewanka. During the summer, Lake Minnewanka is a loop that takes you for 24km around all the key spots. But in winter, the western portion of the loop is closed and your end point is the boat launch area. Set this as your Google Maps destination and you’re good to go. During both seasons, I’ll recommend using the boat launch as your stop.
From a timing standpoint, you would want to be in Two Jack right when the sunrises, but as the sun gets higher, you’ll want to move quickly to Lake Minnewanka itself.
Lake Minnewanka, like it’s Two Jack cousin, will be frozen over during the winter times. It is the largest lake in Banff National Park and the scale of everything is surreal. It’s surrounded by mountains, including Mount Rundle and Mount Girouard, both stunning peaks. There’s also a boathouse sitting in the middle of the lake, frozen in place awaiting the summer months for boat cruises.
Using the boathouse as a focal point, you can get the sun rising behind the mountains to get that shot that you want. The sun rises in the east (mhmm, Never Eat Shredded Wheats, okay that’s right), so you’ll have the perfect shot.
You can also walk onto the lake (if safely frozen) and see if you can get some shots from that perspective.
And that’s it! If you had to wake up early, well your hotel is only 20 minutes back the other way so you can take a nap before you get started with the rest of your day’s adventures.
Photography Pro-Tip
I’m using a Sony A6000 with a wide kit lens.
You’re going to have to use a wide lens anywhere in Banff to capture the scale of everything. A lot of my shots were shot at 24mm.
Shoot with narrow aperture because you want to get all the details - I’ve been shooting at f/5 because I noticed the quality of the photos dips as I go more narrow.
Use foreground interest! Mix things up and see what you can use to get your photos more visual interest. Whether it’s a friend of yours or their dog, or an inanimate object like a shovel, you’re giving it a bit more of a story. Using people is helpful as well to help frame the scale of the mountains.
If you want, use different filters - an ND filter will help as it can get quite bright with the snow and the sun. You can also use a polarizing filter to get more of the blue sky or if you’re shooting in the summer and competing with the water reflections.
A daily reminder.