Peyto Lake (PEE-toh) is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is near the Icefields Parkway and is below Caldron Peak.
Ebenezer William “Bill” Peyto often camped near Bow Summit because Banff was getting “too crowded” for him (Source: Whyte Museum), so the lake and glacier that feeds it were named after him. I wonder what he would think of the crowds here now! Peyto was a legendary park warden, pioneer, trapper, and horse outfitter who lived in Banff in the early 1900s.
Peyto Lake is so blue due to the work of glaciers. As Peyto Glacier advances and retreats, scouring the mountainside with its massive weight, rock is ground into tiny particles and washed into the lake. Sunlight reflecting off this “rock flour” gives Peyto Lake its vibrant blue color. Some other well-known and accessible glacier-fed lakes in Banff include Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Bow Lake.
The lake is fed by Peyto Creek, which drains water from Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield). Peyto Lake is the origin of the Mistaya River, which heads northwest from the lake's outflow.
Can you see a wolf’s head when you look at the lake?
