Vermilion Lakes

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Vermilion Lakes
Vermillion Lakes, Banff.jpg
Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain reflected in the lakes
Canada Alberta relief location map - transverse mercator proj.svg
Red pog.svg
Vermilion Lakes
Location Banff National Park, near Banff, Alberta
Coordinates 51°10′41″N115°35′56″W / 51.17806°N 115.59889°W / 51.17806; -115.59889 Coordinates: 51°10′41″N115°35′56″W / 51.17806°N 115.59889°W / 51.17806; -115.59889
Primary inflows Bow River
Primary outflows Bow River
Basin  countriesCanada
Surface area0.48 km2 (0.19 sq mi)

The Vermilion Lakes are a series of lakes located immediately west of Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Contents

The three lakes are formed in the Bow River valley, in the Banff National Park, at the foot of Mount Norquay. They are located between the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks. A hot spring is found at the third lake.

History

Archeological evidence proves human activity around the lakes dating back 10,800 years. [1] The site was excavated by Parks Canada's Daryl Fedje, [2] and found remains of campsites and obsidian tools.

Activities

Activities on and around the lakes include canoeing, kayaking, standup paddleboarding, wildlife watching, birdwatching, and hiking. The shorelines along Vermilion Lakes Drive are popular locations for sunrise and sunset photography.


Related Research Articles

Banff National Park National park in Alberta, Canada

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. The Icefields Parkway extends from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.

Banff, Alberta Town in Alberta, Canada

Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise. At 1,400 to 1,630 m above sea level, Banff is the community with the second highest elevation in Alberta, after Lake Louise.

Mount Temple (Alberta) Mountain in Banff NP, Canada

Mount Temple is a mountain in Banff National Park of the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada.

Kootenay National Park National park in British Columbia, Canada

Kootenay National Park is a national park of Canada located in southeastern British Columbia. The park consists of 1,406 km2 (543 sq mi) of the Canadian Rockies, including parts of the Kootenay and Park mountain ranges, the Kootenay River and the entirety of the Vermilion River. While the Vermilion River is completely contained within the park, the Kootenay River has its headwaters just outside the park boundary, flowing through the park into the Rocky Mountain Trench and eventually joining the Columbia River. The park ranges in elevation from 918 m (3,012 ft) at the southwestern park entrance to 3,424 m (11,234 ft) at Deltaform Mountain.

Cascade Mountain (Alberta) Mountain in Alberta, Canada

Cascade Mountain is a mountain located in the Bow River Valley of Banff National Park, adjacent to the town of Banff. The mountain was named in 1858 by James Hector after the waterfall or cascade on the southern flanks of the peak. The mountain has also been called Stoney Chief, which is related to the name of the smaller neighbouring mountain Stoney Squaw, which is still in use. Cascade is the highest mountain adjacent to the townsite.

Mount Rundle Mountain in Banff National Park, Canada

Mount Rundle is a mountain in Canada's Banff National Park overlooking the towns of Banff and Canmore, Alberta. The Cree name was Waskahigan Watchi or house mountain. In 1858 John Palliser renamed the mountain after Reverend Robert Rundle, a Methodist invited by the Hudson's Bay Company to do missionary work in western Canada in the 1840s. He introduced syllabics there—a written language developed for the Cree, as part of his missionary work. He only visited the Stoney-Nakoda of the area around what is now called Mount Rundle in 1844 and 1847.

Lake Minnewanka

Lake Minnewanka is a glacial lake located in the eastern area of Banff National Park in Canada, about five kilometres northeast of the Banff townsite. The lake is 21 km (13 mi) long and 142 m (466 ft) deep, making it the 2nd longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies.

Banff Springs Hotel Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada

The Fairmont Banff Springs, formerly and commonly known as the Banff Springs Hotel, is a historic hotel located in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The entire town including the hotel, is situated in Banff National Park, a national park managed by Parks Canada. The hotel overlooks a valley towards Mount Rundle, both of which are situated within the Rocky Mountain mountain range. The hotel is located at an altitude of 1,414 metres (4,639 ft).

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 1, commonly referred to as Highway 1, is a major east–west highway in Southern Alberta that forms the southern mainline of the Trans-Canada Highway. It runs from the British Columbia border near Lake Louise through Calgary to the Saskatchewan border east of Medicine Hat. It continues as Highway 1 into both provinces. It spans approximately 534 km (332 mi) from Alberta's border with British Columbia in the west to its border with Saskatchewan in the east. The route is a divided 4-lane expressway throughout the province with the exception of a section in central Calgary where it is an arterial thoroughfare and Urban Boulevard carrying 4 to 6 lanes. The highway is a freeway between the Sunshine exit near the town of Banff and Home Road in Calgary. Other rural sections have at grade intersections with Interchanges only at busier junctions. Twinning of the final 8.5 km (5.3 mi) of Highway 1 between Lake Louise and the British Columbia border was completed by Parks Canada and opened to traffic on June 12, 2014 making the whole length of Alberta Highway 1 a divided minimum 4-lane route.

Bow Valley

Bow Valley is a valley located along the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada.

Alberta Highway 93 Provincial highway in Banff and Jasper national parks in Alberta, Canada

Highway 93 is a north–south highway in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway south of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) and the Icefields Parkway north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It travels through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park and is maintained by Parks Canada for its entire length. It runs from the British Columbia border at Vermilion Pass in the south, where it becomes British Columbia Highway 93, to its terminus at the junction with the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) at Jasper. The route takes its number from U.S. Route 93, which runs uninterrupted south to central Arizona, and was initially designated as '93' in 1959.

Banff Upper Hot Springs Thermal springs in Canada

Banff Upper Hot Springs are commercially developed hot springs located in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, near the Banff townsite. Discovered in 1883, the hot pool is outdoors and while in the pool, visitors can look across the valley to Mount Rundle. It is located at 1,585 metres (5,200 ft) of elevation, which makes it the highest hot spring in Canada.

Spray Valley Provincial Park

Spray Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located east of the Rocky Mountains, along the Spray River in western Alberta, Canada.

Ranges of the Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rockies are a segment of the North American Rocky Mountains found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.

East End of Rundle Mountain in Alberta, Canada

East End of Rundle (EEOR) is a mountain located immediately west of the town of Canmore, Alberta and immediately west of the Spray Lakes road in the Canadian Rockies. Mount Rundle occupies the space between Canmore and Banff on the southwest side of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Albertas Rockies Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada

Alberta's Rockies comprise the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. On the southwestern part of the province along the British Columbia border, the region covers all but the south of Census Division 15.

Lake Louise (Alberta) Glacial lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Lake Louise is a glacial lake within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located 5 km (3.1 mi) west of the Hamlet of Lake Louise and the Trans-Canada Highway.

Mount Brewster

Mount Brewster is a 2,859-metre (9,380 ft) mountain summit located in the Vermilion Range of Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Mount Brewster was named in 1929 by Tom Wilson after John Brewster who was the father of the Brewster family of Banff.

The Banff-Windermere Highway, also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway, is a 105 km (65 mi) highway which runs through the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta in Canada. It runs from Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia to Castle Junction, Alberta, passing through Kootenay National Park and Banff National Park. It is designated as part of British Columbia Highway 93 and Alberta Highway 93.

References

  1. Alberta Heritage - Vermilion lakes
  2. Montreal Gazette - Ice Age Tools Found in Banff