Chephren Lake is a gorgeous lake with staggering views of Mount Chephren above. What's fantastic is that it's a shimmering aquamarine-colored lake with only a few visitors daily. You won't be alone, but it's a far cry from the crowds of the more popular lakes in the park. It's an easy and mellow objective the whole family can do, but bring good shoes; the trail can be extremely muddy!

The hike up to the lake requires you to cover around 7.7 km and gain 80 meters of elevation. This would make it one of the more difficult Banff hikes on this list but still plenty doable for everyone. We recommend you allocate plenty of time to actually enjoy Chephren Lake. If you're super brave, throw on a swimsuit and jump into the lake — it's very cold.