A couple hours’ drive either east or southwest from the Bow Valley will deliver you to lakes where most power boating, including fast moving ski boats, is permitted. However, the parkland designations protecting much of the Canadian Rockies’ mountain environment mean the Bow Valley’s waterways are off limits to most motorboat use. A select few lakes within some mountain park areas, however, are friendly to small aluminium runabouts, allowing fishers to drop their lines. Commercial boat tours are a treat in the national parks where motorboats are allowed. Maligne Lake in Jasper, Waterton Lake in Waterton Park and Lake Minnewanka near Banff, are all special environments with history and natural wonders as deep as their icy waters. First established in 1889, Lake Minnewanka Boat Tours is one of the longest continually operating attractions in Western Canada. Travelling comfortably in wheelchair accessible glass enclosed boats that are heated in inclement weather – a frequent occurrence on Banff’s largest water body – passengers float by towering peaks that rise from the water’s edge, frequently spotting bighorn sheep, deer and even the occasional bear. Boat captains double as interpreters, sharing knowledge of the lake’s geology, natural and human history and Minnewanka’s role as a hydroelectric reservoir. You’ll learn about mountain vegetation and wildlife, the powerful forces that created the ranges and history about the early explorers who named the peaks. At the lake’s far end you’ll see remnants of a glacial path that carved its way through to the foothills and at Devil’s Gap you’ll reach the mountains’ end where explorers such as John Palliser first entered the Rockies searching for routes west. Tour prices range from $30 for adults to $13 for children, with the season running from mid May to early October.
Banff’s human history began on Lake Minnewanka’s shores more than 10,000 years ago. Native peoples continued to inhabit the area when the first Europeans arrived. A PhD student from the University of Calgary’s archaeology department first discovered prehistoric evidence on the lakeshore in 1993, unearthing 115 lithic objects. The lake’s name is derived from the native Stoney term “Minne-waki,” which refers to resident spirits. The name “Minnewanka” can be interpreted to mean “Lake of the Water Spirit”, “Water of the Spirits”, or “Spirit Water”. The lake has long been associated with legends and ghost stories. Native offerings including pipes, beaded pouches, tobacco and tomahawks were found on rock ledges surrounding the water well after Minnewanka became protected within Banff National Park. There was no fishing or canoeing on the water until the white man arrived as natives believed in supernatural events including a story about a half fish, half human being living in the lake.
