Peyto Lake – Canada

Peyto Lake – Banff National Park, Canada

Brimming with liquid turquoise, Peyto Lake stretches out beneath the steep slopes of Canada’s Waputik Mountains within Banff National Park. Glacial silt, a fine powder that results from millions of tons of ice grinding away at the mountains, is suspended in many lakes and streams of the Canadian Rockies. The suspended particles reflect green light and absorb part of the blue spectrum, leaving a milky turquoise that can defy imagination. Jeweled with lakes, glaciers, and striated peaks, Banff National Park was established in 1885, making it Canada’s oldest national park. The park’s 2,564 square miles welcomes more than three million visitors annually.