Lake Minnewanka, Banff, Canadian Rockies by danapommet

Photography • Scenic • posted on Sep 03, 2010

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Description

Lake Minnewanka ("Water of the Spirits" in Nakota - the Stoney Indian language) is a glacial lake located in the eastern area of Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. That is Mount Inglismaldie 9,724 feet (2,964 meters) to the right. The lake is 17 miles (28 km) long and 466 feet (142 meters) deep, making it the longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies. All as the result of a power dam at the west end. The lake is fed by the Cascade River, flowing east of Cascade Mountain, and runs south through Stewart Canyon as it empties into the western end of the lake. Numerous streams flowing down from Mount Inglismaldie, Mount Girouard and Mount Peechee on the south side of the lake also feed the lake. Aboriginal people long inhabited areas around Lake Minnewanka, as early as 10,000 years ago, according to stone tools and a Clovis point spearhead discovered by archaeologists. The area is rich in animal life (elk, mule deer, mountain sheep, bears) and the easy availability of rock in the mountainous terrain was key to fashioning weapons for hunting. Dams were built in 1912 and 1941 to supply Banff with hydro-electric power. The most recent dam (1941) raised the lake 30 meters and submerged the resort village of Minnewanka Landing that had been present there since 1888. Because of the presence of the submerged village, submerged bridge pilings, and submerged dam (the one from 1912) the lake is popular among recreational scuba divers. Info from Wikipedia. Zoom is good. Scanned from a photo taken August 1988. Thanks for stopping by, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated. Dana