Our next stop for the day was Lake Minnewanka and the lake boat tour.
Lake Minnewanka (the name means "water of the spirits" in the First Nations Nakoda language) is about 5 km (3.1 miles) from Banff. At 21 km (13 miles) long it is the longest of the Canadian Rockies mountain lakes. Formed and fed by glaciers, the lake is 142 meters (466 feet) deep. It owes some of its length and depth to a hydro-electric dam at the west end.
An unintended result of the power dam also makes Lake Minnewanka a popular scuba(!) site. In 1886 a log hotel called "Beach House" was built on the shore of Lake Minnewanka. By 1888 a village named Minnewanka Landing was established. The little resort grew until it included hotels, restaurants, wharves and two sightseeing cruise boats, the "Lady of the Lake" and the "Daughter of the Peaks."
The last dam, built in 1941, raised the level of the lake 30 meters (98 feet), submerging the Minnewanka Landing townsite. It is the submerged townsite that draws divers. The various features - streets, house foundations, three old wharves, and the most popular, an outhouse - are in 17.5 meters (57 feet) to more than 24 meters (80 feet) of water. Other popular dive sites on the lake are near the original 1898 log dam and the 1912 dam which was also covered when the final dam was built in 1941.
As one might expect, "all dives at Lake Minnewanka are cold water, altitude dives. Visibility fluctuates depending on the time of year and the number of divers at the site. Depths vary depending on the time of year, rising up to 5.5 m (18') from spring to fall." (source: Parks Canada)
In addition to stunning lake and mountain views and amazing - if freezing - dive sites. Lake Minnewanka has one other very cool feature:
The Rocky Mountains start right here. Through that gap is the Alberta prairie. Lake Minnewanka is right at the edge, right at the transition.
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