Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada Jan 3, 2024

For centuries, humans have gazed up at the sight of stars above Lake Minnewanka. The Nakoda residents, who revered the lake for the spirits that they believed reside within it, fished and hunted along its shores with respect. The name Minnewanka comes from "Minn-waki", which translates to "Lake of the Spirits." As tourism began to develop in the Canadian Rockies, a settlement was built on the lakeshore. As the lake was dammed twice, first in 1895 and then in 1912 to reserve water for a hydroelectric plant downstream, the Minnewanka Landing settlement was submerged by the rising water levels. This glacial lake, which is only accessible by scuba diving, is the second-largest in Banff National Park, stretching approximately 21 kilometres in length.

© Ken Phung/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jan 3, 2025Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, University of Oxford, England
Jan 3, 2026Staubbach Falls at Lauterbrunnen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 27, 2025Thick-billed raven
Jun 14, 2025Cinque Torri, Dolomites, Italy
Jan 24, 2026Andermatt village in the Alps, Switzerland
Nov 4, 2024Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England
Jan 3, 2025Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, University of Oxford, England
Mar 3, 2024Leopard in a tree, Kruger National Park, South Africa
Sep 1, 2025Kaiserstuhl, Germany
Sep 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
Sep 15, 2024Varenna on Lake Como, Italy
Dec 22, 2025Alte Brücke Bridge, Frankfurt, Germany
Mar 8, 2026The Brocken, Harz National Park, Germany
Oct 29, 2024Great horned owl
Oct 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado, USA
Sep 14, 2024Rapa Nui National Park, Easter Island, Chile
Jan 24, 2025Strokkur geyser in Iceland
Apr 7, 2025North American beaver, Moran, Wyoming, United States
Dec 7, 2024Arraial do Cabo, Brazil
Oct 22, 2023Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon, USA
Aug 2, 2025Petroglyphs near Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States
Apr 17, 2024Black bear cub emerges into spring
Dec 18, 2024Jim Corbett National Park, India
Sep 21, 2023Inside the Nobel Peace Centre, Oslo, Norway
Dec 28, 2025Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Jan 26, 2025European beech forest, Belgium
Sep 2, 2024Red-and-green macaws, Brazil
Nov 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Oct 7, 2025Autumn colours below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado, United States
Jul 27, 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Jun 28, 2024Chausey Islands
Jun 5, 2024Masoala National Park in Madagascar