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For the teenage Japanese visitor, the liquid candy-like turquoise waters of Moraine Lake framed by saw-toothed crags was entrancing.

“I want to live here,” said Junpei Sato of Tokyo after jostling for a spot to capture an image of the stunning view from atop a boulder pile teeming with tourists.

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But recently arriving at the lake that once graced Canada’s $20 bill wasn’t quick, even mid-week.

By 8:30 a.m., parking at nearby Lake Louise was full and travelling by private vehicle to Moraine Lake had long been out of the question.

A paid shuttle bus to Moraine was available at an overflow lot 30 minutes away, a space that itself was nearly overflowing a few hours later.

For Harvey Locke, conservationist and Banff townsite resident, it’s a typical junket telling the tale of a park being loved to death.

“I was up at Moraine Lake last summer and it was an appalling sight,” said Locke. “It was like watching an anthill.