Skagway Wonders

Emerald Lake Tours

One of the best things about traveling to Alaska is leaving the state and heading up to Canada. Skagway is very close to the Canadian border and when you cross you’re in British Columbia. Another 35 miles up the highway and cross another border into the Yukon Territory. Most people who embark on the journey to the Yukon are eager to see Emerald Lake. Sit back, relax, and ride along on this blog as we enjoy an Emerald Lake Tour!

A photo from one of our Skagway Emerald Lake tours. Take the tour and you can take a photo of someone taking a photo of Emerald Lake.

Why do they call it Emerald Lake?

Nobody really knows but it may be because the lake is kind of green. But it’s also kind of blue too, which makes you wonder why they didn’t call it Sapphire Lake or Two-Tone Lake. Maybe someone found an emerald there one time and that’s how it got its name. Regardless, that is the name of the lake.

What makes the lake green and blue?

Light is weird. It reflects off of different things and creates color. Glaciers appear blue because they absorb all different wavelengths of light except blue. Blue light wavelengths bounce off of glacial ice because the ice is very dense. So our eyes perceive glaciers as blue.

Emerald Lake was formed by a glacier. The surrounding mountains are made out of limestone. Now you might think, “Hey limes are green, so the lake probably is green because of the limes!” No. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Limestone is not made out of limes. It would be pretty cool if it was though because we would always have the makings for margaritas.

When glaciers move over bedrock like limestone, the rock is ground into a very fine dust called silt. Limestone silt is made out of calcium carbonate, which is also found in pearls and marine shells. The limestone silt in Emerald Lake got mixed with clay and formed a substance called marl. Why is it called marl? Nobody knows that answer either, but perhaps some guy named Marl Smith was the first person to figure out what it was.

So, anyway, the marl reflects light in such a way that it appears green in the shallower parts of the lake. It’s also possible that God just made it that way and that’s that.

Are there any other lakes like Emerald Lake

Oh, for sure. Many lakes in the Yukon are chock full of marl and look really pretty, just like Emerald Lake. What makes Emerald Lake so special is that you can drive right up to it, hop out of the car, and start snapping pictures like there’s no tomorrow. Other marl-filled lakes in the Yukon require hiking and that’s not fun.

On your Emerald Lake Tour, you will also stop at many other beautiful lakes and waterfalls. You’re going to see Summit Lake, Lake Bernard, Shallow Lake, Lake Tutshi, Tagish Lake, Lake Bennett, and Spirit Lake. Have you ever wondered why they name some lakes with “Lake” before the name and other lakes with “Lake” after the name? Makes no sense. Just stick with one already!

I’m going to let you make your own caption for this photo.

Will I see a Bigfoot on my Emerald Lake Tour?

It’s a distinct possibility. Bigfoots live in the Yukon where they can forage for poutine and Tim Bits throughout the year.

Join us for an Emerald Lake Tour in the Yukon

The best way to see Emerald Lake is to take the Yukon Discovery Tour. Or you can drive yourself with our Jeep Fun Time tour. Either way, you’re going to get up close and personal with some marl and people back home are going to think you Photoshopped your pictures.