Hector Lake

Hector Lake
Hector Lake, Pulpit Peak, Vulture Col, etc. as seen from an Icefields Parkway turnout
Hector Lake
Location	Banff National Park, Alberta's Rockies
Coordinates	51°35′08″N 116°21′35″W
Type	Glacial
Primary inflows	Balfour Creek (Waputik Icefield)
Primary outflows	Bow River
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	5.3 km (3.3 mi)
Max. width	1.2 km (0.75 mi)
Surface area	5.23 km2 (2.02 sq mi)
Surface elevation	1,800 m (5,900 ft)

Hector Lake is a small glacial lake in western Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Bow River, in the Waputik Range of the Canadian Rockies.

It is named after James Hector, a geologist and naturalist with the Palliser Expedition.

Hector Lake location in Banff National Park

Hector Lake and Waputik Range as seen from the Icefields Parkway

The lake is formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, north of the Waputik Icefield, between Pulpit Peak, Mount Balfour, Crowfoot Mountain and Bow Peak. Hector Glacier and Mount Hector rise on the opposite side of the Bow River.

Hector Lake is one of the lakes that line the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, other such lakes being Bow Lake, Lake Louise, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Lake, Waterfowl Lakes, Chephren Lake and Sunwapta Lake.

Hector Lake is the second lake from the headwaters of Bow River, the first one being Bow Lake, and has a total area of 5.23 km² (2.02 sq mi).