Lake Louise - Banff National Park, Alberta Canada

Cabin Rental Booking Request Form

Lake Louise — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:01:13 +0000

Fill up the form below for your Cabin Rental Booking Request.

Disclaimer: This form will only submit a request for availability of preferred unit types provided with the dates specified.

Ski Lake Louise: Spring

ppeters — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:16:37 +0000

One of the great things about being so far north and high up in the Rockies for Lake Louise skiing is that there’s a really long spring skiing season. Now, a lot of snow snobs might roll their eyes at the though of sloshing around in sloppy snow, but these folks have forgotten how to have fun in the Rockies.

Lake Louise and the Candian Rockies offer awesome skiing.

Ever skied in a T-shirt? On a warm spring day, it’s just as fun as it sounds. Spring is great for getting out and doing some plain fun riding. And wet snow, even though it’s not quite the thrill of fluffy powder, is still fun to ride on in it’s own way. It’s also great for spraying your friends if they get to the bottom of the hill first.

And if you want to mix some entertainment with your day of skiing or snowboarding, Lake Louise is an excellent spot for this. Skiers and snowboarders are joined by families and sun lovers who drive up for the day to watch skiers ride while they sip a beer in the sunshine. Often times this activity is accompanied by fine music from our local bands. As you’re taking your last turns on a beautiful spring day, you can often hear the tunes calling you in for a drink.

Lake Louise has lots of other great things about it, of course. It is such a big ski hill that you never feel at all crowded, despite the huge numbers of people that flock here every year for the awesome snow and terrain. The scenery is easily the best in the Rockies, and you can take some of the best photos to make friends envious and curious at why you are wearing only a shirt on top of a snowy mountain.

The runs have all been excellently taken care of and there are no queues for any lifts or gondolas. I guarantee that a day out in Lake Louise in spring will be one of the best you will have all year. The season is fast coming to a close though so hurry up! See you on the slopes.

The Lake Louise Gondola, a Canadian Rockies Must-See

ppeters — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:06:03 +0000

Lake Louise is a popular part of Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies for sightseeing tourism, and for good reason. With its amazingly brilliant blue-green lake, majestic snow-capped peaks, and lush forests it’s hard to beat for Rocky mountain beauty, scenery and activities.

Take the Lake Louise Gondola to see classic Rockies sights.

One of the best ways to literally “see it all” is by taking a ride on the Lake Louise Gondola, which opens May 15 each year. The Lake Louise Gondola gives you the best views in Banff National Park throughout the 14 minute ride up.

The chair is fully enclosed and comfortable, and with the amazing views, it’ll seem like the shortest 14 minutes of your life. Don’t worry, you can always do it again if it went by too quickly!

And while the ride up is over after 14 minutes, you’ve still got a lot ahead of you. You’ll find yourself at 6850 ft, with some of the best view of Banff National Park you’ll find anywhere. Get some great pictures that you’ll never forget from here, then choose from several hiking trails, ranging in difficulty from easy strolls to fairly challenging climbs.

This is also one of the best places in the park for viewing Canadian Rockies wildlife, including the ever-elusive Grizzly Bear, so don’t forget the camera!

Lake Louise has some great deals on gondola rides, including the Ride & Dine for $28 where you get a breakfast or lunch buffet included in the price of the ticket. It’s a great way to get fed and see some of the best Banff National Park and Lake Louise have to offer!

Lake Louise Ski Vacation Facts

ppeters — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:00:20 +0000

Not only does it sit at the foot of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, the Lake Louise Mountain Resort is one of the best places in the Rockies for an awesome ski vacation.

The Lake Louise Mountain Resort, situated on Mt. Whitehorn, has a whooping 139 marked ski runs and back bowls, all distributed over four mountain faces. The routes are well divided among beginner, intermediate and advanced trails, so it’s a resort with terrain for just anyone.

Lake Louise and the Candian Rockies offer awesome skiing.

The nearby Telus terrain park is also designed to be accessible to users of all skill levels as well. And fear not, snowboarders: All of it, including the terrain park, is open to you, too.

Some vital statistics: The base elevation of the resort is 5,400 feet (1,646 meters) and the summit tops out at 8,540 feet (2,637 meters). The season runs from early November to late April. There are nine lifts to get you to the slopes: 2 surface lifts, 1 T-bar, 1 triple chair, 3 high-speed quads, 1 six-pack and the gondola.

Four full-service day lodges are open in winter for skiers’ convenience.

There is, of course, much more to ski than just the slopes at the Lake Louise Mountain Resort. You can also go skiing across country on long trails. And you can take heli-skiing trips up to otherwise unreachable areas.

Tired of skiing? It may be hard to admit, but it happens. Sometimes you just got to break things up a little to get the most enjoyment out of a Rockies vacation. Luckily, many other activities await you. Bring your skates, for example, for some fine ice skating. Or you can hire a team for an excursion and become a musher for a day – trust us, there’s no more unique a way to see Lake Louise than on a dog sled!

Be sure not to miss the Lake Louise gondola. It runs year-round and provides exquisite views of the glaciers, wildflowers and natural springs in the area. It’s also a good place to look for wildlife, including, if you’re very lucky, a grizzly bear. It’s a much better place to see one of these magnificent creatures than on the hiking trail in front of you!

Lake Louise if the facts haven’t added up for you yet, is a great place for Canadian Rockies ski vacations, and should definitely be high on your to-do ski resort list.

Lake Louise Business Meetings and Planning

ppeters — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:16:38 +0000

Planning on some business in the Lake Louise area? It’s an inspiring place for team building, conferences, retreats and conventions.

If you want to same some time and money, check in with the Canadian Rockies Tourism Authority.

Lake Louise is your place to combine business with serious fun. Whether you’re coming from Calgary, Vancouver to Edmonton to Lake Louise or other great Canadian Rockies destinations such as Canmore and Jasper, The Canadian Rockies Tourism Authority can help you setup your conference and meetings and combine it with great fun.

We employ staff that can get your company the best rates and deals for Canadian Rockies, Banff, Jasper, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver activities, lodging, area facilities and team building programs. We have plans for luxury incentive trips to budget oriented conventions.

Click here for our one stop RFP process to save you hours of time and countless phone calls.

Lake Louise Vacation: Hiking Lake Agnes

ppeters — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:05:17 +0000

Lake Louise is truly a gem of Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies, offering great hikes like Lake Agnes.

The beautiful Lake Agnes.

It doesn’t have the hustle and bustle that Banff townsite does, and gives you the feeling that you’re really in the middle of the wilderness of the Rockies. During the winter, Lake Louise ski area is one of the best places to go out riding on your skis or snowboard in all of the Rockies, and it is equally beautiful for biking, or even just taking the Gondola to see some great views of nature and wildlife. But hiking is probably one of the biggest summer Lake Louise vacation highlights.

And Lake Agnes is one of the most popular and most rewarding hikes you can do in Banff National Park.

The Lake Agnes Trail is an easy hike, perfect for families and people of all hiking ablities. All you need for this walk is a bottle of water and some decent, light shoes. We recommend a camera too, but it’s not strictly necessary.

The first 1.6 km is a very easy, and at the same time mesmerizing as you trek through subalpine forest. If you have an interest in trees and vegetation, you are more or less going to be in heaven here! At 1.6 km, you will see views of Fairview Mountain and can usually see a few more extreme hikers who have crawled to the summit to get unique views of gorgeous Lake Louise.

You’ll start seeing Lake Agnes at about 3.5km. The origin of the name of the lake is actually quite interesting. Two ladies – Agnes Knox (A Toronto elocutionist) and the Prime Ministers wife Lady Agnes MacDonald both believed they would be the first woman to be shown the lakes.

As luck would have it, both shared the same first name making it easy to name the stunning Lake. Equally stunning in winter and summer, Lake Louise in Banff National Park is an absolute gem and hiking Lake Agnes is a great way to truly see why.

Around Lake Louise: Kootenay National Park

Lake Louise — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:42:21 +0000

There’s plenty to do in Lake Louise, and it’s sure to occupy a good portion of your Rockies vacation, and for good reason. But there’s plenty of other great things to see around the Canadian Rockies, including Kootenay National Park.

Kootenay National Park offers great vacation activities near Lake Louise.

Kootenay National Park is fairly close to Lake Louise and there’s a ton to see and do when you get there, so it’s definitely worth some of your vacation time. To get there jump on Highway 93 and head south. When you get to the road to Radium Hot Springs, you’re well on the road.

Kootenay National Park isn’t the biggest in the Canadian Rockies, but it’s one of the most interesting parks. Here you can go from a shady, cool canyon to a hot desert in the span of one day. You’ll be treated to the incredible scenery of a burned forest and the brilliant colors of vermilion rocks. All of this in a one day trip from Lake Louise.

When you first arrive at Kootenay National Park, coming from Lake Louise, you’ll see a large burned area. This is the Vermillion Pass Burn, remnants of a 1968 forest fire. It may not look like much at first, but look close – the area is one of the best in the Canadian Rockies for spotting wildlife.

It’s a great area for seeing moose that come to nibble on the ends of the bushes, which get a lot of sunlight and grow really well. Those same bushes also produce berries that attract bears. There are a number of flowers in the area as well, which attracts tons of hummingbirds. To top it off, the rare and rarely-seen lynx can be spotted in this part of the Kootenay, where they hunt snowshoe hares that live along the edge of the burn.

If you want to take a closer look at the burn, there are some great trails here, including the Arnica Lake/Twin Lakes trailhead is a good place to start. At the short Firewood trail you can learn more about a fire’s role in renewing the landscape.

There are two other trails worth checking out. One trail follows the edge of Marble Canyon, a short but very deep crevasse. Bridges across the canyon provide excellent views into the interior. The other trail goes to the Ochre Beds and Paint Pots. Sediments that flow from cold springs runoff here were mined for use as paints.

Next on your trip in Kootenay is Mt. Wardle Mineral Lick. Here you’ll find the official symbol of Kootenay National Park: the mountain goat. Nearly 300 of them live in the park, and if you want to see them, you’ve come to the right place. This natural mineral lick is right by the side of the highway – just look for the sign. In May and June, especially, they like to come to the area to lick the dirt. Minerals such as calcium are mixed in with the soil, which the goats – and particularly the nannies who have just given birth – require.

In fact, wildlife is among the best of reasons to visit Kootenay. Much of the park sits in the low-elevation Kootenay Valley. What does low elevation mean? Primarily, it means temperate weather: an easier winter and a longer, more dynamic summer. And that means wildlife thrives here. Coyotes, black bears, moose, elk, deer; all roam the grassy meadows and open forests. Keep an eye out, because you’re almost sure to see something. We urge you to keep a very careful eye out at dusk, when the something you might see could easily be right on the road in front of you!

Discover Lake Louise Winter Vacation Activities

ppeters — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:42:08 +0000

Lake Louise offers a practically endless list of things to do on your Canadian Rockies vacation. Throw in surrounding Banff National Park and Jasper, and you’re going to go crazy trying to plan your trip. Here at Discover Lake Louise, we try to parse up the info in as many ways as possible to help you plan your vacation. Here are some winter Lake Louise and vicinity vacation planning ideas to help you.

November

Lake Louise is beautiful for visiting any time of year.

Geology played a major role in making the Canadian Rockies the beautiful vacation spot they are today, and you can see a lot of the evidence of this from Lake Louise. Check out the Rocks and Gems shop in Chateau Lake Louise. Pick up a geology book to identify the fossils, although many of them are imported from other areas.

Attend an informative chat at the Lake Louise Visitor Centre on Wednesday nights. Admission is free, the lectures start at 8 p.m. and cover all sorts of Banff National Park topics.

If it has been a dry start to winter, skating on the many local lakes is a great way to spend time outdoors in November. Skating season is eagerly awaited every year but the time frame is super short because of the impending snow. Rent a pair of skates and head to Herbert Lake to glide across the mirror-like surfaces. Skating on Lake Louise only happens once every ten years or so because it takes so long for the water to freeze, the snow often comes first.

December

Go ice skating on Lake Louise. Rent skates from Monod’s in the Chateau Lake Louise and enjoy the rink cleared in front of the castle. A big bonfire is built every night between 6 and 7 and complimentary hot chocolate is served.

Bundle up for a dogsledding adventure. You will feel like a real musher after a 35 minute ride with Doug Hannah. You can make reservations at the Chateau Lake Louise.

Get out and enjoy the nightlife offered in the Lake Louise area. You don’t have to drive all the way to Banff. Dancing and socializing can be found at the Explorer’s Lounge, the Western BBQ and Dance, Torchlight Skiing, Glacier Saloon and the Outpost.

January

If you have plans to drive the Icefields, make sure you’ve got a full tank of gas, snacks and warm clothing, because there aren’t any services on the highway. You can view numerous glaciers from the highway; pick up an information packet at the Lake Louise Visitor Centre.

January temperatures plunge to some of the coldest of the season, so you probably won’t want to spend a whole lot of time out doors. Which is why this is a great time to take a drive up the Icefield Parkway and observe the Columbia Icefields.

Catch up on your reading and learn important Canadian Rockies history at the Lake Louise Visitor Centre. Cuddle up by the fireplace to escape the winter cold and learn about avalanches, park history and the native wildlife. Catch a spectacular pink sunset between 4:30 and 5 pm.

Enjoy an afternoon of ice skating and a fancy European style tea at the Post Hotel. The hotel hosts a tea every afternoon and has a beautiful skating rink tucked in next to the hotel. Enjoy fresh mountain air and experience the lap of luxury during a pleasant afternoon in Lake Louise.

February

The Lake Louise Visitor Centre hosts discussions on Wednesday nights during the month of February. They start at 8 p.m. and are free. Listen to local wildlife experts, historians and researchers give you an insiders view to Lake Louise.

Snowshoeing around Emerald Lake is only a short 40 minute drive and well worth the trip. Practice following animal tracks and don’t be afraid to venture off the trails, just stay on the flats and away from the slopes for safety. After a fun day of snowshoeing, stop by the historic Emerald Lake Lodge for lunch or a hot chocolate to warm up.

Bundle up for a horse-drawn sleigh ride along the shores of Lake Louise. You can purchase your tickets for about $15 for adults at the Brewster desk in the Chateau Lake Louise. At the lake you may see ice climbers practicing on the frozen waterfall or the ice sculptures from the international ice carving festival held in January.

Discover Lake Louise activities in the fall

ppeters — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:08:50 +0000

Lake Louise and the Banff National Park area offer excellent vacation opportunities all year round. In fact, there are so many Rockies vacation activities here that you may feel overwhelmed with all the choices! We try to split up our Lake Louise vacation travel guides in several ways to make it easy for you to plan. Below you’ll find info about Lake Louise activities in the fall.

September

See the brilliant golden larch trees near Agnes Lake. During September, the needles of the larch tree turn a stunning golden yellow and are quite picturesque next to a clear blue sky. The trees are most accessible from the Lake Louise area since they grow at the treeline level. Agnes Lake also features a tea house for the end of your adventure.

Take a quiet picnic on the shores of Ross Lake in the afternoon. You can purchase great picnic lunches from Laggan’s Deli and then walk the short path (less than two kilometers) to Ross Lake. Here you’ll have a good chance of seeing the many varieties of wildlife in the area. If you’re driving, park at the trailhead off the #1A Great Divide Highway.

Head on up to the Kicking Horse Campground in Yoho National Park and go for a hike on the “Walk in the Past Trail.” Grab a brochure from the Field Visitor Centre and launch your journey into the railway’s past. See the “big hill” and the final stop brings you to a narrow-gauge locomotive.

October

Sip some coffee at Laggan’s Deli or Bill Peyto’s Cafe (at the Canadian Alpine Centre and Youth Hostel, then take your warm mug upstairs at the cafe to enjoy the game room and a comfortable hang out area.

Go for a mountain bike ride around the Bow River Loop. Here you’ll find great views of the mountains all along this trail, especially Mt. Temple. Bike rentals are available at Wilson Mountain Sports.

If your about to leave and haven’t yet gotten to snap a photo of the local wildlife, head on over to the gift stores in the Chateau Lake Louise or Lake Louise Village for animal themed gifts. Some of the gifts even sponsor the protection of Canadian Rockies wildlife such as wolf packs.

Lake Louise Summer Vacations

ppeters — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:09:03 +0000

The Lake Louise area of the Canadian Rockies is full of things to do. Between the town, the lake, the surroundings of Banff National Park, and nearby Japser National Park, a vacation could go on forever, if only we had the time. To help you organize your vacation, here’s a couple quick ideas of what to do in the Lake Louise area during the summer months.

June

The Canadian Rockies and Lake Louise always deliver beautiful vacations.

June marks the longest days of the year in Lake Louise, so stay up late and take a nature walk along the Bow River Loop. The sun can be up as late as midnight so take advantage of the quite summer nights in the Canadian Rockies.

Mountain bike on over to the Great Divide picnic area by using the #1A Great Divide Highway from Lake Louise. As of 1999, this highway is car-free and only used as a paved bike path. It is about a six kilometer bike ride to the picnic area. Tips for non cyclers – you can still reach this area by motorized vehicle. Take the Trans-Canada (#1) west of Lake Louise for ten minutes and turn left to join the #1A (also the turnoff for Lake O’Hara).

Paddle across beautiful Moraine Lake in a rented canoe. Moraine Lake is the first site of an aquatic restoration project in Banff National Park so you can see biologists and scientists removing invasive species to reintroduce the endangered bull trout. Walk along the Rockpile Trail to the canoe rental station located on the right.

July

Go to an evening show at the Lake Louise Campgrounds or the Kicking Horse Campground in Yoho National Park. Parks Canada offers interpretive shows about wildlife and the history of the parks. Admission is free.

Have a quiet picnic at the Corral Creek picnic area located about ten minutes from Lake Louise on the #1A Bow Creek Parkway. You can have a fire and there are open grassy areas for family games. Take a short walk to McNair Pond to observe the ducks.

Enjoy the flowers along Moraine Lake Road. Usually you would have to hike to see the show, but you can drive this road and stop at all the pull outs to see and smell the wildflowers. Sketch as many flowers as you can and identify them at the visitor centre. Please don’t pick any of the flowers since some of them are endangered species.

August

Catch a baseball game at the Lake Louise Recreation Centre diamonds. The local leagues play on weeknights for most of the summer. Catch nine innings in the midst of great Canadian Rockies scenery with Mt. Temple looming in the background.

View the Wapta Falls in Yoho National Park. In August, the glaciers are melting rapidly and the falls are in full force. You can view the falls from an easy walk to the overlook, but the real fun starts as you walk the trail that descends closer to the falls.

Take a swim in Herbert Lake on a steamy summer day. The waters of Lake Louise are glacier fed, therefore really, really cold for swimming (although some brave locals do occasionally swim in the frigid waters.) Instead head to Herbert Lake for a swim; just make sure you go on the hottest day you can!