Lake Louise
One of the most photographed places in all of Canada, this lake sits at an elevation of 1,900 meters (6,234 feet) and is surrounded by glaciers on either side. The hiking trails are some of the best in Banff National Park.
Lake Louise is about 55 km west of Banff on the Trans Canada Highway. Parking can be a real problem if you don’t get there first thing in the morning. You will need a parking permit between 7 am and 7 pm purchased from pay stations throughout the parking lot, if there are any spots left.
Or you can park for free at the,
Lake Louise Ski Resort
&
Summer Gondola
If you’re planning a trip to Lake Louise you must include a ride up on the Summer Gondola. The views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers are spectacular to say the least.
And there are good chances of seeing wildlife, including bears grazing under the path of the gondola.
Parking your vehicle for free at the Lake Louise Ski Resort is your best option if you are planning on spending the day in the area. From here you can purchase tickets for the shuttles to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and the gondola. Also enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the Lodge of Ten Peaks Café.
Reserve Seats On The Shuttle to get you to Lake Louise or Moraine Lake where you can start any number of amazing hikes.
Call ahead-of-time to reserve your shuttle seats. 1-888-773-8888
Reservations are required for either the Lake Louise Lakeshore or Moraine Lake Lakeshore shuttle. Once there you can catch the free Lake Connector Shuttle to either lake on a first come first serve seat availability as the shuttles go back and forth throughout the day.
And don’t forget that no matter where you park in the Parks you will need to have a valid Park Pass. Pay at the Banff Gates by the day, or any Canada Parks office. Or you can get the Discovery Pass and you will be covered for all of the National Parks across Canada for the year.
If you are planning on taking any of the hikes in the area I strongly suggest you come prepared with the right hiking Gear.
Took these pictures on my phone from the other side of Lake Louise on our way to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. In the distance you can see the beautiful Chateau Lake Louise.
The hike from the Chateau to the Tea House is about 5.3 km. Moderately challenging with an elevation gain of about 370 meters or 1215 feet, at an elevation of 2100 meters, or 6890 ft, not counting the two flights of stairs that felt like three to the top of the tea house. Ahh the burn! And then for a spot-of-tea.
Witnessed a Glacial Calving on the way up. Just caught the last part as I whipped out my phone for a picture. Quite an experience. A thundering crack followed by a section of ice that broke off of the glacier and crashed over the sides of the cliff to the valley floor below.
There are a lot of hiking trails in the lake Louise area. Many of them may be combined, depending on your level of fitness and just how much time you have.
The Lake Agnes Teahouse is about a 1.5 hr hike from Lake Louise along the Lake Agnes Trail, where you will find the famous Lake Agnes Teahouse sitting on the edge of the lake. This is a very busy spot, often with line-ups out the door.
However the crowds will thin out somewhat from here on up. You can take the less traveled route to the Little Beehive from here, offering up spectacular views over Lake Louise and of Mount Fairview. 9 km , up to 4 hours return to Lake Louise.
The Big Beehive via Lake Agnes Trail leads you closer, over Lake Louise and Mirror Lake. About 10 km return to Lake Louise.
There also plenty of cliff faces for the avid rock climbers
Saddleback Pass trailhead starts at Lake Louise heading toward Fairview Mountain and can be a hike up to 14 km, easy to moderate, with wonderous scenery of Mount Temple, Haddo Peak, and Sheol Mountain and if you still have time and energy you can continue to the Sheol Valley Trail that will loop you around Saddle Mountain before you get to the lake connector trail.
For the avid backpacker in excellent physical condition. Many of the trails in the Lake Louise area lead to different summits like The Devils Thumb, Mount St. Piran, Saddle Mountain and Fairview Mountain. Often up to 8 hour days and over 25 km return.
If one were to camp out of the Lake Louise Campground or Lake Louise Trailer Campground with your RV, you could spend weeks exploring the area and still not cover all of the trails.
Click on Best Trails in Lake Louise for a better look, expand the map to full screen, and Zoom in on the map until you can see Banff and Lake Louise from a topographical view, along the Trans Canada no: 1 hwy. Hover over no 33 right beside Lake Louise. On the left hand side of the page you will see descriptions of the trails. Hover over the Trail name and you will see the trail highlight in red on the map. Unfortunately that feature is not available on mobile.
Love the features of this interactive AllTrails map. You can see All Trails throughout the Canadian Rockies.
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