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Lake Louise - the highest community in Canada with its many secrets

At 1600m (5200ft) above sea level, Lake Louise is the highest community in Canada. Established in 1884 as an outpost of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), it is now home to around 700 people. Lake Louise is located in the Banff National Park, 180 km west of Calgary. Before the Europeans and the CPR arrived in the area, the indigenous Stoney Nakota First Nations people hunted and lived there. They called it the Lake of the little fishes (Ho-run-num-nay).

Lake Louise (check out our shop for full resolution pictures and canvas prints)

The Lake was named Emerald Lake by Tom Wilson in 1882, a worker for CPR who was shown the site by a Nakota guide. After several name changes including Holt City, and Laggan, the community was finally named Lake Louise. Lake Louise consists of the Lake itself with the Chateau Lake Louise, the community with the Samson mall at its core, and the Lake Louise ski resort. Even though it is just a small outpost, there are many hidden gems and secrets to be discovered in and around Lake Louise.

One of the gems is the Chateau Lake Louise. The hotel was built around 1920 by the CPR. The castle-like luxury alpine resort overlooks Lake Louise and is, with its many features, a little village in and of itself with restaurants, shopping, a whirlpool, fitness, wellness area and spa. There are several dining options within the Chateau Lake Louise; the Fairview Bar and Restaurant, the Lakeview Lounge, the Walliser Stube, the Alpine Social, and the Lago Italian Kitchen.

https://www.chateau-lake-louise.com/

Like any old hotel from the 1900s, the Chateau Lake Louise has its fair share of ghost stories that somehow surprisingly surface every year around Halloween. Not as spooky as those from the Banff Springs Hotel- after all the Chateau was built 30 years later than the Banff Springs Hotel so it can’t have as many ghost stories….yet. If you are interested in the supernatural, check out our article about Banff where we cover the ghost stories of the Banff Springs Hotel.

https://www.barcdigital.com/blog/banff-summer

We stayed in the Banff Springs Hotel and the Chateau Lake Louise and during our stay there were no ghosts around. As a luxury option for your stay in Lake Louise, we can recommend the Chateau Lake Louise. Just be sure to get a room overlooking the lake.

Lake Louise sign entering the community.

Summer activities in Lake Louise:

There are many activities you can do in and around Lake Louise in the summer including:

Hiking

Paddling

Biking

Sightseeing & Tours

Gondolas

Horseback riding

Caving & Canyoning

Climbing

Fishing

Rafting

There are several hikes around Lake Louise ranging from easy to difficult, and ranging from between 45 min to 8 hours. You can find them on the Parks Canada website:

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/randonee-hiking/lakelouise

We can recommend the hike up to Lake Agnes, a 3.4 km hike with a 385m gain in elevation (2.5 to 3 hours) from where you get a great view over the surrounding mountains, the lake, and the chateau. At the Lake Agnes tea house, you can enjoy a cup of tea while admiring the mountains around you (only during the summertime, due to avalanche risk).

The secret you will find here are the more reasonable menu prices as compared to the prices at the Chateau.

One secret presents itself when you do the hike along the shoreline of Lake Louise. At the end of the trail (2km) you will discover the reason for the milky colour of the lake.

The best kept secret of Lake Louise is the Sightseeing Gondola where you can spot wildlife from a safe distance. The Grizzly Express Gondola brings you to an elevation of 2100m (6890 ft) in 14 minutes and, on the way, chances are good to spot grizzly bears, black bears, lynx, moose, mountain goats, elk, and deer. Increase your chances of seeing any wildlife by arriving either early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Also, check the wildlife sightseeing calendar where large wildlife sightings are reported::

https://www.skilouise.com/explore-summer/wildlife-viewing/#wildlife-calendar

The prices for the Sightseeing Gondola are 50$ for adults, 25 for youth (13-17), and $10 for seniors and children from 6-12. Kids from 0 to 5 can go for free. Furry friends are not allowed on the Gondola. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by at least one adult and children under 42” (106cm) can only ride with adults in the enclosed gondola.

https://www.skilouise.com/explore-summer/sightseeing-gondola/

There are four dining opportunities on the mountain:

Lodge of Ten Peaks Cafe

https://www.skilouise.com/dining/base-area-dining/lodge-of-ten-peaks-cafe/

Slopeside Coffee

https://www.skilouise.com/dining/base-area-dining/slopeside-coffee/

Banded Peak Base Camp

https://www.skilouise.com/dining/base-area-dining/kokanee-kabin-smokehouse-bbq/

Whitehorn Bistro

https://www.skilouise.com/dining/on-mountain-dining/whitehorn-bistro/

From the top of the gondola, about 5-10 min walking distance, is the Wildlife Interpretive Centre where you can learn everything about the wildlife around Lake Louise. There are life-sized displays of animals, information boards, touch and feel animal pelts, skulls, claws, (fake) droppings, and more. You can find books and guides to bring along and there are washrooms and available drinking water. From the Wildlife Interpretive Centre, you will have access to the Whitehorn Bistro.

View from along the Lake Agnes hike to Chateau Lake Louise

Lake Louise guided hikes

There are several guided hikes available. Experienced, certified guides take groups of up to 9 guests on a half-day or full-day hike on various trails.

Half-day hikes: ($159/person, $259 for groups of 3-4)

Emerald Lake Loop (3 hours, 5.2 km)
Lake Louise and Lake Agnes (4 hours, 6.8km)
Bow Glacier and Bow Lake (4 hours, 9.2km)
Sherbrooke Lake (3 hours, 6.2km)

The half-day hikes include an experienced, certified guide, transportation to and from Lake Louise (ski resort and local hotels), and a snack. The pricing starts at $159 per person up to $299 for 5-9 guests.

Full-day hikes: ($199/person, $449 for groups of 3-4)

Taylor Lake (6 hours, 12.6km)
Sentinel Pass & Moraine Lake (6-7 hours, 11.6km)
Plain of 6 Glaciers & Lake Louise (6 hours, 10.6km)
Emerald Basin & Emerald Lake (5 hours, 9.2km)
Twin Falls & Takakkaw Falls (6 hours, 16.5km)
Iceline Trail & Takakkaw Falls (8 hours, 17.5km)

The full-day hikes include an experienced, certified guide, transportation to and from Lake Louise (ski resort and local hotels), and a snack. The pricing starts at $199 per person up to $499 for 5-9 guests.

At the summit there are 3 guided hikes available:

Trail of the Great Bear - where you learn what to do if you see a bear, how to use bear spray, and how to stay safe (45min, 2-9 people, $16.95)
Trail of 7 Wonders - where you learn about valued and endangered species who live in the area (3.5 hours, 2-9 people ages 8+, $55.95)
Trail of Ice and Fire - where you will learn how ice and fire shaped the landscape over millions of years (2 hours, 2-9 people, $29.95)

If you prefer to explore the area on your own, there are 4 hikes starting on top of the Gondola:

The shortest (and safest) is the walk from the Gondola to the Whitehorn Bistro, which is surrounded by an electric fence to keep the bears out (1 km round trip). Slightly longer is the hike up to the Kicking Horse Pass viewpoint at an elevation of 2185m (1.7 km round trip). Still a little bit longer, with a 2.5 km round trip leading you up to 2276m elevation, is the Pika Trail. The longest hike, which extends from the end of the Pika Trail, is the Ptarmigan Valley Viewpoint which brings you up to 2417m with a total mileage of 3.4 km round trip.

Hiking Map:

https://www.skilouise.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Hiking-Trails-LLSR-Summer-2020-July-18-20.pdf

Mirror Lake sign along the Lake Agnes trail.

Lake Louise is 200km west of Calgary. The drive from the Calgary Airport to Lake Louise on Highway 1 takes about 2 hours.

Parking:

At the base of the Summer Gondola, you can find free parking, another secret not known by many, since the parking at the Chateau Lake Louise is filled up quickly as is the overflow parking along Highway 1. There is a free shuttle bus from the Chateau Lake Louise and Lake Louise townsite to the base of the Summer Gondola.

https://www.skilouise.com/getting-here/by-car/

Park Pass:

For your stay in Lake Louise with the car, you will need a Park Pass. These are available online (see link below) or at the entrance to the Banff National Park on Highway 1.

https://www.banfflakelouise.com/park-pass-purchase

Rental cars:

The last secret you should be aware of when you plan your trip to Lake Louise is Turo. If you visit Lake Louise by car, make sure you organize your trip way ahead of time. By March, all of the car rental companies are booked out for the summer. But fear not, if you missed this window you can always find a rental car on Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform.

We list our cars also on Turo. Most of them have been to Lake Louise many times and know the way. We offer a 5% early bird discount for bookings 7 or more days in advance, a 5% discount for any bookings longer than 3 days, and a 10% discount for bookings longer than 7 days.

When booking one of our cars we will plant a tree in North America and issue you a Tree Gift Certificate (see here for more information)

2017 BMW X1 xDrive28i AWD (Midsize SUV, 5 seats)