Canada (Alberta)
Lake Louise
The Banff park's other main centre, Lake Louise, is very different to Banff – less a town than two distinct artificial resorts. The first is a small mall of shops and hotels just off the Trans-Canada known as Lake Louise Village. The second is the lake itself, the self-proclaimed "gem of the Rockies" and – despite its crowds and monster hotel – a sight you have to see. A third area, Moraine Lake, 13km south of the village, has almost equally staggering scenery and several magnificent and easily accessed trails. Lake Louise is 4.5km from the village (and 200m higher) on the winding Lake Louise Drive – or, if you're walking, 2.7km on the uphill Louise Creek Trail, 4.5km via the Tramline Trail. You're better off saving the walking for around the lake, however, and taking a taxi (tel 522-2020; around $10) from the village (if anything, save the two linking trails for coming down from the lake). All three areas are desperately busy in summer as well as in winter, when people pile in for some of Canada's best powder skiing.

 
You may find staying near the lakes appealing but very pricey, though if you do want to splash out, the lodge at Moraine Lake makes a dream treat. Nonetheless, the mountains around offer almost unparalleled hiking country and the park's most popular day-use area. You'll have to weigh awesome scenery against the sheer numbers, for these are some of the most heavily used trails on the continent – 50,000-plus people in summer – though longer backpacking routes lead quickly away to the quieter spots. If you do intend to hike – and the trails are all a little more accessible and manageable than at Banff – then in an ideal world you'd have two or three days here: one to walk the loop around above Lake Louise (Lake Agnes–Big Beehive–Plain of the Six Glaciers–Lake Louise Shoreline) or the more demanding Saddleback (at a push you could do both in a day if you were fit and keen). Then you'd bike, taxi or drive to Moraine Lake (if you're not staying there), where in a day you could easily walk to Consolation Lake, return to Moraine Lake and then tackle the Moraine Lake–Larch Valley–Sentinel Pass or Moraine Lake–Larch Valley–Eiffel Lake trail. A third day could be spent in Paradise Valley between Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.

If, on the other hand, you merely want to take in the scenery and enjoy modest strolls in the course of a day, then cruise up to Lake Louise, walk up and down the shore, then drive the twenty minutes or so to Moraine Lake and do the same.

Hikes around Lake Louise
All the Lake Louise trails are busy in summer, but they're good for a short taste of the scenery. They're also well worn and well marked, so you don't need to be a seasoned hiker or skilled map-reader. The two most popular end at teahouses – mountain chalets selling welcome, but rather pricey, snacks. The signed Lake Agnes Trail (3.4km), said to be the most-walked path in the Rockies (but don't let that put you off), strikes off from the right (north) shore of the lake immediately past the hotel. It's a gradual, 400-metre climb, relieved by ever more magnificent views and a teahouse beautifully situated beside mountain-cradled Lake Agnes (2135m); allow one to two hours. Beyond the teahouse, if you want more of a walk things quieten down considerably. You can continue on the right side of the lake and curve left around its head to climb to an easily reached pass. Here a 200-metre stroll to the left brings you to Big Beehive (2255m), an incredible eyrie, 1km from the teahouse. Almost as rewarding is the trail, also 1km from the teahouse, to Little Beehive, a mite lower, but still privy to full-blown panoramas over the broad sweep of the Bow Valley.

Keener walkers can return to the pass from Big Beehive and turn left to follow the steep trail down to intersect another trail; turning right leads west through rugged and increasingly barren scenery to the second teahouse at the Plain of the Six Glaciers (2100m). Alternatively, the more monotonous Six Glaciers Trail (leaving out the whole Lake Agnes–Big Beehive section) leads from the hotel along the lakeshore to the same point (5.3km to the teahouse; 365m ascent). However, a better option is to follow the Lake Agnes and Big Beehive route to the Plain, then use the Six Glaciers Trail for the return to Chateau Lake Louise, which neatly ends the day's loop with a downhill stroll and an easy but glorious finale along the shore of Lake Louise .

The main appeal of the last local walk, the less-used Saddleback Trail (3.7km one-way), is that it provides access to the superlative viewpoint of Fairview Mountain. Allow from one to two hours to Saddleback itself (2330m; 595m ascent); the trail to the summit of Fairview (2745m) strikes off right from here. Even if you don't make the last push, the Saddleback views – across to the 1200-metre wall of Mount Temple (3544m) – are staggering. Despite the people, this is one of the park's top short walks.

The Skoki Valley region east of Lake Louise offers fewer day-hikes; to enjoy it you'll need a tent to overnight at any of the six campsites. The main access trail initially follows a gravel road forking off to the right of the Lake Louise Ski Area, off Hwy 1. Many people hike as far as Boulder Pass (2345m), an 8.6-kilometre trek and 640-metre ascent from the parking area, as a day-trip, and return the same way instead of pushing on to the Lodge, 8km beyond. Various well-signposted long and short trails from the Lodge or the campsites are documented in the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide.

Winter in Lake Louise
In a region already renowned for its skiing Lake Louise stands out, regarded by many as among the finest winter resorts in North America. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, there are hundreds of kilometres of cross-country trails, numerous other winter activities, and landscape that's earned the area the title of "North America's Most Scenic Ski Area" from Snow Country magazine. It's also Canada's largest ski area, with over forty square kilometres of trails, plenty of mogul fields, lots of challenging chutes, vast open bowls and some of the best "powder" on the continent.

Skiing started here in the 1920s. The first chalet was built in 1930, the first lift in 1954. The resort's real birth can be dated to 1958, when a rich Englishman, Norman Watson – universally known as the "Barmy Baronet" – ploughed a large part of his inheritance into building a gondola on Mount Whitehorn. Further lifts and other developments followed. More would have materialized had it not been for environmental lobbying. Further protests forestalled a bid for the 1968 Winter Olympics and put an end to a plan for a 6500-bed megaresort in 1972. Even so, the resort has grown, and now regularly hosts World Cup skiing events. The only drawback is the phenomenally low temperatures during January and February.

The ski area divides into five distinct zones (Front Side, South Face, Larch Area and Ptarmigan-Paradise and Back Bowls), served by three express quad chairs, one quad chair, two triple chairs, three double chairs, a T-bar, a platter lift and a children's rope tow. The huge terrain – some of the bowls are the size of entire European resorts – divides as follows: Novice (25 percent), Intermediate (45 percent) and Expert (30 percent). Most of the bowls are above the tree line, but you can also ski on Larch and Ptarmigan, whose varied terrain allows you to follow the sun or duck into the trees when the wind's up. Average seasonal snowfall (early Nov to mid-May) is 360cm, and snow-making is available over much of the area. The top elevation is 2637m, giving a 1000m drop to the base elevation at 1645m. Lift tickets are around $54 a day, but bear in mind that you can invest in the Ski Banff/Lake Louise Tri-Area Pass, which you can buy for a minimum of three days ($157) skiing in Lake Louise, Mount Norquay and Sunshine Village. Facilities in the ski area include three day-lodges, each of which has a restaurant and bar, a ski school, ski shop, rental shop, day-care, nursery and lockers. Free shuttles run from Lake Louise, while transfers from Banff cost around $15 return: however, these transfers are included free if you buy the Tri-Area Pass. Free tours of the mountain are also available three times daily. For further information, contact Skiing Louise, Suite 505, 1550-8th St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1K1, or Box 5, Lake Louise, AB T0L 1E0 (tel 522-3555, fax 522-2095, www.skilouise.com). Reservations can be made by calling tel 2-LOUISE (tel 256-8473), or toll-free in North America 1-800/258-7669.

Cross-country skiing in Lake Louise is also phenomenal, with plenty of options around the lake itself, on Moraine Lake Road and in the Skoki Valley area north of the village. For heli-skiing, contact RK Heli-Ski (tel 342-3889) who have a desk in the Chateau Lake Louise hotel (winter daily 4–9pm); one of their shuttle buses leaves from the hotel daily for the two-hour drive to the Purcell Mountains in BC (the region's nearest heli-skiing). The hotel is also the place to hire skates (at Monod Sports) for ice skating on the lake, probably one of the most sublime spots imaginable to indulge in the activity (the lake is floodlit after dark to allow night skating). If you want a sleigh ride on the lake shore, contact Brewster Lake Louise Sleigh Rides (tel 522-3511 or 762-5454). Rides are reasonably priced and last an hour, but reservations are essential: sleighs depart hourly from 11am on weekends, 3pm on weekdays.

Lake Louise Village

LAKE LOUISE VILLAGE doesn't amount to much, but it's an essential supply stop, with more or less everything you need in terms of food and shelter (at a price). Most of it centres round a single mall, Samson Mall, and car park, with a smart youth hostel and a few outlying motels dotted along the service road to the north. There's almost nothing to do in the village, and unless you have a vehicle to take you to the lakes (or rent a bike) you're likely to be bored. The impressive Lake Louise Information Centre, a few steps from the car park, offers not only information but also high-tech natural-history exhibits (daily: mid-June to early Sept 8am–8pm; early Sept to late Sept & early to mid-June 8am–6pm; Oct–May 9am–4pm; tel 522-3833). Almost as useful is the excellent Woodruff and Blum bookshop (tel 522-3842) in the mall, which has a full range of maps, guides and background reading. A couple of doors down, Wilson Mountain Sports (tel 522-3636) is good for bike rental (from $8–12 per hour, $29–45 a day), rollerblade rentals (from $5–8 per hour), fishing tackle for sale or rent (fly rod $11, spin rod $7 and waders $10) and equipment rental (stoves $7, pack $9 and tent $19). They'll also fill you in on the possiblity of canoe rentals for trips downstream on the Bow River to Banff.

A short way from the village, the Lake Louise Gondola (the "Friendly Giant") runs thirteen minutes to 2042m, partway up Mount Whitehorn (2669m). To reach it, pick up the free shuttle which operates from some village hotels or return to and cross over the Trans-Canada, and follow the road towards the ski area; the gondola is signed left after about 1km (daily: June 8.30am–6pm; July–Aug 8am–6pm; Sept 8.30am–6pm; $13.95; tel 522-3555). Depending on your susceptibility to either vertigo or claustrophobia you can choose between enclosed gondola cars, open chairs, or chairs with bubble domes. At the top (2034m) are the usual sensational views – rated some of the best in the Rockies – a self-service restaurant, sun decks, picnic areas, souvenir shops and several trailheads through the woods and meadows. One track takes you to the summit of Mount Whitehorn, a stiff 600m above the gondola station.

Activities
As for activities, most operators – especially rafting companies – are based in Banff or elsewhere , though many offer pick-ups in Lake Louise, typically with a $10 add-on to their listed Banff prices; a handful operate trips directly out of Lake Louise itself. Companies actually based in or near the village include Wild Water Adventures (tel 678-5058, 522-2211 or 1-888/771-9453) who run half- or full-day white-water rafting trips on the Kicking Horse River in nearby Yoho National Park (half-day trips at 8.30am and 1.30pm, from $69). If you don't want to hike alone, or wish to know more about what you're walking past, the national park and Friends of Banff run guided walks three or four times a week in July and August: the Lake Louise Lakeshore Stroll (Mon & Fri 10am; 2hr) and the Plain of the Six Glaciers (Tues, Thurs & Sun 9am; 6hr; $12). Drop by the visitor centre's Friends of Banff store to confirm latest timings and to reserve a place (do so in good time – the walks are popular) or call 522-3833. Cyclists can rent bikes from Wilson Mountain Sports in the mall , or sign up for cycling tours (from $55 for half a day, $85 full day) and transfers that'll take you up to Bow Summit on the Icefields Parkway so you can pedal downhill or freewheel all the way back to Lake Louise. Serious canoeists can rent canoes from Wilson for trips on the Bow River, while more sedate paddlers can rent canoes and kayaks (daily in summer 10am–7pm; $30 per hour) at Chateau Lake Louise to dabble on Lake Louise itself (tel 522-3511).

Good trout fishing is possible on the Bow River between Lake Louise and Banff, with support and advice available at the Castle Mountain Chalets on the Bow Valley Parkway . Rental equipment is again on offer at Wilson Mountain Sports. Compulsory fishing permits ($6 weekly) are available from the visitor centre. If you fancy horse riding, contact Brewster Lake Louise Stables at the Chateau Lake Louise hotel (tel 522-3511 ext 1210, or 762-5454) and enquire about their ninety-minute trips along the shores of Lake Louise ($45), half-day tours ($60) to the Lake Agnes or Plain of the Six Glaciers or full-day treks to Paradise Valley and Horseshoe Glacier ($120 including lunch). Timberline Tours (tel 522-3743) run similar if slightly cheaper treks from the Lake Louise Corral behind the Deer Lodge hotel; all-day trips to the Skoki Valley east of Lake Louise; one- and three-hour trips at Bow Lake on the Icefields Parkway from the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge.

Transport and facilities

Four Greyhound buses a day ($8) link Banff and Lake Louise (50min) and stop in the Samson Mall car park at the little office known as The Depot (tel 522-2080); three continue to Vancouver and the west. Four buses a day return from Lake Louise to Banff and Calgary. Laidlaw (tel 762-9102 or 1-800/661-4946) run one bus daily ($8) and Brewster Transportation (tel 762-6700) three buses a day from Banff ($11), and also continue to the Chateau Lake Louise (a good way to get up here if you're without transport – you can walk back down to the village). Note that there are also direct Brewster and other connections to and from Lake Louise and Calgary airport . Brewster also run one daily service to Jasper from Lake Louise village and lake ($44; departs Samson Mall at 4.15pm) as well as bus tours on the Icefields Parkway (8hr one-way; $82, $112 return excluding accommodation in Jasper). If you need a taxi to ferry you to the lakes, call Lake Louise Taxi & Tours (tel 522-2020). The only car-rental agency is National at The Depot (tel 522-3870), but you're better off renting in Banff or elsewhere as their cars go quickly.

The Samson Mall takes care of most practical considerations including a post office (daily 6.30am–7pm; tel 522-3870). Behind The Depot, which doubles up as a bag storage and booking office for coach tours and river-rafting trips, are a laundrette (tel 522-2143) and (downstairs) public washrooms with showers. The general store is good and has a money exchange. There's also a currency exchange at the Chateau Lake Louise hotel . For the police, call 522-3811. The nearest hospital is in Banff.

Excellent basic food – snacks and coffee – can be had at the always busy Laggan's Mountain Bakery (daily 6am–7pm) on the corner of the mall opposite the general store. For something more substantial than snacks, wander to the relaxed and reasonably priced Bill Peyto's Café for full and varied meals (daily 7am–9pm; tel 522-2200), within the youth hostel but open to all; in summer the nice outdoor eating area makes a good place to meet people. The unique Lake Louise Station Restaurant (tel 522-2600) is housed in the restored 1909 station building – choose between hearty Canadian fare in the informal station building (garden dining in summer) and the more formal and expensive restored railway-dining carriages. Some of the best (and pricier) meals can be found in the Post Hotel (daily 7am–2pm & 5–9.30pm; tel 522-3989) – reservations are essential for dinner. The best local's hangout is the hotel's Outpost Pub (tel 522-3989), a snug bar that serves light meals from late afternoon. Other good drinking spots include the Lake Louise Bar and Grill (tel 522-3879) upstairs in the mall, and the lively Explorers Lounge (tel 522-3791) in the Lake Louise Inn, 210 Village Rd.

Accommodation

Hotel accommodation in or near Lake Louise Village is pricey all year round – reckon on an average of $160 in most places – and almost certain to be full in summer. Bookings are virtually essential everywhere (make them direct or through Banff's reservation services; at the excellent youth hostel, reservations six months in advance are not unusual. The various options on the Bow Valley Parkway, covered in the preceding section, are all within easy driving or cycling distance.

The lovely 220-site park-run Lake Louise Campground, close to the village – follow the signs off Fairview Road up to the lake – gets busy in summer. It's open between mid-May and early October, is partially serviced (it has showers), and sites cost $17; no fires. Sites are close together, though the trees offer some privacy, and with the railway close by, it can be noisy. The nearby Lake Louise Trailer site is for RVs (year-round; $21).

Canadian Alpine Centre and International Youth Hostel, on Village Rd just north of the mall across the river (tel 522-2200, llouise@hostellingintl.ca). A modern 150-bed year-round hostel run jointly with the Canadian Alpine Club. Reservations are virtually essential (up to six months in advance) in summer and winter ski weekends. Check in time is 3pm. Up to $40.

Castle Mountain Youth Hostel, 1.5km east of Castle Junction on Hwy 93 S (tel 762-4122, banff@hostellingintl.ca). Well-situated for the Bow Valley Parkway and its trails. Sleeps just 36, with bookings possible through the Banff hostel. Dorm beds $13 for members, $17 for nonmembers. Up to $40.

Château Lake Louise (tel 522-3511 or 1-800/441-1414, fax 522-3834) has a monopoly on lakeside accommodation: doubles among its 511 rooms and suites cost up to $579, though in low season (Oct–Dec) some are available for around $100, making it one of the least expensive off-season places in the area. If it's beyond your budget, look inside anyway to check out its bizarre appeal. Booking essential. $240 and up.

Deer Lodge, on Lake Louise Drive (tel 522-3747 or 1-800/661-1595, fax 522-3883). Cheaper of two near-lake alternatives to Château Lake Louise, with a good restaurant and within walking distance of the lake. $125–175.

Lake Louise Inn, 210 Village Rd, just north of the village mall to the right (tel 522-3791 or 1-800/661-9237, fax 522-2018, www.lakelouiseinn.com). The least expensive of the village hotels with a variety of rooms, some with self-catering facilities. $125–175.

Paradise Lodge and Bungalows, on the Lake Louise Drive a short walk from Lake Louise (tel 522-3595, fax 522-3987, www.ParadiseLodge.com). Pricier of the near-lake options, but with reasonable off-season rates for its 21 self-contained bungalows and 24 one- and two-bedroom suites (some with kitchens). Mid-May to mid-Oct. $125–175.

Post Hotel, Village Rd (tel 522-3989 or 1-800/661-1586, fax 522-3966). The top hotel in the village, with a noted restaurant and bar but expect to pay $300 plus for a room here in summer. $240 and up.

Maps