The sight of Lake Louise, spreading in a deep aquamarine pool at the foot of silvery snow-capped peaks, is worth traveling around the world to see. Which is exactly what many people do: If you come here in summer, you’ll be among an international gaggle of tourists for whom Lake Louise really is the Canadian Rockies. A small village with the same name sits along Trans-Canada Hwy-1, but the 1.5-mile-long (2.4-km) and very cold lake itself is about two miles (three km) west, at the end of Lake Louise Drive. Besides the summer sightseeing, the Lake Louise area offers world-class downhill skiing and snowboarding: Three mountains (over 3,000 vertical feet, 900 vertical meters) are yours for the price of a Lake Louise lift ticket ($C58; 403/522-3555). One of the lifts operates throughout the summer as well, offering a grand Canadian Rockies panorama.
Like the town of Banff to the south, Lake Louise was developed over a century ago as a tourist resort by the Canadian Pacific Railway. As in Banff, the landmark here is a magnificent hotel, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (403/522-3511), which stands 10 stories high above the lakeshore. Taking on a Swiss Alps theme—staff wear lederhosen, while yodelers and harmonica players perform in the hotel lobbies and bars, and all day long a funny old man stands along the shore blowing a 15-foot alpine horn which echoes back and forth in the canyons across the lake—the 520-room Chateau Lake Louise has every service and comfort you could want, at rates ranging in the neighborhood of $C420–1,200 per night.
Of course, there’s no charge to explore the hotel or walk along the lake and enjoy the views. You can rent canoes and paddle out onto the lake, and from the hotel a popular trail climbs over 1,000 feet (305 meters) in about two miles (three km) to Bridal Veil Falls, continuing a short way farther to Lake Agnes, where a rustic teahouse serves sandwiches (and teas!).
Immediately below the lake, the family-owned, summer-only Paradise Lodge and Bungalows (403/522-3595) is smaller and friendlier, with cozy log cabins and modern lodge rooms (many with fireplaces) running $C195–300 per night.
Back down in Lake Louise Village, at the northwest end of Village Road, the HI Lake Louise Alpine Centre (403/670-7580) is a very large, modern log-built lodge, with $C34–38 dorm beds and the very nice Bill Peyto’s Cafe, the area’s least expensive place to eat, open daily 7 am–9 pm. There are gas stations, gift shops, a grocery store, cafés, and the popular Laggan’s Mountain Bakery (great pastries and coffee), in the hard-to-miss Samson Mall. There’s also a large campground along the Bow River a half mile (.8 km) south of town; one section has electricity hookups. The whole place tends to fill up most days despite having over 400 campsites total.
Smaller, less-visited, but every bit as spectacular as Lake Louise, Moraine Lake sits at the end of a summer-only road, six miles (10 km) south of the midpoint of Lake Louise Drive. Despite the name, Moraine Lake is not in fact formed by a glacial moraine, but by a rockfall; nevertheless it’s a gorgeous spot, the placid lake reflecting the jagged surrounding peaks. From the lakeside, a two-mile (three-km) trail climbs up to Larch Valley, where you can see fall color extraordinaire courtesy of the namesake trees, which are prolific here.
