Lake Louise

What has captured his interest? Louise has.

No, not a lady but a lake, a lake that has captured the imagination of tourists for generations…Lake Louise in Banff National Park, in the province of Alberta, in the country of Canada.

Aside: Winston Churchill was one of those tourists. When we visited his home in Kent, England (Chartwell is now a National trust property) we saw a huge painting of Lake Louise that Churchill did while at the lake.

Here is the iconic view we (and the hiker in the photo above) are enjoying.

The month is October so most of the summer crowd has gone home and the heavy winter snow has not yet arrived. Yes, this is shoulder season but it is easy to make a case that this might be the best time of year to visit. There is an invigorating crispness to the mountain air that beckons us to explore.

So let’s explore.

Most visitors content themselves with just reading the signs and admiring the view before moving on. But if you have the time, do take the walk along the north shore of the lake.

If you are hikers there is a trail that leads up providing (I am told) unique and  lovely views of the lake, hotel, and mountains. If I were younger and/or possessing  better physical fitness, that trail would likely interest me. Today I am content to use the level, easy to follow path along the shore of the lake.

The views are constantly changing as one rounds a corner getting a slightly different perspective of this popular Canadian tourist attraction… or experiencing different moods as the sunlight changes, perhaps blocked out by the mountains.

 

At some point along this walk, turn and look back at the hotel where you began your stroll.

Back at this stately, beautiful hotel one can wander the public areas admiring the architecture and learning a bit of history.

Enjoy an iconic painting and then go sit in the real window and enjoy the same view in real time.

How to get to Lake Louise

By car: From Banff take the Trans Canada highway (going west) and follow the signs

From Jasper take the Columbia Icefield road south to Lake Louise (you will need winter tires or chains if travelling between Oct and April, as this a mountain highway)

By train or bus: Bus service (from Calgary, Alberta) is good. Fly into Calgary, take a bus and once you are in Banff you can join a tour to Lake Louise.

Train service is not anything like European train travel. The Rocky Mountaineer stops in Banff as part of a longer package but in my opinion it is rather expensive.

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Happy travels!