Explore Lake Louise: Top Winter Experiences in Banff National Park

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Lake Louise | Winter Activities

Lake Louise is a renowned attraction in Banff National Park, the largest national park in Canada, located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains. It is famous for its stunning lake, spectacular mountain views, and a variety of outdoor activities. The winter scenery of the Rockies near Lake Louise remains breathtaking, and there are plenty of activities to enjoy during the season. Besides skiing, you can try snowshoeing, ice skating, and admiring the ice sculptures at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise—unique experiences that can only be enjoyed in winter.

If you are driving from the south like us, you can enjoy the snowy winter scenery of the Rocky Mountains by driving through the Kootenay national park and Banff national park on the way. This is our previous stopPanorama Mountain ResortAfter skiing, you can drive here.

Lake Louise | Winter Hike Around the Lake

Lake Louise is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the lake itself is formed by glacial meltwater. The lakeside trail begins at the northeastern part of the lake and is free to access. Simply park your car at the Lake Louise Parking Lot. From the parking lot, it’s a short walk along the lakeside trail before you’ll pass the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. In front of the hotel, you’ll find the starting points of two trails—one leading to a tea house and the other being the lakeside trail. During the harsh winter, only the lakeside trail remains open. If you’d prefer not to walk, the hotel also offers horse-drawn carriage rides around the lake.

What better way to stretch our legs in winter than to head straight for the lakeside trail? Without hesitation, we decided to walk the trail. However, extra caution is needed during this season, as the surrounding mountains are covered in deep snow, and avalanches can occur. It’s essential to pay attention to the warning signs along the path and avoid venturing too far.

People usually praise Lake Louise for its emerald-green waters, but when we visited in winter, it was completely different from the summer images you often see online. The entire lake was frozen solid, with a thick layer of ice that you could walk on, skate on, or even play hockey on.

Thanks to the heavy snowfall, the frozen surface of the lake is covered with a thick layer of snow, providing the perfect opportunity for many visitors to walk onto the icy lake. Standing in the middle of Lake Louise and looking back at the surrounding snow-capped mountains offers a completely different and stunning perspective.

If you’re walking along the lakeside trail, it’s best to turn back once you reach the frozen waterfall unless you’re equipped with proper gear. At temperatures around -20°C, the waterfall has completely frozen over. Some more adventurous visitors have even climbed up the icy waterfall, adding a daring twist to their experience.

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise | Ice Sculpture Viewing | Ice Skating Experience

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise has been in operation since the late 19th century. Located on the only side of Lake Louise not backed by mountains, the hotel boasts stunning lake views, making its lake-view rooms highly sought after during peak seasons. For passing visitors, this hotel is also the only nearby spot to warm up in the freezing weather, so it’s constantly bustling with people. Stepping inside for a visit, you’ll immediately notice the meticulous attention to detail that defines this luxurious hotel.

In winter, the entrance of the hotel is adorned with beautiful ice sculptures, making it well worth spending some time to admire them.

On the frozen lake in front of the hotel, spaces have been cleared for an ice hockey rink and a skating area. Many visitors enjoy skating here. Since we had already braved the -20°C temperature for an hour-long walk, we decided to give the rare experience of skating on the frozen lake a try. Ice skates can be rented at the hotel for CAD 15 for two hours.

For those who really can’t handle the cold, you can still enjoy the winter lake views from inside the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. We originally planned to have brunch at the lakeside restaurant on the first floor, taking in the scenery while dining. However, due to the large number of visitors, the hotel restricted access to the restaurant to hotel guests only.

As a result, we ended up at the casual dining restaurant on the lower level. This restaurant had a great selection of beers with impressive quality. We were fairly lucky to get a seat with a view of the lake, though the angle wasn’t ideal. As for the food, we ordered the roasted ribs and French onion soup as appetizers, followed by grilled fish as the main course.

Fairmont Chateau Hotel Reservation Link

Lake Louise Ski Resort | Skiing | Snowshoe Experience

Lake Louise Ski Resort is located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and spans an impressive 4,200 acres, making it one of the largest ski resorts in North America. With slopes suited to all skill levels, it truly is a paradise for skiers and snowboarders. One of the perks of its vast size is that even during the busy Christmas holidays, it feels less crowded compared to the ski resorts we often visit in California.

Since we had already spent several days skiing at Panorama Mountain Resort, we decided to try something different and signed up for an afternoon snowshoeing tour. Snowshoeing is similar to hiking, but the key difference is that you need to wear snowshoes.

For this trip, we followed a cross-country skiing trail. One of the great things about snowshoeing is its simplicity—even if your skiing skills aren’t quite up to par, snowshoeing offers beginners the chance to explore snow-covered forest trails and admire the breathtaking winter scenery of the Rockies.

Lake Louise Ski Resort Snowshoe Tour (TripAdvisor))

First of all, we took the cable car to the top of the mountain, and then put on the snowshoes and set off. For those who have never been to a snowy mountain before, you may ask if you can walk straight up. Let's see how deep the snow is around the entrance of the trail. Generally speaking, you can't walk on a mountain covered with thick snow in winter, but the ice claws underneath the snowshoes help us to stand firmly on the snow, so that even fat people can go deep into the mountains. Compared to skiing, snowshoe hiking is a very affordable winter outdoor sport, and a pair of basic snowshoes is not expensive (Amazon Shopping Links).

Snowshoe hiking in winter is different from hiking in summer. This year, it snowed heavily in North America, and the mountain was mostly covered with snow. In fact, we were stepping on half of the height of the trees, and the trees we saw were actually much taller than what we saw, and we could only walk at this height in winter when the snow was accumulating. The instructor kept emphasizing that we should be careful not to walk too close to the trees, because the snow around the trees is relatively loose. Occasionally, some tourists would be too busy taking pictures of the beautiful mountain scenery and accidentally fall into the snow, which could be life-threatening if they do fall in too deep.

The day we visited, the temperature was a frigid -29°C, and walking through the snow was definitely quite physically demanding. Hiking in such cold weather is a real test of endurance, and if you’re not familiar with snowy terrain, it’s highly recommended to start with a guided tour.

In terms of gear, it’s similar to skiing: snow jackets and pants are essential for braving the cold, and trekking poles (used like ski poles) not only aid in walking but also help assess how loose or deep the snow is. Essentially, the main difference is swapping out skis for snowshoes. Since it’s just walking, you can skip the helmet and ski goggles, but a good pair of sunglasses is still necessary to protect your eyes from the intense snow glare.

This open area happens to be at the junction of some advanced ski runs, offering a clear view of the mountain where Lake Louise is located. Toward the end of the tour, our guide led us in a short snowshoe race down a nearby steep slope, adding a bit of excitement to the experience. It was a fun and thrilling way to wrap up the trip!

Lake Louise Hotel Review | Lake Louise Inn

If you’re planning to stay a few days in Lake Louise for skiing and are looking for more budget-friendly accommodations, consider Lake Louise Inn, where we stayed on this trip. It’s conveniently located not far from Lake Louise Ski Resort and offers easy access to both the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the ski slopes. The rates are affordable, the rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the facilities are well-equipped, making it a great choice for an extended stay.

Book a stay at Lake Louise Inn:

In addition to its comfortable accommodations, the Italian restaurant at Lake Louise Inn is another highlight that earns it extra points. The prices are very reasonable, and its convenient location near the ski resort makes it a popular choice—so much so that it often gets crowded during dinner hours. The restaurant serves alcoholic beverages, pasta, and pizza, with generous portions. I personally found the pizza to be the best, and for a restaurant in a tourist destination, it’s surprisingly high quality!

Lake Louise | Winter Activities

Lake Louise | Winter Hike Around the Lake

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise | Ice Sculpture Viewing | Ice Skating Experience

Lake Louise Ski Resort | Skiing | Snowshoe Experience

Lake Louise Hotel Review | Lake Louise Inn

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