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Lake Louise | Winter Activities
Lake Louise is Canada's largest national park.Banff National ParkLake Louise is located in Alberta's Wright Mountains, famous for its beautiful lakes, spectacular mountain ranges and a variety of outdoor activities. the winter scenery of the Rocky Mountains near Lake Louise is still quite spectacular, and there are many activities to do in Lake Louise in the winter, in addition to skiing, but also snowshoeing, ice skating, see the ice sculptures of the Fairmont Chateau In addition to skiing, you can also snowshoeing, ice skating, and see the ice sculptures at the Fairmont Castle, all of which are only available 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 entire lake was formed by melting snow from the glacier. The Lake Louise Trail begins at the northeast end of the lake and is free to enter, just park at the Lake Louise Parking Lot. Shortly after walking along the Lake Louise Parking Lot, you will pass the Fairmont Chateau Hotel. In front of the Fairmont Chateau Hotel is the starting point of two trails, one leading to the tea house, and the other one is the Lake Louise Trail. In the middle of winter, only the lakeside trail is open, but if you don't want to walk, the hotel also offers a horse-drawn carriage ride around the lake.
What better opportunity to get your muscles moving in the winter? We walked to the trailhead with our legs. You have to be careful when you walk around the lake because the snow on the side of the mountain is very deep and avalanches can happen from time to time, so it's best to pay attention to the warning signs on the road and don't walk too far away from the lake. Usually when people talk about Lake Louise, they praise its emerald green lake surface, but when we came here, it was winter, and the Lake Louise at this time is very different from the summer pictures we are used to seeing on the internet. The entire surface of the lake was covered with thick ice, and you could walk, skate and play field hockey on it.
Because the snowfall was heavy enough and the snow on the frozen lake was deep enough, many tourists took the opportunity to walk on the frozen lake. The view of snow-capped mountains from the center of Lake Louise is a different one.
After walking around the lake and reaching the waterfall, if you don't have better equipment, it's time to turn back. It was -20 degrees Celsius, and the waterfall next to the trail was frozen, and some bold tourists had already climbed up to the frozen waterfall.
Fairmont Chateau Hotel | Admire the Ice Sculptures | Ice Skating Experience
The Fairmont Chateau has been in business since the late 1800's, and because it is located next to Lake Louise, the only lake that is not on a mountain, the lake view is breathtaking, and rooms with a lake view are hard to come by during the peak season. Even for passing tourists, this hotel is the only place nearby to keep warm in this freezing weather, so there are many people coming and going. When you enter the hotel, you can see how sophisticated this luxury hotel is.
In winter, there is a beautiful ice sculpture in front of the hotel, which is worth spending some time.
On the frozen lake in front of the hotel, space for an ice hockey rink and an ice skating rink has been organized. Many tourists were skating here. Since we braved the -20 degree Celsius temperature for an hour, we also came to try out the rare ice skating trip on the lake. Ice skates can be rented at the hotel for 15 dollars for two hours.
For those who are afraid of the cold, you can also enjoy the lake view in winter in the castle hotel. We originally wanted to have brunch in the lake view restaurant on the first floor, but due to too many tourists, the hotel restricts only the residents can enter the dining room. We had to have a light lunch in the restaurant on the ground floor, which had a good selection of beer and good quality. We were lucky to have a seat with a view of the lake, but the angle was a bit bad. For our meal, we ordered a grilled ribeye steak and French onion soup for appetizer, and grilled fish for main course.
Fairmont Chateau Hotel Reservation Link
Lake Louise Ski Resort | Skiing | Snowshoe Experience
Lake Louise Ski Resort is located in the center of the Rocky Mountains. With 4,200 acres of snow, it is the largest in North America, and it is a ski paradise for skiers accustomed to all levels of trails. However, the advantage of the large area is that even during the popular Christmas vacation, it is still a little less crowded compared to the California snow parks that we often go to.
We are here because of our previous experience inPanorama Mountain ResortHaving skied for a few days, I decided to try something different and signed up for a Snowshoe tour that afternoon, which is actually very similar to mountaineering, but the biggest difference is that you have to wear snowshoes. The biggest difference is that you have to wear snowshoes. Our trip was on cross-country skiing trails, and another advantage of Snowshoe is that it's easy to do, even if you're not a good enough skier. Snowshoe provides a chance for beginners to go into the forested trails covered with deep snow and enjoy the view of the Los Angeles mountains on a winter's day.
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, with a basic pair of snowshoes costing only about $50 USD (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.
On the day we came, the temperature was minus 29 degrees Celsius, and it was quite hard to walk in the snow. Hiking in cold weather is a physical challenge. If you are not familiar with the snowy terrain, it is better to hire an instructor to take you there at the beginning. The equipment is similar to skiing, snowsuit and snow pants are indispensable to combat cold weather, snow poles are basically used as hiking poles to help us understand how loose and deep the snow is, which is basically just replacing skis with snowshoes. Since we are walking, helmet and goggles can be exempted, but good sunglasses are still needed to avoid snow reflection.
The clearing is right at the junction of the difficult trails. We could see Lake Louise in the distance. At the end of the tour, our instructor took us on a snowshoe race on the steep slope next to this one, which was also a little exciting experience.
Lake Louise Accommodations | Lake Louise Inn
If you are planning to stay in Lake Louise for a few more days of skiing and are looking for a more affordable lodging option, you can consider our stay at the Lake Louise Inn, which is not far from Lake Louise Ski Resort. Whether it's to go to the Chateau Hotel or to go skiing, it's a fairly convenient distance, with an affordable price, and the guest rooms are spacious and comfortable, with a wide array of amenities.
Lake Louise Inn Booking Comparison
In addition to the comfortable accommodation, Lake Louise Inn's Italian restaurant also adds a lot of points to it. The price is quite affordable, and because the location is conveniently close to the ski slopes, there is usually a long queue at dinner time. The restaurant sells alcoholic beverages, pasta and pizza, and the portion is very large, among which the pizza is the best, which is a rare high score for a restaurant with a scenic view.
Further reading
- Canada Ski Vacation】Panorama Mountain Resort | Winter Skiing & Lodging Tips
- Canada Ski Vacation】Lake Louise Lake Louise Winter Tourism Experience | Must-see Attractions in Banff National Park
- More CanadaRelated Posts
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