With almost 150 trails and extensive off-piste, Lake Louise is the biggest ski area of Banff’s “Big 3” resorts (Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Mt Norquay). Forty five minutes from Banff by the free shuttle and 2.5 hours from Calgary airport, Lake Louise offers an unusually quiet and peaceful setting in one of the world’s most spectacular ski areas, with unspoilt views of magnificent peaks, glaciers and the iconic lake.
From the Top of the World Express chair, the view along the Bow Valley is one of almost unsurpassed grandeur, with an unbroken chain of towering peaks with powerful names including Eiffel, Pinnacle and Babel, interspersed with hanging blue glaciers, and green valley floors. Lake Louise’s home ski area is the largest of the Canadian Rockies with some wonderful tree lined pistes as well as acres of open bowls. The Tri-area lift pass also covers extensive skiing in nearby Sunshine Village and Norquay.
Just a handful of hotels and shops make up Lake Louise village (or hamlet), making it ideal for a peaceful getaway with limited queuing and more space for yourself on the slopes, even at peak times.Lake Louise is world famous for its fabulous scenery, turquoise lakes, the Victoria Glacier, soaring mountain peaks, incredible hiking and skiing and the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotel.
Lake Louise village has roughly a dozen restaurants, from casual to fine dining and a handful of these are first-class. The real allure of Lake Louise is that it’s in the heart of amazing scenery and surrounded by extraordinary hiking trails, including Larch Valley. Unique to the area are two Tea Houses that can only be accessed by foot (hiking): the popular Lake Agnes Tea House and the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. In both, the summer and the winter, you can feel closer to nature here than in Banff town centre.
Non-skiers have the option to skate, snowshoe, cross-country ski, sightsee, ride a horse-drawn sleigh, go dogsledding, and take in special events such as the Ice Magic Festival (ice carving competition) held every January at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
