Lakes Louise and Moraine, Alberta, Canada

It’s just a hop, skip and a jump to get from Banff to Lake Louise and with that in mind we took our time Tuesday morning getting everything ready so that we could leave just before the 11am checkout. That got us to Lake Louise hard sided campground long before the 2pm check-in, but they were gracious enough to let us in early. They have both a hard-sided and soft-sided section to the campground. The big difference is the soft-sided is surrounded by electric fencing to keep the bears out. You still need to keep a clean site (everything put away) as the smaller critters can get in but for the most part you don’t have to worry about the bears.

We had met a gentleman in Montana and he asked us about our itinerary. After hearing about our plans he said, “you are doing it right because you are leaving the best for last. Wait until you see Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. They are the crème de la crème”. WOW, he wasn’t kidding about Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. With the sunshine hitting these lakes, the words that come to mind are spectacular, breathtaking, striking … I think you get the picture. Both Louise & Moraine are among the most visited destinations in Canada. Getting there can be a little bit of a challenge. You need to make reservations for a shuttle and you can do so in mid April, this year it was the 16th, and that is for the whole year. They give out 40% of the tickets, the other 60% are given out 2 days prior starting at 8am mountain time and are snatched up very quickly. We had gotten a 3:00 ticket back in April and we tried again 2 days prior and luckily got 11am tickets! Hooray because we spent about 6 hours at the lakes. Now you can drive to Lake Louise, but the parking will cost you $36.75/day if you can get a spot (you most likely will not)  and you can not drive to Moraine, you have to take a shuttle.

Lake Louise is a Hamlet, with a population of about 700 people that was initially settled as an outpost for the Canadian Pacific Railway. There is a mall, more like a small plaza, with a visitor center, grocery store, souvenir shop, bakery, liquor store and restaurant. There are several hotels nearby and some restaurants tucked in around the town. But this destination is all about the natural beauty. We wanted to do a few hikes, especially along the continental divide but Parks Canada has them closed from May 15 to October 15 to protect wildlife habitats. It didn’t matter, we found plenty to see and do while we are here.

Castle Mountain on our way to Lake Louise.

This is the electrified gate connected to the electric fence. Mark is standing

by the pedestrian gate to the soft-sided section

of the campground.

To get the shuttle to Lake Louise everyone meets

at the ski lodge to park. There are so many rental

RV's, they park on the road.

Lake Louise

There were many people canoeing on the lake.

The Lake Louise boathouse.

To get the best view of the lake we hiked to the outlook.

It was rated easy...maybe for a 20-year-old. It was

all uphill but the view was worth it and it was all

downhill coming back.

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Looks like this canoe has been photo shopped into

the sky, but it's actually our view from the lookout 328

feet above lake level.

After our hike to the lookout, we took an easy

hike on the other side of the lake.

Walking through the forest, these lodge

pole pines are spectacular.

After Lake Louise we took the shuttle to Moraine Lake.

We hiked to the rockpile for a better view.

I needed a rest!

Mark admiring the beauty of the lake and

the mountain range, the Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Making our way back down from the rockpile trail.

Hoary Marmot greeted us at the lookout.

So many beautiful birds.