Hiking at Lake Louise – Banff National Park
Lake Louise, the beautiful, spectacular, emerald coloured lake high in the Canadian Rocky Mountains! Magnificent! One of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations and the perfect place for a little Canoeing, Hiking, or Snowshoeing! Lake Louise was one of the first outposts in the Canadian Rockies opened by surveyors of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and has remained a popular stopping place through the ice-capped mountains ever since!
I recommend taking a half day to hike Lake Louise trails. The views are Instagram worthy from just a short ways up the nearby mountains and the main trails are well groomed and safe for all ages. Hidden close to Mirror Lake is a small tea house, perfect for taking a half hour to warm up by the fire, even in peak summer! If a chill lingers after your hike, take a short drive to the Upper Banff Hot Springs to warm up in the outdoor pools! Banff has so much to offer the adventurous traveler!
Lake Louise, Alberta
Lake Louise is a 2.4 km long creek that flows into the bow river. The lake is filled by the melting of Victoria Glacier located at the rear of the lake, in the background of most photos. Sadly. all the Rocky Mountain glaciers are slowly receding with estimates that 95% of the once permanent glaciers will be gone by 2100. The snows will continue to come and go. but the permanent ice is slowly shrinking. Two of the other nearby glaciers are Bow Glacier and Lefroy Glacier.
Lake Louise was never really “discovered” since the Nakoda, Stoney First Nations Bands has lived in the region for thousands of years, and still do. The first European to visit the Lake on official record is Thomas Wilson, a guide and surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Thomas was previously a North-West Mounted Police Officer, the predecessor organization to the Canadian Mounted Police or “Mounties”.
Thomas Wilson found Lake Louise sometime in 1882 on a surveying expedition and named it “Emerald Lake”. Two years later, the Lake was renamed “Lake Louise” after Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. A railway station was established where the town is today, creating Canada’s highest settled community.
Thomas, later discovered a second greenish blue lake and named it… “Emerald Lake”, how original, 39 kms West of Lake Louise. Fortunately for Thomas the name stuck this time around. Thomas later relocated to the Kootenays where he opened a ranch and had six children. He was an important historical figure for expeditions through the mountains.
Lake Louise Gallery
Canoe & Paddleboard Rentals
One of the most popular and instagramable activities at Lake Louise is renting a Canoe, Kayak or Paddleboard and touring around the beautiful turquoise lake. It’s relaxing, beautiful and truly a moment you’ll remember for life. But be warned that the rentals at the Fairmont Hotel, the giant chalet by the lake, are very expensive!
It’s $115/hour per Canoe rental on site at the lake! So here is a tip, Lake Louise is part of Banff National Park which is open to the public so you can bring your own gear or renting them in the town of Banff at the CanoeClub for $40/hour for a Canoe or $17/hour for a Pabbleboard. Daily Rates are also available so you can enjoy a full day at several of the nearby lakes: Two Jacks Lake, Johnson Lake or Vermilion Lakes.
Canoe Rentals typically come with Life Jackets, a Safety Whistle, Paddles, a Throw Bag and a Bailing Bucket. Wetsuits are also available for Paddleboarders. Even in peak summer, the mountain lakes can be very cold. Wear a jacket and pants if you plan on paddling around the lake for some time. Most rental shops require some ID of a person 18 years+ and the signing of a liability waiver.
For more info, I recommend Banff&Beyond and BanffLakeLouise.
Hiking Trails
Lake Louise is a super popular tourist destination, meaning bus loads of tourists for whom the 100 meter rules most definitely applies! Once you walk beyond the first 100 meters of trail past the lake, the number of tourists drops significantly and even the most beginner level hiking trails become yours alone to enjoy. It’s always disappointing to see so many tourist just walk up, take a photo and leave when the most beautiful scenery is just a short walk away.
Lake Louise has a vast network of trails that stretch out in all directions, most are simple day hikes on well groomed trails, but there are 10km+ difficult 9-10 hour high alpine trails for those that are into through-hikes or a real challenge.
A great app for hiking in Canada is “Alltrails (iOS)” and of course “Maps.me (iOS)”. Check out The Best Apps for Canada fora list of other travel useful apps.
For our group, we took an easy trail to Lake Agnes which is 3.4 km, 2.5-3 hours long with a leisurely elevation gain of 385m. We took a detour around what is called “The Beehive” and then another to “The Devil’s Thumb” which you can see in the photo below. Look closely and you’ll see two people standing on the very top of the thumb. It’s a very steep trail that I wouldn’t recommend for children, or in bad weather, or for individuals with a fear of heights. My roommate Anna decided to opt out of the Devil’s Thumb for that reason. That being said, the view is outstanding! Plus there are rainbows!
Banff National Park
Banff National Park in Alberta is Canada’s oldest, opened in 1885, and most popular National Park. In 2017, 4.18 million tourists passed through the gates of the stunning mountain 6,641 sq. km park.
The Rocky Mountain National Parks were made UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and are home to a large variety of animals, both majestic and ferocious. Keep an eye out for Grizzly Bears, Cougars, Wolverines, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Moose and Caribou. You can see them from the highway which are fenced off, but be alert at all times for wildlife.
The town of Banff is located inside the park and has a population of just over 7,000. Banff is a popular ski town and party destination for young Canadians, Americans and especially Australians. If you don’t start a conversation with “Good-ay Mate”, you aren’t in Banff yet.
Canmore is nearly twice as big with 16,000+ people and is another popular stop located in the south of the National Park on the way to Calgary, Alberta. Canmore and Golden are great places to look for “cheaper” Airbnbs because there are lots of cottages owned by people based out of Calgary. Simply put, people in Calgary work too much to enjoy them. I know, I’ve been one of them! So supply shouldn’t be a problem for finding accommodations, although I would book early in the winter.
Getting Around in Banff
Getting around in the Rockies if you don’t have access to a car can be difficult. It’s a large area and scarcely populated. For backpackers, there are three options: Hitchhiking, Ridesharing and the Bus.
Canadians and very friendly and understand how hard it can be to get around. So hitchhiking around Banff and Lake Louise is pretty common. There are always risks and it’s a decision each individual will have to make based on their own comfort.
The other option is joining a Facebook Group like Canada Backpacker’s Rideshare, finding a ride on Craigslists or another ridesharing platform. I’ve included a list in our Canada Travel Basics Guide.
The last option is taking city to city buses (Greyhound) and local transit. Here is the Official Government Page for transportation around Banff. From there you can download a very comprehensive transit guide to your phone.
Rocky Mountains Hot Springs
The Rocky Mountains boast some wonderful natural hot springs. Can you think of a better way to enjoy the stunning mountain views than from a hot outdoor pool? Then I’d go with one of the established Hot Springs sites (Government Site), with spas next door and all the usual facilities. Some of the most popular hot springs near Lake Louise are:
- Banff Upper Hot Springs
- Radium Hot Springs
- Miette Hot Springs (Closed in the Winter)
- Fairmont Hot Springs
The alternative is also pretty cool but isn’t for everyone. In the Rockies there are true natural hot springs, I’m talking pools of water surrounded by boulders just a stone’s toss from the river or lakes. No creature comforts, no facilities nearby, or may even require hiking a short distance.
- Lussier Hot Springs (Whiteswan Lake Provincial Park)
- Ainsworth Hot Springs Cave (Kootenay Lake)
These Hot Springs are a little further out from the town of Banff. But nature has it’s advantages, for instance Lussier Hot Springs are free and never closes! Midnight dip anyone?
Banff Samesun Hostel
- Location Score: 9/10
- Air-con Rooms: No, heaters Yes
- Private Rooms: No
- Bunks to a Room: 4, 8, 10, 14 Bed Mixed Dorm
- Female Only Room: 6 Bed Female Dorm
- Security Locker: Yes
- In-House Restaurant & Bar: Yes
- Free to Use Kitchen: No
- Breakfast Included: Yes
- Towel: Yes, also more available for rent
- Price: $31.80+ USD for a bunk,
More Info for Travel to Canada
For your pre-trip downtime, check out our List of Recommended Books, Movies and Podcasts all featuring Canada! Lastly, I recommend picking up a Prepaid SIM Card for your own hotspot device or mobile phone. You can order in advance on our Tallypack Store and have delivered to your hotel upon your arrival!
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