Canada

Paradise Lodge’s location (on the road between the townsite and the lake itself) is very convenient and makes it really easy to get an early start and get parking at the lake if you’re so inclined. Everything we read indicated that parking at Lake Louise is full by sunrise, but we arrived at about 6:45am (a few minutes past sunrise for this time of year) and there were still plenty of open parking spots available.

The views of Lake Louise that first morning just after sunrise were a highlight for us, and despite some crowds, we didn’t have any trouble getting clear photographs, or having someone take some pics of us without anyone else in the shot!

After researching trail options from Lake Louise, we decided on a big loop - starting with the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail from Lake Louise, the Big Beehive, the Lake Agnes Tea House, and then back to Lake Louise. Here is the link for the description on AllTrails: “Plain of Six Glaciers - Big Beehive - Lake Agnes Tea House”.

We’d definitely recommend this loop since the views were stunning. We thought it was well worth the extra mileage to go past the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House and get to the glacier viewpoint! Also, be ready for some tough switch-backs on the way up to the Big Beehive (from whichever direction you decide to approach it from). If you start really early in the morning, you may get to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House before it opens (9am, I believe). That said, it will certainly be less crowded than the Lake Agnes Tea House which was mobbed, so if you need to stop for food, that might be the better option. We were overall unimpressed with the menu at any of the tea houses - (the Plain of Six Glaciers tea house basically had Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, some pastries, and coffee + tea), so we didn’t stop for any bites.

Moraine Lake is another highlight in the Lake Louise area, but due to prior years of overcrowding on the road, access to the lake is now solely permitted via an approved transportation shuttle (or if you have a reservation at the Moraine Lake Lodge).

Some of these transportation shuttles include: Ten Peaks, Mountain Park, Fairview, and Moraine Lake Bus Co - but these options will cost between $35 and $75 per adult (depending on the service and whether you’re trying to catch sunrise which is more expensive).

If you’re planning ahead and have a vehicle available, we would recommend trying to reserve a seat with the Parks Canada Shuttle which picks up and drops off at the Lake Louise Ski Area (aka Park and Ride). This shuttle costs $8 per adult, and runs about every 20 minutes or so throughout the day. Reservations opened up for booking tickets on April 18th in 2024 (not sure if it’s the same date every year), and additional seats are available on a rolling basis starting at 8am MDT 2 days prior to the departure date.

I was able to set a calendar reminder for April 18th and book tickets for us after waiting in a short queue (much like booking many concert tickets these days).

A few days before our trip, we received an email confirmation of our tickets with instructions and a barcode. And the morning we arrived, parking was easy and the queuing process was very clearly marked for the Parks Canada shuttles (as well as other private shuttles mentioned above) in the Lake Louise ski area parking lot.

As with our time at Lake Louise, we hung out at Moraine Lake for a while, enjoying the majestic views before heading out on our hike up Sentinel Pass. Another beautiful hike with incredible views!

While we opted to stay 3 nights in the Lake Louise area, many visitors seemed to use Banff as their “base”, and opted to drive (or book a tour that would drive them) the 40 minutes to Lake Louise. We liked staying there since it allowed us to more easily have early-morning starts, but if you find yourself in Banff, Lake Louise is 100% worth a visit!