Ok! Lake Louise, what can I say other than Holy Shit! It’s amazeballs! Sorry for the swearing but there really aren’t words capable of describing it! We arrived at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise well after dark because we took so long to drive down from Jasper which you can read about here so we didn’t really get to see the area that much. As soon as we arrived the concierge somehow knew who we were and gave us all the instructions we needed, and had someone bring the bags up to our room after a tour of the hotel. The bed was turned down with a chocolate on the pillow and a weather forecast for the next day. On first impressions of this place, I was blown away by the amazing service. I had never experienced luxury like this before in my life and I was loving it! Even the room service was amazing. You know how you order room service and the food is usually pretty average, well this was like fine dining in your room.

LakeLouiseFeat

It has been on my bucket list forever to stay at this place. We could only afford to book the smallest room but I made sure it had views of the lake but somehow we got upgraded to a larger room for free which was awesome! The rooms are decorated in old world luxury style which can look a bit old and stuffy but I found it comforting and warm. Next morning we were up before sunrise to head down and photograph Lake Louise which is the photo above. It is just the prettiest thing ever sitting there watching the sun rise behind the snowcapped mountains. So serene and tranquil (if you can ignore the herd of other people that turned up to take a photo too!)

The view from our room!
The view from our room!

I honestly could have sat at this window forever and just watched this lake as the weather changed around it constantly. It was time to stop staring out the window and get out and explore this amazingly beautiful part of the world so we went down to the little town of Lake Louise to see if we could hire some bikes because we really wanted to see Morraine Lake. They had closed it about a week before we arrived due to bear activity in the area. Unfortunately all the bikes had been sold for the season so we were out of luck. I didn’t fancy the 22km round trip on foot if there were bears around. Apparently bears can run up to 60km and hour which is a lot faster than me! So we went to Peyto Lake instead.

Peyto Lake

Peyton Lake. Yes! It actually is that colour!
Peyto Lake. Yes! It actually is that colour!
I could have sat there for hours!
I could have sat there for hours!

After spending time at the most amazing lake I have ever been to we headed back to the Fairmont Chateau to soak up the luxury and atmosphere. We had lunch at the restaurant that has views of the lake. The food was delicious.

View from the restaurant
View from the restaurant

We relaxed for the afternoon before venturing out for sunset again to photograph Lake Louise. It was a very moody scene by this stage as a storm rolled in.

A moody Lake Louise
A moody Lake Louise, Canada

Next morning the picture had changed again. This time the fog had rolled in for sunrise.

A foggy Lake Louise, Canada
A foggy Lake Louise, Canada

Then we were off exploring again. We didn’t get a chance to stay at Banff for this trip but I really wanted to see it so we headed down that way for the day. First stop was Johnston Canyon which is a 2.7km walk up to the Upper Falls. It is a beautiful walk following the Johnston River passed quite a few different waterfalls.

Johnston Canyon

Johnston Creek
Johnston Creek
Lower Falls, Johnston Canyon
Lower Falls, Johnston Canyon

The walk was an easy one to do with really well laid out paved tracks or bridges on cliff walls. There were plenty of waterfalls to see along the way. Not just the Upper and Lower Falls like the sign mentions.

Stella Falls, Johnston Canyon
Stella Falls, Johnston Canyon
Another beautiful waterfall in Johnston Canyon
Another beautiful waterfall in Johnston Canyon

We then made it to a fork in the road and chose to go down to the base of Upper Falls. The other path took you to a view above the falls. I will have to do that one next time.

Upper Johnston Falls
Upper Johnston Falls

After our lovely hike through Johnston Canyon it was off to check out the town of Banff which is an adorable little alpine ski town.

Banff

The cute little town of Banff
The cute little town of Banff
Banff, Canada
Banff, Canada

After exploring this gorgeous little town and having a Starbucks hit we were off to have a look at the lakes around the place. Vermillion Lake was particularly nice with the snowcapped mountains behind it.

Vermillion Lake, Banff
Vermillion Lake, Banff
Sunset at Vermillion Lake, Banff
Sunset at Vermillion Lake, Banff

After sunset we headed back to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for dinner and bed. We were up early again the next morning for sunrise at Bow Lake which was completely covered in fog when we arrived and it was still really thick by the time we left which was well after sunrise.

Bow Lake

A foggy bow lake, Canada
A foggy bow lake, Canada
Bow Lake, Canada
Bow Lake, Canada
It was like a white Christmas!
It was like a white Christmas!

After sunrise we did the hike up to Agnes Teahouse which is situated near Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, at an altitude of 2,135 m. The tea house is located in a lovely hanging valley on the shores of Lake Agnes. After a forested 3.5 km hike, the valley opens to reveal spectacular Lake Agnes. Together with Mirror Lake and Lake Louise, these lakes are often referred to as the ‘Lakes in the Clouds’.

Agnes Teahouse/Lake

Looking back at the Fairmont Chateau, Lake Louise
Looking back at the Fairmont Chateau, Lake Louise
Looking down on Lake Louise from the hike to Agnes Teahouse
Looking down on Lake Louise from the hike to Agnes Teahouse
Lake Agnes, Canada
Lake Agnes, Canada

It started snowing on the walk up to Agnes Lake which made me so happy because it was the last day at Lake Louise and we were flying out of Canada that afternoon. I really wanted it to snow while we were in Canada and it finally did if only for 5 minutes but it was magical and a perfect way to end the amazing time that we had in Canada. The teahouse was closed for the season but the Lake was lovely to see. Once we got back to the hotel we had one last meal in the restaurant and sadly said goodbye to Lake Louise. It was time to drive to Calgary to catch our flight back to LA.

We got in at midnight to LA so we spent the night there so that we could have one more day of fun in LA before the long plane ride home to Australia.

Did some star spotting on Mulholland drive
Did some star spotting on Mulholland drive
Went to check out Beverley Hills
Went to check out Beverley Hills
Did some shopping on Rodeo Drive
Did some shopping on Rodeo Drive
My next car!
My next car!

Then it was time to fly out! And that brings us to the end of my 3 week road tripping adventure around USA and Canada. It was an absolute blast. Best holiday Ive had so far and I can’t wait to do it all again. I just have to save up for the next 10 years first! haha.

I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride. If so, let me know by leaving a comment below and stayed tuned for my video for the Canada leg of the trip.

12 thoughts on “A Road Tripping Adventure: Lake Louise

  1. Incredible – I keep thinking I’ve read the most beautiful post and then you go and post up another one that tops it. Absolutely awe inspiring scenery around Lake Louise I’d have been pinching myself constantly that I was even there….. to be honest I’m pretty sad that your post adventures have come to an end I have enjoyed them SO much…. still I’m sure you have more adventures waiting just around the corner for me to get my fix! xx

    1. Aww, thanks so much for the lovely comment Meghan! I definitely was pinching myself while I was there! Its something that every person needs to experience at least once in their life. haha, I was really sad too when i finished writing it but yes, there will be more adventures to be had! Fingers crossed! x

  2. Larissa Your work here is absolutely Stunning, I’m gonna have to add lake Louise and the surrounding area to my Canadian Bucket List.

    1. Aww, thank you so much Lesley! 🙂 Yes, you definitely have to go to Lake Louise and Alberta. I am already pining to go back again! x

  3. Your photos get me everytime! I am so looking forward to the next time I get to visit Canada. Johnson Canyon looks amazing, I went on my first proper canyoning trip last year in Sydney, Australia and I actually wrote a post about what you shouldn’t do, you might be able to relate to some of them however it sounds like you were lucky enough to be able to hike through Johnson Canyon. My favourite photos in this post are Bow Lake I think! Ill be pinning these 🙂 Thanks, Kate x

    1. haha, thanks so much Kate! Its looks like you had an awesome time canyoning. I will have to add that to my list of things to try! Looks like heaps of fun! 🙂

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