(#2) Roadtripping the CA Rockies: Days 2-3 at Lake Louise and Peyto Lake
Turquoise lakes? Check. Epic mountain views? Check. A moment of dreamy 5-star luxury as we travel through the Canadian Rockies from Calgary to Jasper National Park? Double check! 😍
For this diary-style travelogue, we’re bringing you along as we take the dreamiest 10-day road trip through the Canadian Rockies, stopping in places like Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper National Park and driving the Icefields Parkway—twice!
Later on, we'll share detailed itinerary posts to help you plan your own Canadian Rockies Road Trip, but in the meantime, this diary-style travelogue is dedicated to sharing all the adventures from our own. Wondering if this bucket-list destination lives up to the hype? Let’s go!
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Day 2: Room With a View at Lake Louise
Today is the day I am most looking forward to along our entire 10-day Canadian Rockies Road Trip… We’re going to Lake Louise and staying at the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise!!!
*PINCH ME*
[Btw, This is a fairly accurate snippet of how we travel. Two nights of car camping with electric fencing and animal grates to deter bears… and one night of luxury in a hotel with a view! #balance — That said, those hotels are usually not 5-star hotels on world-famous lakes. This is one we saved up for, put gift money towards, ate PB&Js for, and have been dreaming about for a while!]
I repeat, *PINCH ME* 😍
Our car camping setup in the backseat keeps us warmer and more comfortable than our informal front-seat arrangements the night before, so we wake up feeling better and more rested. The temperatures dipped to about 40 degrees last night, so we’re grateful for the comforts of the car and the insulation it provided.
It’s about 7am when we wake up, and we don’t wonder what we should do and when. We pack up and drive straight to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Although our room won’t be ready until later, we park in the hotel’s garage to explore the trails around Lake Louise while we wait.
I know it’s possible to dream about a place and feel disappointed when you finally get there. Maybe you expected more or even just something different. Or you imagine you’ll feel a certain way, but you don’t.
This is not my experience walking into the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
The hotel is as elegant as we hoped, but it’s not stuffy. It’s warm. Sure, we can already see the masses of people at the shore of Lake Louise waiting for their perfect picture, but that’s part of what makes this place so special. Right outside this gorgeous hotel, with its fancy dining, luxurious amenities, and comfortable accommodations, sits a view you only expect to see by way of roughing it after a long hike.
You can see a small part of the staircase we walked down on the left-hand side of this photo. Directly across the lobby from the staircase is a hallway leading to one of the hotel’s dining rooms.
Here’s what we were looking at across the lobby— Lake Louise framed by a window at the Lakeview Lounge. Absolutely incredible!!!!
We soon join those people at the shore of Lake Louise, but as the shoreline gets busier, we begin our hike for the day.
We’re hiking the “Big Beehive Trail,” an approximately 6.5-mile trail past Lake Louise, Lake Agnes, and the Lake Agnes Tea House, to the summit of Beehive Mountain for a bird’s eye view of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau.
While checking in, we received a recommendation to follow the shoreline up Big Beehive rather than ascending via Lake Agnes. Apparently, this is the easier path with a more gradual incline as opposed to walking the steep switchbacks on the other side of the mountain.
This means we’re walking around the right-hand side of Lake Louise, eventually arriving at the very back of the lake.
Lake Louise is famous for its milky turquoise color, which it gets from rock flour carried by the meltwater of glaciers. Walking past the backside of the lake, we can see the changes in color as the small rivers seemingly carrying rock flour meet Lake Louise.
Walking to the right of Lake Louise along the Lake Louise Shoreline Trail.
Getting to the back of Lake Louise, just before we begin the incline to the summit of Big Beehive. You can really see the change in the water here! It’s much, much milkier.
We cross a stream via boardwalk and begin the gradual uphill through the forest. The path evolves from a gentle incline to a steady climb, and soon we’re at the point in an uphill hike where you’re asking everyone you pass, “Are we close?” or “Is it worth it???” We’re tired, and this is definitely more of a workout than any of us expected. (Even Lincoln agrees!)
We eventually make it to the summit of Big Beehive (finally!!!) and walk to the very end of the path for an overlook of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau. The color and vibrancy of Lake Louise are even brighter from a bird’s eye view. Its creamy turquoise pops against the gray haze in the sky and the Chateau on the far end of the lake.
The Beehive Trail can be done as an out-and-back hike or a loop. We opt for the loop so we’re descending past Lake Agnes and the Lake Agnes Tea House as we make our way back to the shore of Lake Louise. The Lake Agnes Tea House is one of the most popular places to visit for both its panoramic views of Lake Agnes but also its cafe with teas, homemade baked goods, soups, and sandwiches.
The appeal of the tea house is obvious — it’s next to a gorgeous alpine lake and offers refreshments you know taste better than almost anywhere else, if only because you eat them after a grueling uphill climb. This side of the loop hike is shorter but much steeper than the side we ascended, so there’s no doubt a tea here tastes better than anywhere else because of how hard you have to work for it.
That said, midday on the Sunday of a holiday weekend is not the time to be at the Lake Agnes Tea House. People are ev-er-y-where! Swimming in the lake. Hanging out on its shores. Seated at tables on the restaurant’s patio. Standing in line for food and drinks to go.
And because it’s a much smaller lake, Lake Agnes feels busier and more overcrowded than Lake Louise, so we happily walk STRAIGHT PAST the tea house to make our way down the mountain.
Looking towards the back of Lake Louise at the surrounding mountains and glaciers. Hey, Jon! 👋
Lake Agnes — the trail walks down switchbacks on the mountain on the left-hand side, around the edge of the lake at the far back of this photo, and follows the shores on the right-hand side
The view when I turn around LOL — A glimpse at the crowds at Lake Agnes Tea House around midday on a Sunday in September
We get back to Lake Louise around 1:30pm, and not five minutes after letting Lincoln in the lake to cool off, Jon gets a text… Our room is READY!!!!
Allowing no more time to pass, we make our way to room 573, open the door, and head straight to the curtains on the opposite wall.
Behind them lies a private view of Lake Louise in all its glory — turquoise waters, mountains and glaciers, even the gardens of the hotel — and it’s even DREAMIER to see this view out a hotel window than I expected.
Our room with a view!!!!! I’ll post a video of the whole room on Instagram @roadtriplocals
It’s truly a “pinch me” moment. And this a… “But am I really here? Is this real?” kind of place!
On our second trip of unloading things from our car, we get sidetracked by the various shops off the lobby. I didn’t realize just how much I would enjoy simply walking around the hotel.
After unpacking, we grab lunch at the Guide’s Pantry— a chicken Caesar wrap for me and a club sandwich for Jonathan. We take our sandwiches (and a chocolate croissant to share 😋) to the gardens overlooking the lake.
Sitting in red Adirondack chairs in the hotel’s gardens
We’re back in our room by early afternoon. The sun’s shining brightly through the window, and it’s time for us to get ready for dinner. Well, it’s time for me to get ready while Jonathan and Lincoln enjoy the comforts of a traditional bed after two nights in the car and opt for a short nap.
There’s no dress code for the hotel or its restaurants — at least not one where you’ll be turned away for not honoring. But the hotel is “resort casual,” and we’re happy to get out of the hiking clothes we’ve been wearing for the last few days.
Jon dons a button-down and khakis while I put on a dress, and we head to the lake about 40 minutes before our dinner reservation to take a couple of photos. (You know… for proof we wore something other than hiking clothes for at least one night of our trip!)
Jonathan has the idea to head inside a few minutes before our reservation to see if we can get a table on the restaurant’s outdoor patio. He checks us in with the host and asks for a table outside by the railing.
We spend the next two hours around sunset sitting outside in low 70-degree weather, enjoying a glass of red wine and a mango mule alongside our three-course meal.
Sunset at Lake Louise (photo taken from our table at dinner!!)
It’s soon time for bed since we’ll be up early for a sunrise canoe experience on the lake. We take Lincoln outside for one final time and enjoy walking around the grounds of the hotel after those visiting for the day have left.
Day 3: Sunrise Canoe Experience
On our second day at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, we’re up before the sun to take advantage of the sunrise canoe experience offered exclusively to guests.
It’s 6:30am as we walk to the Boathouse, get fitted for life jackets, and step into one of the hotel’s iconic red canoes. We’re on the water for about an hour and a half, so we have plenty of time to canoe the length of the lake and sit smack dab in its center in awe.
Around 7am, watching the sunrise over the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
About an hour later, facing the opposite direction, watching Victoria Glacier light up more each minute!
Once we’re at the end of our sunrise canoe experience, we exit our canoe and walk past a line of people waiting on the shoreline of Lake Louise. It’s only 8:15am, but many people are already in line to hop in a canoe once first-come-first-serve rentals begin. Many more people are lining the shore of Lake Louise between the Boathouse and the Fairmont Chateau to capture the sunrise over Lake Louise.
As we exit, we’re handed a surprise voucher for the Guide’s Pantry, but we plan to use that later today because first… we brunch! 😁
We watch as people stroll the shore of Lake Louise, canoes scatter among the lake, and guests walk through the gardens below our window as we slowly dine on the delicious food and drink in front of us.
What dreams are made of!!!!
Once we finish eating, we walk the hallways and floors of the hotel that we haven’t explored yet, finding more wings with shops, ballrooms, living rooms, and dining options. Finally, our noon check-out has arrived, so we reluctantly (but contentedly 🤗) turn in our keys and pack up our car once more.
It’s raining now, so we grab umbrellas to hike around Lake Louise one more time before we leave. This time, we opt for the Fairview Lookout Trail, a short walk through the forest on the opposite side of Lake Louise (opposite the side we explored yesterday). It leads to a shorter but similarly beautiful overlook of the Chateau.
We use our vouchers from this morning’s sunrise canoe experience to pick up a to-go lunch from the Guide’s Pantry on our way out and officially leave the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and all its glory. We’re feeling grateful for an abundance of time in a place so beautiful.
Fairview Lookout Trail
We eat lunch in Lake Louise Village — the fanciness is over for now; we’re enjoying our sandwiches in a gas station parking lot, ha! — to catch up with family before starting our trip along the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper National Park.
Before hitting the road, we quickly detour to a sports and camping store nearby to grab two pads for our car camping setup… you know, to make the transition from Chateau Lake Louise to a campground sans running water a little bit easier! 😆
About four minutes after turning onto the Icefields Parkway, we pass a sign that reads, “No cell service for the next 224 km”.
This is where we’ll be for the next three nights, so we flip around to call our families back and let them know we’ll be out of touch. Hopefully, we’ll have service at our motel along the parkway, but we’re headed to a campground tonight, so we definitely won’t have service for the next 24 hours or so.
Along the Icefields Parkway, we first pass Herbert Lake but decide not to stop because we’ve already seen so many beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies. (This says something because Herbert Lake is often seen on the sides of RVs that highlight various scenic destinations around the world!)
We do make a stop at Bow Lake, which we pass next, and follow a short path to the shore of the lake overlooking a glacier waterfall in the distance.
Next, we stop at Peyto Lake, one of the most popular destinations along the Icefields Parkway, and spend an hour or so trying to find the best viewpoint of the lake and its dogs-head silhouette. We feel like wilderness explorers from the movie “Up,” holding a photo in front of us, trying to find the vantage point from which it was taken.
Peyto Lake along the Icefields Parkway. Do you see the dog’s head silhouette in the lake??
But as the sun is going down and clouds grow darker, it’s time for us to give up the search and head to Silverhorn Creek Campground to set up for the night.
Like most campgrounds on the Icefields Parkway, there’s no running water or cell service. We eat PB&J sandwiches while waiting for the rain to stop so we can set up our car camp in the backseat.
The fog dissipates slightly when the rain lets up, and we’re able to see the creek running next to our campsite and the huge mountains surrounding the campground. We’re in a valley with mountains on both sides. Our research told us this is one of the most beautiful campgrounds on the Icefields Parkway but unfortunately, the fog’s still hiding most of the view.
Soon, it’s time for sleep, not knowing that in just 12 short hours, I’d find myself sobbing on top of a nearby mountain… Stay tuned for (#3) Roadtripping The Rockies: The Icefields Parkway!
Settling in for the night at Silverhorn Creek Campground on the Icefields Parkway. Comment below when you spot Lincoln! 🐶
