Lake Louise, Mountain hamlet in Banff National Park, Canada
Lake Louise is a mountain settlement at 1,600 meters elevation in Banff National Park, Alberta, surrounded by glaciers and peaks of the Canadian Rockies. The hamlet consists mainly of a historic hotel, several shops, a visitor center, and access roads to nearby trails and ski areas.
The Canadian Pacific Railway established an outpost here in 1884 to support construction of the transcontinental rail line through the Rocky Mountains. Over the following decades, the settlement grew into a tourist destination as mountaineers and travelers began exploring the region.
The Stoney Nakoda called this place Ho-run-num-nay, meaning lake of little fishes, before European settlers renamed it after a British princess. Interpretive signs throughout the area now acknowledge the First Nations history and their longstanding ties to the valley and surrounding peaks.
The settlement sits directly along the Trans-Canada Highway route and is best visited early in the morning during summer before tour buses arrive. Winter conditions bring heavy snow that can make access roads difficult, so winter tires and warm clothing are recommended.
This settlement is the highest permanently inhabited place in Canada and experiences winter temperatures that can drop below minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit). Nearly 280 centimeters (110 inches) of snow fall here each year, making the winter season particularly long and intense.
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