Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise – Hiking around the lake

On our first day at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, we decided to do a short hike along the edge of the lake to explore the area and take in a little of the beautiful scenery surrounding the hotel. On our second day, we hiked up into the mountains to the Tea house, which is detailed in the second section below.

Day 1

As we wanted to get a quick start on the day, we enjoyed a quick breakfast from the small café in the hotel. We had some breakfast sandwiches that were made fresh and drinks. If we chose, we could have taken out pre-made sandwiches which would be convenient depending on your plans for the day.

Although we got a little later start than we would have liked, mainly thanks to the late dinner and drinks with friends the night before, we had been awakened earlier by voices outside below our room around 6am – our windows were open due to the heat and there is no air conditioning in the older section of the hotel with the the Lake view. We did not investigate this at the time, but did get to see what was happening outside the next day. That photo will be further below.

Here is the rear of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The lake is at our back looking up to the hotel. One of those windows is our room.

As you can see, there is some beautiful gardens with seating areas between the hotel and the lake. Where those pillars are at the base of the hotel is the patio for one of the restaurants which will come in really handy after both of our hikes.

Here is a photo in the opposite direction, with the hotel directly behind us. The lake with the mountain backdrop was is just stunning.

The trail around the lake is on the right hand side (when facing the lake at the hotel) and is a flat even surface that makes for a pleasant walk for everybody regardless of their abilities.

All along the path around the lake there are benches available to take a short break and admire the scenery. As you can see, this path does not require hiking shoes, but with the loose gravel I would recommend flat shoes that are comfortable to walk in. Running shoes would be fine.

On the opposite side of the lake from the hotel, the water level was lower and we were able to walk out on to the soft mud. I would make sure your shoes are waterproof if you do this as there are areas of water and depending on the water level, there may be larger puddles to jump or navigate your way though.

Once around the lake, you have a great view of the hotel.

This short walk on our first day was a great way to start our stay at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and to get us excited about our longer hike up to the Tea House tomorrow.

As we made our way through the gardens at the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to see a groundhog.

We should note that there is a heavy fine for feeding wild animals in Banff National Park, even groundhogs, chipmunks, and squirrels. The fines can be as high as $25,000 CAD.

The picture below was taken around 9:30pm with the sun just setting. The hotel looks great at night as well.

By booking the Fairmont Lake Louise through me, my clients can receive the following amenities in 2021:

• • Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
  • Daily full breakfast for two guests per bedroom in restaurant
  • Welcome amenity
  • Souvenir personal portrait session with professional photographer during their stay with picture frame
  • Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi

To book the Fairmont Lake Louise, please contact me through my website here.

For more information on this beautiful property or to learn about the special amenities that my clients can receive my booking this hotel through me, please visit my luxury Virtuoso page here