Lake Louise, Canada: June 29 - July 2, 2026

At around 7:00 in the evening, I had my first sight of Lake Louise. The color was stunning and the landscape dreamy. The haze turned out to be smoke that had drifted into Alberta from a wildfire in Saskatchewan. The lake retained this soft veil until July 1. The smokey haze didn't bother me, and it didn't seem to bother the masses of visitors who arrived each day to take photos of themselves, and in at least one case of her dog, with the magnificent background of Lake Louise.

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The couple in brown sitting on the rock wall looked so perfect in front of the blue green of the landscape. I was a little ambivalent about showing them the photo but I showed it to the lovely woman and told her I'd email it to her if she liked it. She gave me her email and asked me to take photos of the two of them facing the camera. I did. When I arrived home I emailed all the photos to her. She seemed very pleased. I don't know their names or anything about them but they were beautiful at Lake Louise and we have made lovely memories.

Our first full day, we took a Chateau Lake Louise bus to Moraine Lake. Moraine Lake is just 14 km or 30 minutes away by bus. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks at an elevation of about 1,884 meters. Like Lake Louise it is surrounded by stunning mountains, filled by glacial melt, and was also veiled by smoke.

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We walked the lakeside trail to the end where the glacial stream comes in and back to the start. We were there for half a day giving us plenty of time to saunter and warm up with hot chocolate. Before our bus arrived, I climbed the "rock pile" trail. It was very crowded up there but using trees and rocks as cover, I photographed the stunning landscape sans people.

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The Rock Pile

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On July 1, Canada Day and my birthday, the sun came out and the smoke cleared. The next group of photos are from a pre-breakfast Lakeshore Stroll along the right side of Lake Louise. Mount Victoria and its glacier were visible beneath the clouds. Rays of sun lit Chateau Lake Louise, and the mirrored surface of the lake reflected the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

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The Canada Day celebration of Canada's 159th year of being a self-governing country had a low key start with a bag piper, one Mounty, and the raising of the flag. As the day went on there were a couple of Polar Plunge competitions and tea with cupcakes.

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We hiked the Lake Agnes trail (7km/4.4mi round trip). The distance was moderate but the steepness seemed like more than the stated 385m/1260ft net elevation gain. We made it to Lake Agnes (first photo below) and the tea house just as it was beginning to sprinkle. Since the tea house had a huge line, we turned and headed back down the trail. It's a beautiful hike with beautiful sights.

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Back at Lake Louise, we celebrated my birthday with an elegant dinner at the Fairmont Chateau's Walliser Stube restaurant.

The last morning we joined the crowd of Lake Louise admirers and photographers. After some last walks along the lake and a last look at the beautiful mountains, we began our drive north toward Jasper.

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Next: The Icefields Parkway and Jasper National Park