Lake Louise Attractions

On this adventure, you board "monster" buses with people-size tires that can handle moving through the ice on the Athabasca Glacier, depositing you atop the glacier where you can stand on ice created by snow that fell 400 years ago. For kids, the bragging rights alone are worth the trip, not to mention the fun of throwing snowballs made of centuries-old flakes. Although the Columbia Icefields cover nearly 200 square miles, the Athabasca Glacier is one of the more easily accessible spots, especially when you access via a Brewster Snowcoach. Tours take place mid-April to mid-October; reservations suggested. The Icefield is located about 75 minutes north of Lake Louise and a one-hour drive south of Jasper National Park.

At Lake Louise, you and your family can opt for easy or exhilarating hikes on your own or you can go with guides. The 2.4-mile flat hike around the lake, great for all ages, proves easy for us to do on our own, but we were glad we had a guide to encourage us on the half-day, four-mile roundtrip trek up to Lake Agnes and the Tea House.

Not only did Mike, our naturalist guide, part of the Chateau Lake Louise Mountain Heritage Guide Program, inform us about the trail's flora and fauna, he also got us through the steep, initial half-mile of our hike by keeping up a lively repartee. Among the fun facts we learned: a 600- to 800-pound grizzly munches 200,000 berries per day.

En route to the mountaintop Tea House, there are great views of pristine Mirror Lake nestled under cliffs and snow-clad peaks. The Tea House offers snacks and water (bring money), as well as bathrooms for its patrons.

Trail rides are great ways to savor the scenery for those who prefer horses to hikes. Brewster Lake Louise Stable, part of Brewster Adventures, offers several types of outings. With gradeschoolers, try the one-and-a-half- to two-hour scenic ride around Lake Louise; with 'tweens and teens consider the half-day Lake Agnes Tea House ride. The horses carry riders 2,000 feet up the mountain to the 7,000-foot-high tea house. After a break, you mount up and head back down. Experienced riders can sign on for the full-day, seven-hour expedition that takes you through the forest, up mountain trails, to the banks of a waterfall and then high above the tree line for a panoramic view.

At the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, in season, you can ice skate on the frozen lake with its view of Victoria Glacier. Skate rentals are available. Glide on the lake during its annual ice carving festival in January and you'll witness teams of professional ice carvers create elaborate ice sculptures. The fantastical creations often last through February, so a later visit may warrant a chance to skate passed the beautiful sculptures.

Stretching for about 143 miles between Lake Louise and the town of Jasper, the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) delivers more magnificent scenery. En route you'll pass forests, river valleys, mountains with peaks reaching 10,000 feet and Peyto Lake, the bluest in the Canadian Rockies. The color results from how the fine particles of ground rock, called rock flour, scatter the sun's rays. Bighorn sheep, elk, mountain goats and ravens can often be seen. Take your time driving this route in summer and stop for picnics and short hikes.

The ride up Mt. Whitehorn offers spectacular panoramic views. Lake Louise shimmers green in the sunlight and you'll see some of the Eastern Range's highest and most rugged mountains. If you're lucky, you may also see some grizzlies and elk roaming the mountains during the summer months. Typically, riders can ascend Whitehorn via a ski lift or a closed Gondola, best for young kids unfamiliar with the logistics of getting on and off an open chair. The ski lift and gondola landing leads to trailheads and also to the Lake Louise Wildlife Interpretation Center, worth a stop.

Another spectacular sight, Moraine Lake's blue waters are surrounded by towering mountains, including 11,500-foot Mount Temple, the third highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. About a 15-minute drive from Lake Louise, popular Moraine Lake, can sometimes feel crowded in summer. If you go, arrive early to enjoy canoeing (rentals available), as well as hiking before the crowds arrive.

With 4,200 skiable acres, the Lake Louise ski area rates as one of North America's largest. The longest run stretches for five miles and there are plenty of gut-wrenching steeps to challenge your teens as well as open bowls, chutes and beginner and intermediate trails. Kidski provides supervised skiing and instruction for children ages 5 through 12; Shreddies does the same for snowboarders ages 7 through 12. In March and April, when snow may be thin at U.S. resorts, Lake Louise typically has terrific snow cover. Take advantage of spring's mild temperatures and good deals to enjoy the last -- and maybe the best -- of the season's skiing. The Lake Louise Ski area is about an eight-minute drive from the Chateau Lake Louise, which provides complimentary shuttle service.

Glide through the snow accompanied by jingling sleigh bells in the winter and you'll feel as if you have landed in a living Hallmark card. The daytime rides are warmer than the evening ones, but either way bundle up and use the blankets provided by the stable.

Grizzlies are a big part of this National Park, and the Trail of the Great Bear guided walk is available through the Lake Louise Wildlife Interpretation Centre. Although small, the Centre offers nature talks and has interesting exhibits about the park's animals. Wolves, for example, use their jagged, sharp incisors to scrape meat from bones while dear grind leaves with their molars. And the naturalists reassure us that Banff National Park, a vast area, has a relatively small number of bears for so much territory. Chances are the only bears seen are the stuffed teddies for sale in the gift shop.