Lake Louise

Our next stop in Alberta was Lake Louise. We did not stay at the ultra fancy and beautiful Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise you've probably seen in pictures. Although it is in a primo location, and is very beautiful, it is a bit out of our price range--especially when we have to get 2 rooms. In the village of Lake Louise, there are many, many run-down, yucky places to stay if you can't afford the Chateau. There are a couple of nicer places near the Fairmont, but they are also very expensive--again 2 rooms sort of adds up. We discovered a little treasure last year, though at the Lake Louise Inn.

It's not fancy, but they have a loft suite that sleeps 8 (or 9). It's big and clean and has a full kitchen (again, for a cheapskate like me this is huge). The kids especially love the pool at the Lake Louise Inn. It is very nice, with a huge pool and 2 hot tubs. Last time we stayed here we did not come prepared for the cost of food in Lake Louise. Not just restaurants, but also the ONE market in Lake Louise has outrageous prices. It was like grocery shopping in Belize. Except that in Belize, if a box of cereal was $12, you knew that it was actually $6 US dollars, and that was OK because that box had come from the US and then over on a boat to the island. But in Lake Louise, right off of THE main highway through Canada, this one market really takes advantage of all of the tourists. Cereal was $12 a box. Milk was $9 a gallon. Cream cheese was $7 for a tiny tub. It is a huge stop for bus tours, and all of these people walk to this market to buy their food--it's the only option, and as I learned in 2nd grade, the law of supply and demand sets the prices. That's fine--but you know what they say, "Burn me once...." This year we were prepared and stocked up on food at Safeway in Canmore before heading to Lake Louise.

My favorite place near Lake Louise is Moraine Lake. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth--and so is the Valley of the Ten Peaks you drive through to get to it. Seriously, it takes your breath away. When we go here, I am like a kid at Christmas--I just can't wait to come around the corner to see it.

We hiked up the big rock pile to the panoramic viewpoint at Moraine Lake. The kids had fun scrambling and climbing all of the rocks. I just sat and took in the bright blue water and incredible mountains all around. Heaven.



We then went to Lake Louise. It is beautiful, but just SO touristy. It is insane how many people are there. Of course we had to stop and get our photos taken at the usual spot and also go inside the fancy Fairmont and see the overrated harpist making simple songs sound fancy with glissando while gaggles of spectators took her picture. It makes us laugh every time. And then we went back to the hotel for a swim.









One other fun thing to do in Lake Louise is the gondola at the Lake Louise ski resort. It takes you up mid-mountain and gives you a stunning view of the Bow Valley. Just remember to take off your hat before you head up on the gondola--Savanna lost hers when a breeze came through. I hope the black bear we saw picked it up and took it home to his little princess.