My owner’s manual includes a provision that winter must be broken up with trips to warm places in order to keep my crazy in check. Yet this year I pointed the compass north to escape to Banff and Lake Louise Canada. Temporary insanity perhaps but it proved to be a blessing in disguise.
While I only knew Banff and neighboring Lake Louise from postcard worthy IG photos, that was enough to justify a visit. I googled the map to figure out where in the Great White North this place was and in about 10 minutes, I had the travel logistics nailed down. Then I commenced the research necessary to comprehend the covid regs and after 11 or so short hours, I had it mostly figured out. Simple! I was booked and ready to fly as a perfectly healthy specimen, physically if not mentally.
Banff Lake Louise escape details
Our flight into Calgary was delayed as some poor soul trying to board didn’t have their testing paperwork together. We finally landed about 10:15 pm.
Travelers tip: always make sure your car rental agency is open well past your flight arrival. Fortunately, I had checked that box on this occasion and we were finally on the road about 10:45 pm (12:45 am for my east coast clock I might add). The nav app cued up a 2 hour 15 minute trip west through the mountains past Banff and straight to Lake Louise.
I forgot to confirm which side of the road they travel on up there, but it worked out favorably once I exited the parking garage. With that concern eased, all that lay ahead was a drive though the dark of night with the potential for blizzards, twisty turns, black ice and head on collisions with moose or woolly mammoths or whatever creatures those signs kept referencing. In my mind, there had been no reason to upgrade to a pricey SUV. We were perfectly well equipped to traverse this route in the ultimate all terrain vehicle known as a Toyota Corolla. (insurance declined).
Thankfully, all fears were misplaced and it was a pleasant commute. No death defying curves or ice. Not a single instance of sleepy guy at the wheel playing chicken with beasts larger than the vehicle. Oddly we encountered maybe two cars the whole trip. Mainly we just passed the occasional trucker, all well behaved. Nice job Canucks.
Lake Louise
If you are heading to Lake Louise, go ahead and stay at the Fairmont Chateau. Don’t mess around with the second choices. Also opt for a lake front room. When you arrive in the dark of night it doesn’t matter but you will wake up to spectacularness.
That first night was about getting some sleep because in the morning we were due to be at Kingmik Dog Sled Tours just down the hill. The proximity was ideal, especially when a groggy traveler couldn’t find the rental car in the hotel parking garage. We arrived with time to spare and were greeted by the sound of yipping canines.
I knew nothing of dog sledding and my initial take was surprising. I expected to see Siberian Husky type specimens with the size and attitude of wolves. Instead, we found relatively small pups who were all super friendly. These medium sized dogs are born and bred for the type of sledding on tap.
The second surprise was our musher was a gal and she was no weekend tour operator. This young lady was the real deal and an official badarse. One who lived and breathed this life. Her credentials were legit, a veteran of the long distance races and a true French Canadian mountaineer. I’d be glad to have her on my side in any outdoor survival situation, as well as bar fight. At the same time, she was really down to earth and engaging.
The level of dedication to the 30 or so dogs she owned was quickly apparent. She knew more about each one of them than most people know about their children.
Dog Sledding Banff Lake Louise escape
After a brief intro, we were ready to set out. I had visions of driving that sled like Yukon Cornelius from the Rudolph show, which represented the extent of my knowledge about the sport. Instead, we were placed into the front of the sled and tucked in all bundled up. Cozy passengers as our musher did the work. No frontier street cred there and I am no closer to qualifying for the Iditarod now than I was before landing in Canada. Nevertheless, it was a cool (but not cold) way to experience the back country and the awesome views of the Great Divide region.
Along the way our musher was a wealth of information about the surroundings and the dogs. I learned several key tidbits: First, the dogs can run the sled up to about age 9. Isn’t that 63 in people years? I should be so lucky to be crushing it like that at in my sixties. Second, the dogs are high performance machines and they consume about 8000 calories a day. That’s actually slightly more than I ate and drank daily on this trip. Third, sled dogs can poop while running without missing a step. That might be the one thing they and I will have in common at age 63.
Travelers tip: Keep your mask up and googles down when riding shotgun in the sled.
Winter Banff and Lake Louise escape.
Now hear this: Before I get any PETA hate mail, please know that these dogs are the happiest and most cared for pups you will find. This is not “work” for them. Every one of them is hyped up to run and they crave the cold. Actually they hate warm weather and can’t stand sitting idle. Pretty much the opposite of most readers of this blog.
After our tour we had lunch at a spot in “town” called Bill Peyto’s Cafe. Just us and the local police force comprised of two Mounties. I had an elk burger and my companion ordered poutine. That’s a big deal up there. Poutine is French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. The Canadians’ version of chili cheese fries. It’s pretty tasty but delivers an ill-advised amount of midday calories…unless you happen to be a sled dog.
Fairmont Lake Louise
With our bellies full, it was finally time to explore the famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel. What makes this facility unique is the outdoor scene and its coveted position on the lake. Just be aware that the gorgeous body of water is frozen over in winter and transforms into an ice rink.
Speaking of ice, there are interesting features onsite like ice sculptures, an ice castle and most importantly, an ice bar.
Ice Bar Lake Louise Banff
Now I’ve been to a few ice bars in my day but they were in winter wonderlands such as Thailand. Gimmicks. The Chateau has the real deal: a structure built on site that lasts the whole season with no climate control, just as mother nature intended for her ice bars.
The featured drinks are warm and the specialty is muddled wine, a signature beverage for the region. I stuck with whiskey and cider-based concoctions. A perfect happy hour for the setting.
The ice bar stands between the hotel and the lake (ice rink). Since I’m not a skater, I figured the whiskey cider drinks would give me enhanced skills for that dreaded activity. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like pitchers of beer before bowling. My skate session was a humbling experience; blurred images of hockey dudes and six year olds whizzing past. Perhaps I’d have performed better in a leotard with the Titanic theme playing, after muddled wine instead of whiskey.
Banff and Lake Louise escape report.
The one complaint I have about the Chateau is the lack of firepits. There were a few sitting dormant but come on folks. This should be a firepit mecca where people can socialize by the warmth and sip their muddled wine as they laugh at southern boys trying to skate.
In the midst of these frozen chronicles, it’s worth highlighting what Lake Louise is like in the summer months. I think I could sacrifice the ice bar (and definitely the skating) to swap the scenes above for the scene below.
Lake Louise Ski Resort
The next morning we were greeted by that blue sky view I’d been dreaming about. Ideal timing too since it was snowboard day at Lake Louise Ski Resort, about 10 min away by shuttle bus.
This world class ski destination is gorgeous, and my neck hurt from swiveling around to take in the landscape. Or perhaps from some hard landings. Seems Lake Louise is a challenging mountain. It’s more than just a rumor that Canadians are good at snow sports. (Better than Virginians I suspect). One must grade the trail maps on a curve there. Travelers tip: Blue in Canada = double black diamond in eastern US.
So while I bounced down the back bowls of that mountain a few times, the upside is I got amazing views in the process (mostly through the earhole of my helmet).
Ice Hiking
After a good night of sleep, it was time to check out and head back east to take toward Banff. Along the way we stopped for a hike at the popular Johnston Canyon trail. It’s a scenic path and includes several frozen waterfalls.
It’s worth mentioning that the entire trail is snow and ice so get the snow spikes that fit over your boots. Without them you will look worse and fall harder than I did trying to ice skate.
Travelers tip: I recommend Icetrax V3 from amazon. Best $23 I’ve spent.
My favorite part of that hike was encountering ice climbers at the upper falls. I am no climber as was well documented in my Colorado experience. So consider me impressed with these dudes and the uh, equipment that it takes for them to participate in this sport.
Banff Lake Louise escape in winter.
Banff
With hike and climb completed without major incident, it was time to head to the town of Banff. First stop was Park Distillery for lunch and a perfect mountain tavern atmosphere. Then on to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
Fairmont Banff
This is the property you see in the pics: a castle perched on a mountainside. As soon as we pulled up, we were greeted with smiles and all kinds of positive mojo. If you go, upgrade to the mountain view room. We threw open the curtains and the first thing we saw was a pair of elk down below with an incredible snow peaked backdrop.
There is an outdoor pool which, at 95 degrees, is basically a big hot tub. Hop out to grab a drink at the pool bar. Shock your circulation on the round trip. Then back to the warmth of that water and new friends. Rinse repeat.
Banff Lake Louise escape travel.
Banff Springs Hotel really has it going on. It’s gorgeous and the staff is superb. You wonder how and why this massive property was constructed back in 1888 in what must have been the middle of nowhere. It’s a classic case of if you build it, they will come. The railroad barons saw an opportunity for folks with means to hop on the new rail lines and visit 5 star destinations. I feel a kindred spirit, especially as I blog at the keyboard at the same pace they did at the telegraph.
Bottom line, Banff Springs hotel is one of my favorite places. Come by plane, train or dog sled. Just come.
Banff Lake Louise escape travel.
Banff Town
The town of Banff did not disappoint either. A perfect mountain/ski village. It’s large enough to have an abundance of shops and restaurants and small enough to be easily walkable.
That evening started with a couple drinks at Nourish. It’s a vegetarian place so don’t go there for elk burgers. Do go there for interesting drinks. I was appreciative of the oat milk eggnog since the Christmas season had been diminished by a supply chain shortage of my cherished almond milk eggnog. Dinner that night was at Three Bears Brewery which remarkably served perhaps the best pizza I’ve ever had.
The Banff Lake Louise escape insights.
Norquay Ski Resort
The next day we took the shuttle to nearby Norquay Ski Resort for a tubing session on another bluebird day. The Canadians came through on the tubing and delivered an experience that was not as dumbed down as what you find at most US mountains with all our pesky safety rules and PI attorneys.
Tube runs down the Norquay hill terminated at steep slopes and high banked turnarounds. Staff spent a lot of time monitoring who almost flew off the course and responded with canvas mats to scrub off more speed when needed. I for one appreciated the notion that someone may well sail off the track like an out of control bobsledder, especially with the Olympics happening.
Banff Lake Louise escape snow sports.
Tubers benefit from another enhancement on that hill. The friendly staff is apt to launch you with an aggressive spin. Experts tip: tuck in your legs like the fetal position and you will travel the length of that run with roughly the same RPMs as a blender.
Upon coming to a stop, I couldn’t get up for a few moments. When I finally stumbled to my feet, I went right back down. In the distance I heard laughter and somewhere in the recesses of my memory, I was reminded of a similar experience at the playground roundabout…and other experiences involving tequila. Either way, a fun time on the hill.
Banff and Lake Louise restaurants
We were back at the hotel in time to prepare for the great event known as the Superbowl. I had a reservation at a fun looking sports bar called Elk and Oarsman but questions persisted. Would these Canucks even have the game on? Perhaps one TV with football and the other thirty on hockey and curling? Was I headed for an altercation while trying to get the channel changed? I wasn’t too worried about the curling crowd but I wanted no part of those hockey fans. Oh how I wished our musher gal was with us. Fortunately, all concerns were eased as every TV was on the Superbowl.
People were into the game and even more so the halftime show. Who would have thought that 90s hip hop was the great unifier. This genre is clearly the bonding element between nations and cultures. More profound, the music of Snoop and friends offered further confirmation that middle aged white people can’t dance regardless of origin or how many Labatts they’ve consumed.
Banff Lake Louise escape trip.
The evening finished at the Rose and Crown, Banff’s oldest pub, where a solo guitar guy entertained the crowd thoroughly.
We got to wake up one more morning with that postcard view and then it was back to the Calgary airport. The daytime drive was much more scenic than our nighttime arrival. This part of the world is one of the most beautiful I have witnessed, and I want to come back. It seems the Banff & Lake Louise winter was good for my sanity. Maybe too good. I aim to try summer there to get my crazy back.
Wisdom of the ‘Fool
Travelers Tips for a Banff Lake Louise Escape:
- The Fairmonts are the top places to stay at both Lake Louise and Banff. Yes they are pricey but worth it
- When it comes to costs up there, keep in mind everything you see on the menu and activity list is 20% off (current exchange rate)
- Use ice spikes on your boots for Banff winter hikes
- If you are doing outdoor activities in the Banff winter, pack a facemask and goggles for protection from cold, snow and sun
- Rent a car. The roads are well maintained and cleared in the winter, even beating out Vermont
- Canadians are better than you at skiing, boarding, sledding and drinking. Conduct yourself accordingly
