maple leaf

Canmore • Banff • Lake Louise

March 11–18, 2006

Lake Louise, Alberta

Lake Louise

Sleigh horsesOn Thursday Michelle, Jessica and I went to the Chateau Lake Louise to take a horse-drawn sleigh ride around the frozen lake. There was a skating area on the lake, with a castle built from carved blocks of ice — the castle was a beautiful sight sitting there on the lake with the sun shining through it. On Friday we took the boys down there to play in the snow and have lunch at the hotel.

Thursday’s sleigh ride took us to one end of the lake where we saw a frozen waterfall about 150 feet up the side of a mountain. The view around the lake was spectacular. The hotel is huge, with 500+ rooms and many restaurants and shops. Someone said that in the summer there are thousands of visitors each day coming through on tour buses. We’re glad we came in the off-season. Don’t like crowds.

Path leading to the hotel Bird Crossing the ice Looking towards the Victoria glacier Ice castle on Lake Louise Ice castle on Lake Louise Ice castle on Lake Louise Ice castle on Lake Louise Skaters Sleigh team Frozen waterfall Sleigh ride stop on the lake Hotel view from the sleigh ride Sleigh ride stop on the lake Sleigh ride stop on the lake Second sleigh following behind us Victoria glacier from inside the ice castle Ice sculpture outside the hotel On the road to Lake Louise Outside the hotel Cameron in the ice castle Caleb in the ice castle Cameron Caleb & Dad View from inside the restaurant Mirror shot This is a snowman. Or a duck. Alberta and Canada flags on the hotel grounds