Skiing the Big3 – Lake Louise

At the end of March we spent a week around the “Big3” ski resorts near Banff, AB. Coming from a so far rather mediocre winter in the US (2025/26 was rather dry), this area was a breath of fresh air.

You can read about Banff Sunshine here.

Good to Know
You will need a Parks Canada entry pass for Banff National Park which includes all ski resorts. Having a season pass for any ski resorts doesn’t exclude you. Also if you are there for more than 7 days and are two or more people in a car, an annual pass might be worth consideration.

Lake Louise

We arrived at Lake Louise right after a week of rain, that affected even the Big3, deep in the Canadian Rockies. Above freezing temperatures rose to about mid-mountain, so take what we have to say with this information in mind.

We showed up later in the morning and after going through a Parks Canada pass checkpoint found a spot towards the end of the main parking lot which meant we had a bit of walking to do.

In the 25/26 season the passes were scanned at the base, no RFID. So if you have an Ikon pass for example, you will need to take it out for a barcode scan at the start of the day or every time you come back down to base. Not a big deal since we spent most of the day on the upper part and the backside of the mountain.

The conditions were a bit icy at the bottom, so after a warm up run, we stayed at the top half, lapping Pipestone Express and Summit Chair. Summit Chair especially grants access to the West Bowls and the Back Bowls. Despite the rather hard conditions on the lower half, the Back Bowls were super fun. I enjoyed a run down C-Gully ◆◆ while Abby enjoyed Boomerang 🟦 despite some white out conditions.

We also liked the runs off of Larch Express, fun wide groomers. With some instant refill that we got on the second day there, it made it a whole lot softer. However, we stayed in the 🟦 category due to the icy base.

For lunch we stopped at the Temple Hut which was a cute hut consisting of a cafeteria and a restaurant.

Overall, we liked Lake Louise. Like most resorts we have been to in the 25/26 season, we would love to come back for some softer conditions and check out more of the challenging terrain.

Stats

• Base Elevation: 5400 feet / 1646 meters
• Summit Elevation: 8650 feet / 2636 meters

When to go

From what we learned from the locals, snow usually arrives early in the season, November – December, followed by a drier period. It picks back up usually in March. During our time there towards the end of March, several storms moved through the area depositing 5 – 10 inches per storm.

Our Rating

• Terrain: ★★★★☆
  Varied terrain for beginners on the front and on the back side with a large numbers of advanced and expert terrain (West Bowls, Back Bowls, Paradise Chair area).
• Lift access: ★★★★☆
  There are two chairs and a gondola that takes you up the mountain from the base which seems efficient. The one caveat: If you want to get to the West Bowls or ski the Back Bowls you will need to take several lifts to get back to the top of Summit Chair. Paradise Chair is also super slow, worth it though.
• Lodges: ★★★☆☆
  The lodges and facilities were great. Rustic feel, enough restrooms and affordable hot chocolates (~4 CAD). Main dishes were 15 – 20 CAD.
• Parking: ★★★★☆
  The main parking lot is only a few minutes walk away, and even if you show up late there seems to be enough space. We were there during the week though.

Overnight parking

Being in a van, we stayed in the Overflow parking lot south of town. It is an extension of the Campground in town, however in winter it is free, plowed and with access to restrooms and huge garbage cans. The entrance to the lot says “no overnight parking,” however, signs at the Lake Louise ski area parking are directing van lifers to use that lot for overnight.

It seems to be tolerated by Parks Canada, who come by frequently to patrol and make sure everything is in order.

Leave no trace
As always, if you decide to stay here, follow local laws and regulations. Leave the place better than you found and be respectful of rare gems like this so they can be preserved for many more to come.

Amenities around town

The town is small, but there is a small grocery store and a coffee shop called Trailhead Cafe who make a decent coffee and breakfast if you so wish. They are pretty chill so calculate some extra time for your order to be ready.

Don’t forget to drive up to the actual lake and walk on the ice if it is frozen. A magical experience!