The Incomparable Lake Louise
Some spend an entire lifetime dreaming about seeing the emerald green waters of the incomparable Lake Louise, but by the time I was 10, I’d seen it so many times, it’d become mundane.
Mundane? Yeah, right…
When you grow up a mere 2 hour drive from one of the earth’s greatest natural marvels, you can’t help but take it a little bit for granted.
Of course, now that I only get to lay eyes on her glacial waters once every 2 or 3 years, I see Lake Louise for what it really is – one of the most photographed sites in the world. I’m as blown away, as the other 15,000 people from far and wide, that visit daily during the busy summer months.
Surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of Mount Victoria, Fairview Mountain and The Beehive Hems, the luminescent turquoise waters of the lake are nothing less than devastating.
Lake Louise is part of Banff National Park, and is considered a kind of “last outpost of civilization,” because the next closest town, Jasper, is a full 3 hour drive away.
The unparalleled colour of the Lake is a result of light scattering off glacial silt or rock flour that is deposited by the melting Victoria Glacier. The waters are always picturesque, but to see them at their most vivid, a visit in late July or August is best.
wisemonkeysabroad
The famous Lake Louise!!! Thank you for taking us there as we can only dream of it at the moment…. All photos of it, just seem so spectacular.
Shelley @Travel-Stained
I have to say that it is pretty unreal in person. Agri was actually rendered speechless when he first saw it, and if you knew him in person, you would know that this is an incredibly rare event. Heh heh. π
Alina (literaryvittles)
It’s funny how when you travel, the people will ask about popular tourist attractions near your hometown. And it’s only then that you realize you didn’t appreciate them! haha
Shelley @Travel-Stained
I knowww, it’s terrible how we take the things close to us for granted. We keep saying we need to behave more like tourists here in Korea, because there’s so much we still haven’t done, and we won’t be here forever! π
Sreejith Nair
Wow… what an incredible place!
Stunning images and I am feeling a bit jealous reading that, you live so close it this lake π
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Hi Sreejith! π Lol, well unfortunately I don’t live there any longer, but my parents do, so I get to see it often. It is truly an incredible place. Quite magical really.
rommel
Drop dead gorgeous. I’m stunned by the beauty, and you captured it so so well. How enviable. Mundane? Please. π
Shelley @Travel-Stained
For real…opposite of mundane. But alas, I was merely a bitter and disenfranchised teenager during my days close to Lake Louise. I know better now. π
mang0es
Ah, Lake Louise. It’s 2 hours away from Calgary. I think. Been there a few times as my relatives are from there.
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Yeah, just about 2 hours away. It’s a beautiful drive out there too… what did you think? Did you find it beautiful?
mang0es
It’s amazing how beautiful it is! I’ve always wanted to walk/hike further down but I’d always be with relatives that were too tired from walking. Alberta has so many awesome outdoor spots!
Shelley @Travel-Stained
It’s true! You really could spend an entire lifetime there and never see everything! My parents have been there for almost 40 years, and they JUST discovered the Forget-Me-Not Pond! π
mang0es
That pretty much goes with wherever you live! I’ve been in the SF Bay Area my whole life and have never been to Carmel, Point Reyes, Yosemite, etc. π
Suze
wow, what a beauty! Canada in general is heaven for nature lovers like me. I can’t wait to get my ass over there next year <3
Agri @ Travel-Stained
Hi Suze! Yes, Canada is truly blessed in the nature department. Whereabouts are you visiting? All of Canada is beautiful, but I admit to being a bit biased towards British Columbia and Alberta in the beauty department…. π
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Lol… sorry Suze, that was me replying… hubby was logged-in and I didn’t notice. π
mjcolbert
My friend from Toronto just told me about Lake Louise after I mentioned Forget-Me-Not, after you’d blogged about it recently. I definitely see what you mean, though, about people taking what they have nearby for granted: most of the visitors to the Newport Mansions are from outside of Rhode Island.
Shelley @Travel-Stained
I think Calgarians are pretty good about taking advantage of all the amazing natural beauty close to them… I know my parents head out at least 5 or 6 times a year to the different parts of Banff National Park and Kananaskis. Lol…it’s just me that takes things for granted. Ha!! π
Justine of The Travel Lush
You are incredibly lucky to have grown up so near Lake Louise! I have been dreaming of visiting that lake for years now. And it’s still very high on my list of places to go. Gorgeous photos!
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Thanks Justine! π Yes, I didn’t realize how so very lucky I was to grow up next to Banff, Lake Louise and Kananaskis until recently… living in the big city has definitely made me appreciate the majesty of nature much more than I used to.
CanadianTravelBugs
Lake Louise is stunning! I’ve been lucky enough to go twice and first trip we hiked up to the tea house on top of one of the trails. The second trip was in late spring when there was still snow and I was disappointed the lake was still covered in ice… beautiful, but those green waters were hidden away.
Shelley @Travel-Stained
I think summertime is definitely the time to visit Lake Louise… though I think in wintertime, they have an ice festival or something… Actually, I just did the hike up to the tea house for the first time this past summer! Isn’t it lovely? Did you have some tea up there? Lol… after making it all the way up there, we didn’t! π
CanadianTravelBugs
We did have some tea… and on the hike down we spotted signs that said there was a bear sighting, so we rushed back down! All the way up we took our time and took lots of photos. On the way back I wasn’t as keen on photos π We never saw anything, but made a good story.
anotherday2paradise
What a beautiful place, and a romantic story. π
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Truly stunning! but not that romantic… he threatened to dump me in the 10 degree water if I didn’t say yes… π
Mani (A New Life Wandering)
Would looove to go! That area of Canada is high in my wishlist.
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Actually we wanted to road trip from Calgary, through the Rockies, Vancouver and down into Oregan and California, but we just didn’t have enough time. This area of the world is made for road trippin’ I think. Goooooo!!!! π
Oh, the Places We See
What a gorgeous spot in the world. Love these clear colors and the sparkle from the sun hitting the lake.
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Truly a beautiful spot. It was so bright, it was almost impossible to look directly at the lake without sunglasses!! π
Nandito Silaen
Nice Pic. i love it π
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Thanks Nandito! π It was so gorgeous there!