Ice Magic in Lake Louise, Canada - Best of Lake Louise in Winter

“We don’t need an event here,” my snowshoeing guide tells me. “The park is the event. Every day.” He’s referring to Banff National Park, where we’re standing in a silent forest as dusk sets in. The snow sparkles all around, and the winter ice dazzles us with its crystalline beauty. As the solitude sinks in, I can’t help but agree with him. The area has a lot to offer, but the national park itself is what wins me over. It’s ice magic in Lake Louise.

Ice Magic in Lake Louise

Lake Louise and neighboring Banff are unique in that they’re situated in Canada’s oldest national park, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Because of their location, there’s less development around the resorts and more natural beauty. Trees, not condos, climb hillsides, and animal tracks are often more common than footprints.

Banff National Park is a great place to immerse oneself in nature, and that’s exactly what I plan to do on my trip, which has been made possible by my sponsor, Travel Alberta.

Skiing in Lake Louise

The first place I see ice magic in Lake Louise is at the Lake Louise Ski Resort. I’m here for a day of skiing, and my instructor takes me all over the mountain to experience everything it has to offer.

I’m amazed by how big the resort is—it’s the biggest of the three in Banff National Park—and how much variation there is in the terrain. In addition to the groomed runs, there are a lot of off-piste areas for people more courageous than I.

There are also a lot of long runs, which I love (my fear of heights means I’m not the biggest chairlift fan). It’s a bit more crowded than the other resorts, but the lift lines are still short and quick.

At the end of the morning, we stop for lunch at Lake Louise’s sushi restaurant, Kuma Yama (it means “mountain that bears live on” in Japanese, which is a nod to the Grizzly bears that roam the mountains in the summer months. So cute!).

The food is great, and it’s a nice step up from the usual burgers and chili I’m used to eating while skiing.

The only downside to the day is that my hotel shuttle fails to show up to take me home. I hitch a ride with another one, walking back to Deer Lodge with my skis.

When I tell the person at reception what happened, he says that it’s an ongoing problem. Why the three people I talked to in the morning—two at the hotel and the morning shuttle driver—didn’t mention that fact is a mystery to me.

Stranding one’s guests in the snow isn’t my idea of good customer service, especially when it happens repeatedly. It’s a disappointing downside to an otherwise great day.

Ice Magic Festival in Lake Louise

But the next morning things look up, as do I. I walk down to Lake Louise, where the mountain peaks draw my eyes to their snowy caps. The scenery is stunning, and I can’t stop staring at the Rockies.

That is until I see the Ice Magic Festival in Lake Louise. The annual event takes place every January, and my visit happens to coincide with it.

On one end of the lake, ice sculptors compete to create carvings as onlookers marvel at how much beauty can come out of the marriage of a chainsaw and a block of frozen water.

Next to them a skating rink sits on the lake itself, with families circling a giant ice castle (yes, I want to kick all the kids out and sing the Frozen song at the top of my lungs. No, I don’t.).

It’s adjacent to a hockey rink, where boys with sticks slap pucks around with amazing dexterity.

I continue along the lake, walking the Narnia-like perimeter as horse-drawn sleighs emerge from the woods and tiny snowflakes drift down from the sky.

When I reach the other end, I find more of the ice magic in Lake Louise: frozen waterfalls. They’re some of the most otherworldly things I’ve ever seen.

Their aquamarine cascades stand still as if the White Witch cursed them and they suddenly ceased in mid-stream.

One frozen waterfall has ice climbers attempting to scale it, the other is silent and alone. Both are so magical I can’t help wondering if I’m dreaming.

Snowshoeing in Lake Louise

My ice magic in Lake Louise continues with a snowshoeing trip. Joel from Great Divide Nature Interpretation takes me through the woods, stopping to explain everything from powerful avalanches to tiny snowflakes as flurries swirl around us.

We get out a saw to see the layers of snow that can create avalanches, and a microscope to admire the glistening fractals of the delicate flakes.

It really brings the snow and scenery alive for me, and when Joel tells me that Banff National Park holds the true ice magic of Lake Louise, I understand why. The silence, solitude, and scenery are inspiring.