What's on in Lake Louise (Lake Louise ski), Canada through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in Canada, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Ice Magic Festival

  5–8 FebMajor festivalBook early

  Carvers work blocks of ice on the frozen lake in front of the Chateau over a long weekend in deep winter, with a skating rink alongside. Access has recently been shuttle-only and limited to hotel guests, so check before planning around it. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season (5 Nov – 5 May (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ice Magic Festival (5–8 Feb), Ski season (5 Nov – 5 May (usually))

Busy — March break / semaine de relâche in Canada

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Ski season (5 Nov – 5 May (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Ski season (5 Nov – 5 May (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Ski season (5 Nov – 5 May (usually))

Busy — Summer break in Canada, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Opening

  Moraine Lake road season

  1 Jun – 12 Oct · usuallyTrail seasonBook earlyClosures

  The road opens around 1 June and shuts in mid-October, and private cars are banned the whole time it is open. It is the Parks Canada shuttle from the ski-hill park-and-ride, a commercial bus, or a bike — book the moment the window releases. Source ↗

Busy — Summer break in Canada, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  High trails clear

  1 Jul – 30 Sep · usuallyTrail season

  Plain of Six Glaciers, Sentinel Pass and the Devil's Thumb only lose their snow in late June or July, and the two teahouses open with them. Before that the routes need traction and the upper lakes are still ice.

• Hazard

  Wildfire smoke risk

  15 Jul – 10 Sep · usuallySmoke season

  Smoke from fires in BC or northern Alberta can fill the valley for days at a stretch in high summer, and the famous view up the lake to the glacier is the first thing to disappear. Source ↗

Still on: Moraine Lake road season (1 Jun – 12 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer break in Canada, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Moraine Lake road season (1 Jun – 12 Oct (usually)), High trails clear (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually)), Wildfire smoke risk (15 Jul – 10 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Larch season, Summer break in Canada

• Nature

  Larch season

  14 Sep – 5 Oct · usuallyAutumn colourCrowded

  Larch Valley above Moraine goes gold for about a fortnight in late September, and it is the busiest trail in the Rockies for exactly those days. Parks Canada often requires groups of four for bears on it.

Still on: Moraine Lake road season (1 Jun – 12 Oct (usually)), High trails clear (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually)), Wildfire smoke risk (15 Jul – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Larch season

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Moraine Lake road season (1 Jun – 12 Oct (usually)), Larch season (14 Sep – 5 Oct (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Season

  Ski season

  5 Nov – 5 May · usually

  One of the first big Canadian hills to open, usually in the first week of November, and it runs to the start of May. The back bowls need wind and time to fill, so early season is a front-side affair. Source ↗

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in Canada, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Ski season (5 Nov – 5 May (usually))