10 Best Lake Louise Snowshoe Trails for Winter

Lake Louise in winter gets a lot more snow than the Town of Banff, making it one of the best places in Banff National Park to enjoy a proper snowy winter day. As Canmore locals, we’ve explored many of the Lake Louise snowshoe trails over the years, and we love the variety you can find here, from short and easy trails to longer routes through quiet forests and deep snow.

For the best chance of good snowshoeing conditions in Lake Louise, plan your outing from late December through early April. Conditions vary throughout the winter, but after a fresh snowfall there can be plenty of that deep, soft snow that makes snowshoeing so much fun. If the trails are packed down, you may find that winter hiking traction is all you need, while other Lake Louise snowshoeing trails are much more enjoyable with snowshoes.

In this guide, we’ll share our favourite snowshoe trails in Lake Louise, including easy options, longer outings and trails that are best for more experienced winter hikers. We’ll also point out which popular summer hiking trails require avalanche training and equipment in winter, along with a few practical tips to help you choose the right trail for your day.

If you’re looking for even more places to get out in the snow, we also have a full guide to the best Banff snowshoe trails.

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Best Lake Louise Snowshoe Trails

The best Lake Louise snowshoe trails range from short, easy routes near the lake to longer forest outings that are better suited to experienced winter hikers. Snowshoeing is easily one of the best things to do in Banff in winter, but conditions can change quickly, so we always recommend checking the latest Parks Canada trail conditions before heading out. Below, we’ll help you compare the trails by distance, difficulty and overall experience so you can choose the best option for your day at Lake Louise.

Lake Louise Lakeshore

Distance: 4 km out-and-back, Elevation: minimal

The Lake Louise lakeshore trail is a short walk on the north side of Lake Louise and one of the best things to do in Lake Louise in winter. This is the main winter trail across the lake and the snow is likely to be packed down by other users.

Because this is one of the most popular easy winter hikes in Banff, there’s little chance that you’ll need actually need snowshoes on this trail. However, once the lake is safely and completely frozen over, we enjoy leaving the trail and snowshoeing in the deeper snow across Lake Louise while taking in the gorgeous views!

At the end of the lake, visitors are treated to the impressive 100 m frozen waterfall, Louise Falls. This beautiful sight is one of the best free things to do in Banff in winter!

Safety Cautions for the Lake Louise Lakeshore Snowshoe Trail

Never venture out on the lake unless you know that it’s completely frozen. This is especially important for anyone visiting Banff in December or earlier in the winter. For spring conditions, you can read our resource on When do Lakes Thaw in Banff.

Don’t venture past the end of the lake. This is where the Plain of Six Glaciers summer hiking trail begins. This trail is closed in winter due to dangerous avalanche terrain that requires appropriate training and avalanche equipment.

View Louise Falls from a safe distance. This frozen waterfall is popular with ice climbers and it’s dangerous to stand below given the risk of falling ice.

Fairview Lookout Snowshoe Trail

Distance: 2 km out-and-back, Elevation: 166 m elevation gain

If you’d like to see the beauty of Lake Louise in winter from a different vantage point, it’s worth the climb up to the Fairview Lookout snowshoe trail.

This short Lake Louise snowshoe trail rewards visitors with a visit to one of the best viewpoints in Banff. From here you’ll enjoy an elevated view of many Lake Louise landmarks and attractions. Just don’t snowshoe past the lookout as you’ll enter dangerous avalanche terrain.

This easy Lake Louise snowshoe trail begins uphill through a forest of fluffy snow-covered evergreen trees. Rather than a straight line through the trees, the Fairview Lookout trail has gentle S-shaped curves through the trees.

Even though we consider Fairview Lookout as an easy Lake Louise snowshoe trail, it does get challenging for short spurts. The trail is not long, so stick with it as the views are worth it.

At an elevation of 1,852 m, the Fairview Lookout is approximately 110 m above the frozen lake, approximately 40% down the length of the lake. It offers some of the best views of the surrounding mountains and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. This is a real treat for guests of this excellent Lake Louise hotel who’d like a great picture of this iconic hotel.

Want more details? Read our complete guide to the Fairview Lookout Snowshoe Trail for the trail map, directions, parking information and everything you need to plan your snowshoe.

Highline to Paradise Creek Snowshoe

Distance:  9 km out-and-back, Elevation:  523 m elevation gain

For anyone looking for a longer Lake Louise snowshoe trail without the crowds, we recommend the Highline to Paradise Creek snowshoe trail. It’s rarely busy as the two most popular winter trails are Fairview Lookout or around the Lake Louise Lakeshore.

The Highline to Paradise Creek snowshoe trail crosses avalanche terrain. Always educate yourself about winter travel and check the avalanche forecast before heading out.

After snowshoeing 800 m on the Highline snowshoe trail you’ll arrive in a section of forest where the trees are much smaller. These younger trees reward Lake Louise snowshoers with some views of the surrounding Canadian Rocky Mountains. As you walk a little further through the clearing, the Lake Louise Ski Resort becomes visible as well.

You’ll be tempted to stay for a while and enjoy the views, but these trees are young as you will be standing in the middle of a Fairview Mountain avalanche track (which you can see from this Google Map satellite shot). Parks Canada warns snowshoers not to linger in this area, and we completely agree.

You’ll reach the official end of the Lake Louise Highline to Paradise Creek snowshoe trail after 4.4 km of snowshoeing when you arrive at a T-intersection. You can continue on to the Paradise Creek Parking Lot to the left, where you’ll meet up with the Moraine Lake Road multi-purpose trail.

The best place to end your Highline snowshoe outing is by going 100 m to the right, where you’ll find a bridge over Paradise Creek. The views are incredible, but do not venture beyond the bridge into Paradise Valley unless you have proper avalanche training and equipment.

Want more details? Read our complete guide to the Highline to Paradise Creek snowshoe trail for the trail map, directions, parking information and everything you need to plan your snowshoe.

Blue 27 Square Snowshoe Trail

Distance:  6 km loop, Elevation:  231 m elevation gain

This 6 km snowshoe trail loops through a fun, winding forest with occasional views of some of Lake Louise’s most iconic mountains. We highly recommend giving this trail a try.

What’s with the name Blue Square 27? This snowshoe trail is one of the trails that’s maintained by the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. We have yet to see a name for this snowshoe trail, so for the purpose of this blog post we will call it the Blue Square 27 snowshoe trail (since the trail markers to follow are the blue squares with 27).

This Lake Louise snowshoe trail begins with a bit of an incline then transitions to a fun, winding downhill trail. You’ll cross over a couple of cross-country ski trails and find yourself in some stunning open meadows with mountain views of Fairview Mountain, Saddle Mountain (2,433 m) and Mt. Temple (3,544 m).

While near the Great Divide cross-country ski trail you may get to see people on a dog sledding tour (one of the most fun things to do in Banff for non-skiers). Please be respectful and stay out of the way. Also, it’s good trail etiquette not to step on the groomed cross-country ski trails with your snowshoes.

Related: The Best Cross-Country Ski Trails in Banff

After more views of the Lake Louise Ski Resort, a few ski-trail crossings and some beautiful open meadows, it’s time to put in some work as you climb back towards the Chateau Lake Louise.

Want more details? Read our complete guide to the Blue Square 27 snowshoe trail for the trail map, directions, parking information and everything you need to plan your snowshoe.

Laggan’s Loop Snowshoe Trail

Distance:  1 km loop, Elevation:  50 m elevation gain

The Laggan’s Loop snowshoe trail at the Chateau Lake Louise is a short 1 km loop that takes snowshoers through the beautiful snow covered forest.

You’ll do a large portion of the Laggan’s Loop when doing the Blue Square 27/Loop C snowshoe above.

If you plan to go ice skating on Lake Louise and wish to enjoy another Lake Louise winter activity, this short Lake Louise snowshoe trail is an excellent choice.

Ross Lake Snowshoe Trail

Distance:  2.6 km out-and-back, Elevation:  61 m elevation gain

You can reach the Ross Lake snowshoe trail by following the green circle 28 markers from the Lake Agnes trailhead. You can also access it from a junction along the Upper Telemark Trail. You can also reach this trail, Laggan’s Loop or the Blue Square 27 from a junction along the Upper Telemark Trail (this is a cross-country ski trail, so be sure to snowshoe on the side and away from the groomed tracks).

Louise Creek Snowshoe Trail

Distance:  5.6 km, Elevation:  195 m elevation gain

The Louise Creek Snowshoe Trail can be reached from Samson Mall. Walk up Lake Louise Drive towards the lake and cross the Bow River bridge. On the south side, you’ll find trail markers for the Louise Creek Trail.

The Louise Creek Trail will take you from the hamlet of Lake Louise up to Lake Louise.

Multi-Use Lake Louise Trails

Lake Louise has a few multi-use trails as well. You’ll often find people snowshoeing on the Great Divide or Moraine Lake Road, though these are predominantly cross-country ski trails and far less fun for snowshoeing. If you do decide to snowshoe on either of these trails, be sure to stay on the side and don’t step on the groomed tracks.

More recently these have been advertised more for cross-country skiing and fat biking, and less so for winter hiking or snowshoeing.

The Bow River Loop is another shared trail that is also groomed and trackset for cross-country skiing. The Bow River Loop is a 7 km loop.

Lake Louise Winter Trails to Avoid Without Avalanche Training

Typically snowshoeing can be done on any hiking trail, but that isn’t the case in the mountains. Winter hiking brings additional risks you need to prepare for. Along with managing your temperature, you also need to consider avalanche risk.

There is dangerous avalanche terrain that you should not venture into without the proper equipment and avalanche training. Please respect all signs posted, it’s for your own safety.

Please read this page by Parks Canada under the dropdown “Avalanche Safety at Lake Louise” for information on trail safety in the winter season. You are responsible for your own safety!

Lake Agnes Tea House

The Lake Agnes Tea House hike is NOT a recommended Lake Louise snowshoe trail. Parks Canada has placed several signs to explain the dangers of using this trail in winter. It’s not recommended without proper avalanche equipment and avalanche training. Even if you see other people on this trail in winter, it does not imply that it’s safe to do so.

Unfortunately we constantly see social media posts on these trails in the winter. It’s key to educate yourself on what’s safe in the winter in the Canadian Rockies.

Plain of Six Glaciers Trail

Snowshoeing to the Plain of Six Glaciers is NOT RECOMMENDED in the winter. While the Plain of Six Glaciers trail is an amazing hike in the spring through fall, it ventures through dangerous avalanche terrain.

You should not go past the end of Lake Louise without avalanche training and proper avalanche equipment.

Want to learn more about how to travel safely in avalanche terrain? Visit Avalanche Canada for training programs and current avalanche reports.