Lake Louise (Alberta)

Lake Louise (named Ho-run-num-nay (Lake of the Little Fishes) by the Stoney Nakota First Nations people)[1][2] is a glacial lake within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located 5 km (3.1 mi) west of the Hamlet of Lake Louise and the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1).

For other uses, see Lake Louise (disambiguation).
Lake Louise
Ho-run-num-nay
Lake Louise and Chateau Lake Louise
Lake Louise
Ho-run-num-nay
LocationBanff National Park, Alberta
Coordinates51°24′42″N 116°13′41″W
TypeGlacial Lake
Primary inflowsLefroy Glacier
Primary outflowsLouise Creek
Basin countriesCanada
Max. length2.0 km (1.2 mi)
Max. width0.5 km (0.31 mi)
Surface area0.8 km2 (0.31 sq mi)
Max. depth70 m (230 ft)
Surface elevation1,750 m (5,740 ft)
SettlementsLake Louise
Cloudy Lake Louise in summer

Lake Louise is named after the Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939),[3] the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, who was the Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883.

Lake Louise from eastern shoreline, facing west.
Lake Louise & Lake Agnes as seen from Devils Thumb
Lake Louise as viewed from Little Beehive
Lake Louise boat view

The turquoise colour of the water comes from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake. The lake has a surface of 0.8 km2 (0.31 sq mi) and is drained through the 3 km long Louise Creek into the Bow River.

Fairmont's Chateau Lake Louise, one of Canada's grand railway hotels, is located on Lake Louise's eastern shore. It is a luxury resort hotel built in the early decades of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Moraine Lake and Lake Agnes are also accessible from Lake Louise.

Activities

A variety of hiking trails exist around the lake. Hiking trails include trips to Saddleback Pass, Fairview Mountain (2,744 m (9,003 ft)), Mirror Lake, Lake Agnes, Big Beehive, Little Beehive, Devils Thumb, Mount Whyte, and Mount Niblock. Some of these trails are open to mountain biking and horseback riding, and the surrounding mountain faces offer opportunities for rock climbing. Kayaking and canoeing are popular activities during summer, and a boat launch and rental facility are maintained on the north-eastern shore.[4] The area is plagued by traffic jams and parking shortages due to out-of-control tourism.

The nearby Lake Louise Ski Area, formerly known as Lake Louise Mountain Resort, offers amenities for alpine and Cross-country skiing, as well as heli-skiing and snowboarding. The lake can be used for ice fishing and ice skating in winter, while the surrounding area offers settings for snowmobiling, dog sledding, snowshoeing and ice climbing.[5]

See also
  • Lakes of Alberta

References
  1. "Banff National Park: Lake Louise & Moraine Lake". Parks Canada. 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  2. "Chateau Lake Louise". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 5 August 2020. Lake Louise was originally known to the local Stoney-Nakoda people as Ho-run-num-nay, or the “Lake of Little Fishes.”
  3. http://www.albertacentennial.ca/history/viewpost.aspx~id=249.html Archived 2012-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Lake Louise.com. "Summer activities". Archived from the original on 2007-03-05. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  5. Lake Louise.com. "Winter activities". Archived from the original on 2007-03-02. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.