Lake Louise Banff National Park

We arrived at Lake Louise Campground after a pleasant 43 mile drive from Banff up the Bow River valley.  We had no reservation, but that was not a problem.  We arrived about 11:00 and picked a site at the farthest end of the campground, way back in the boonies.  While setting up camp two young rangers stopped by to alert us that a male and female grizzly bear had been crossing the campground every day, right by our site.  Sweet!  Unfortunately, the male was amorous, and the female was not interested, so they had been a little testy.  About that time a more senior ranger drove up and suggested (ordered actually, but Canadians are very polite) that we relocate  a ways back down the road, so he could close that section of the campground.  Bummer!  Ironically, the campground filled later in the evening, and they reopened that section to all the late-comers.  We never did see the bears.

Our camp at Lake Louise

Most of the sites here are double sites.  When we set up there were plenty of vacant sites, so we were fairly confident we would have the site to ourselves.  WRONG!  Both nights we were here neighbors parked next to us in the afternoon.

Parade of rentals arriving at dusk

The Chateau Lake Louise was also built by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a destination for the wealthy tourists of the early 20th century.  Lake Louise was named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, Duchess of Argyll and the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria.

Lake Louise and the Chateau

Anyone up for a paddle on the lake?

Matilda was very popular with the tourists.  She ate it up!

Dorcas likes to take pictures of flowers.  I like to take pictures of Dorcas 

A Gray Jay poses on a post 

It was a little chilly on the pond

The two ladies in my life are very photogenic

Chateau du Lac Louise

A view from the road to Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake is a short drive from Lake Louise, and is a very scenic and popular destination.  Have you ever witnessed parking lot rage?  Most of the tourists were at the edge of the lake near the parking lot.  The ground in that area was packed with melting ice and glazed and very treacherous.  We hung there a while watching the tourons venture out on the thin ice.  Eventually we hiked up onto 'The Rockpile", a terminal moraine, which was much less crowded and offered great views of the lake.

A view at Moraine Lake

Matilda likes to perch

Lake Moraine is known as the Valley of Ten Peaks, so-named for the ten prominent mountain peaks surrounding the lake.

Idiots on ice, with The Rockpile on the left and Mount Babel in the background

Moraine Lake AKA the Valley of the Ten peaks

No shit!