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When planning your summer vacation, do you consider visiting Canada? If you haven’t heard of Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, it’s time you start making plans to go camping.
Camping at Lake Louise is convenient to local attractions and has stunning beauty. Let’s look at six of the best campgrounds for visiting Lake Louise and a few things to do during your visit.
Where Is Lake Louise?
Located in Banff National Park, Lake Louise is a glacial lake in Alberta, Canada. It’s less than 7 miles east of the border between Alberta and British Columbia.
AB-1A and AB-1 both run through the town, so it’s easily accessible. The Bow River also runs through this area, offering more outdoor recreational opportunities.
What Is Lake Louise Known For?
The landscape of Lake Louise is spectacular. The turquoise, glacier-fed lake is surrounded by towering peaks. Hiking trails, canoe launches, a skating rink, and a ski resort provide plenty of outdoor fun.
Visitors also enjoy mountain biking, horseback riding, ice fishing, and boating. For guests who can’t explore the outdoors on foot, the famous Lake Louise gondola provides stunning views of the area.
Best Campgrounds for Lake Louise Camping
Lake Louise camping is one of the best ways to experience Banff National Park. You have easy access to trails and attractions while remaining in a beautiful, scenic location. You’ll savor the smell of pine trees, the glacier, and mountain views.
1. Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground
Lake Louise can be very busy during peak season. But a stay in the Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground helps you escape the crowds. A series of 12 loops include over 200 campsites. Even though it’s advertised as a tent campground, soft-sided trailers less than 24 feet can also book overnight stays here.
You can go camping at Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground from June through September, depending on the weather. An electric fence also encloses it due to bear activity.
Campground guests enjoy free access to the Park-and-Ride Connector service during the summer. You also get drinking water, flush toilets, showers, picnic shelters, fire pits, and a dump station on-site.
2. Lake Louise Hard-Sided Campground
Located across from the soft-sided campground, the Lake Louise Hard-Sided Campground offers 15/30/50 service and can accommodate rigs up to 50 feet long.
The Bow River divides the soft-sided campground from the hard-sided one. Booking the appropriate campsite is important because of the bear activity.
You’ll find flush toilets, picnic shelters, showers, and firepits at the campground. Guests staying here also receive free access to the Park-and-Ride Connector service. This campground opens in May and closes in October, depending on the weather.
3. Kicking Horse Campground
The Kicking Horse Campground is 20 minutes from Lake Louise in Yoho National Park, British Columbia.
You can find reservable and first-come, first-served sites available from May through October. Campers here enjoy stunning views of Cathedral Mountain.
Guests can access drinking water, a dump station, flush toilets, showers, fire pits, picnic shelters, and a playground. Some sites can accommodate RVs up to 50 feet long, but other loops are limited to RVs under 25 feet. The nightly rate costs $29.25.
4. Monarch Campground
Another option for camping near Lake Louise in Yoho National Park is Monarch Campground. It opens in May and closes in September. The campground has 44 sites that can accommodate RVs up to 27 feet.
These sites are first-come, first-served only. Guests have access to drinking water, a dump station, picnic shelters, and outhouses. These walk-in, primitive sites cost $18.75 a night.
Monarch Campground offers excellent opportunities for campers who want to see Canadian wildlife with its location below the Kicking Horse mineshafts and across the valley from Mount Stephen and Cathedral Mountain.
Keep in Mind: Are you visiting Banff for the first time? Check out our list of the Best Things to Do in Banff for First-Time Visitors!
5. Protection Mountain Campground
Recently overhauled, the Protection Mountain Campground is a first-come, first-served campground with 72 sites. It’s located on Bow Valley Parkway (Highway 1A) and offers stunning views and excellent start-gazing. You can bring RVs up to 35 feet in addition to tents.
Guests enjoy access to drinking water, flush toilets, picnic shelters, fire pits, and food storage lockers. They also have free access to Roam Transit, which will transport campers to Lake Louise and the town of Banff.
Fees cost $23 a night, and the campground is open from June through September.
6. Mosquito Creek Campground
Mosquito Creek Campground allows tents and small RVs up to 27 feet. This campground is located next to the Icefields Parkway and offers easy access to Lake Louise, local attractions, and sightseeing opportunities.
It has dry toilets, a picnic shelter, food lockers, and potable water on-site. But you’ll have to drive to Lake Louise to access a dump station. It also has no cell phone coverage so keep that in mind when making a reservation.
Despite the name, don’t worry; you won’t be overrun with mosquitos here! Fees cost $17.60 a night with no fire and $26.40 a night with a fire.
If you want more options for camping in Banff National Park, check out our article “Your Ultimate Guide to Banff Camping.”
Popular Things to Do at Lake Louise
No matter which Lake Louise camping location you choose, you’ll want to put these four activities on your list of things to do during your visit. Neither Banff National Park nor Yoho National Park is on the list.
But those are no-brainers. Try to spend at least a day at each of these spectacular Canadian national treasures!
If you’d like tips about visiting Banff National Park, check out our article on “The Best Things to Do in Banff For First-Time Visitors.”
Walk the Lake Louise Shoreline Trail
The Lake Louise Shoreline Trail offers beautiful scenery. Sit and take in the breathtaking landscape of the Victoria Glacier and the towering peaks.
The trail has several places to sit and admire the views. You’ll also see the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and Lake Louise Boathouse. Wake up early and catch a sunrise!
Rent a Canoe From the Lake Louise Boathouse
Walking around the shoreline is a great way to explore the area. But if you can, rent a canoe and actually get into the water. You’ll be immersed in the turquoise-blue water and rugged mountains as you calmly float along the lake.
You can rent canoes hourly or for 30 minutes at a time, and each can hold three adults or two adults and two small children.
Keep in Mind: Before you cross the border, you’ll want to read up on Canadian Slang!
Visit the Famous Lake Agnes Teahouse
When camping at Lake Louise, you can take a 4.6-mile out-and-back hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse. The hike will take you past Mirror Lake and up to Lake Agnes.
Because you’re going up a mountain, the entire hike to the teahouse is uphill. The overall elevation gain is about 1,400 feet, which makes this a moderate hike. But the trek is worth it to take in the awe-inspiring views.
Plus, when you arrive, relax and enjoy a cup of tea, a cup of homemade soup, or a sandwich on the shores of Lake Agnes.
Hike the Fairview Lookout Trail
Another popular hike when enjoying Lake Louise camping is the Fairview Lookout Trail. This 1.4-mile out-and-back path has a short steep incline but is relatively moderate for the rest of the trail.
You don’t have much of a view until you get to the lookout due to the trees, but this shorter trail is a good option for visitors who don’t want to hike up to Lake Agnes Teahouse.
Lake Louise Camping: A Glimpse Into Canada’s Beautiful Landscape
Lake Louise camping offers breathtaking scenery. Whether you choose a primitive campground like Mosquito Creek or prefer hookups at the Lake Louise Hard-Sided Campground, you’ll get stunning views of Canada’s glacial lakes and mountain peaks.
As you venture into Banff National Park and Yoho National Park, you’ll have even more opportunities to embrace the beauty of our northern neighbor.
So this camping season, consider pitching a tent or parking your RV near Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. Which campground will you choose to make your summer memories?
