The Chateau Lake Louise

Just about the last thing anyone who might discover Banff National Park by accident would think to find there would be what waits at the end of the road to Lake Louise. The road winds through magnificent firs, looking as though it will try to drill a hole right through the towering peaks of the Canadian Rockies dead ahead. And then suddenly you’re there, above a pristine blue lake nestled in a perfect bowl at the mountains’ feet, looking untouched since time began. Except—what’s that?

That magnificent edifice filling the eye is a genuine four-star luxury hotel in the heart of the Canadian wilderness. Looking like it dropped in from places much farther east, the Chateau Fairmont Lake Louise has entertained the great and the humble, and lately, the all-stars of the skiing world, since its founding in 1890.

The first white man to lay eyes on Lake Louise said he “never in all my explorations saw such a matchless scene.“ Alberta, home of both sprawling plains and soaring mountains, is blessed with matchless sights like the deep blue waters of this lake lying at the feet of rugged gray peaks capped with snow. Founded as “a hotel for outdoor adventurer and alpinist,” the original log cabin “chalet” at Lake Louise began rather simply, with a kitchen and just two bedrooms, plunked down in the middle of the pristine wilderness not far from the tiny town of Banff. The magnificent view attracted day visitors as well as people from the dining stations along the railway line. By 1912, over 50,000 people had slept in that tiny lodge.

The current building dates back to 1911 and has been expanded and remodeled over the years to accommodate a variety of unexpectedly glamorous guests. Lake Louise and its surrounding mountains lie at the heart of Canada’s mountaineering tradition, as both training ground and challenge for climbers. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise lies only a few miles from the magnificent ski slopes used during the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Today this mountain hotel is one of the preeminent spots on the winter ski circuit, but even before that, it was accustomed to stars—the movie kind.

The unspoiled vistas of Banff National Park have attracted film crews since the dawn of Hollywood. Next time you catch such ancient gems as “Springtime in the Rockies” or “Son of Lassie,” take a good look at the scenery. That’s probably Lake Louise in the background. This once-humble lake lodge has hosted everybody from Marilyn Munroe to Edward, Prince of Wales (famous for abdicating the British throne to marry “the woman I love”).

It seems incredible to find such a huge and magnificent hotel so far from “civilization,” but the sheer scope of the surrounding mountains reduces the Chateau Fairmont to size. Looking at it from the gorgeous trails above the hotel or while skating on the frozen lake at midwinter, it seems a haven, not an intrusion, a strangely fitting match for the vastness of the Alberta wilderness.