Canada's largest ski area covers the slopes of four mountain faces that surround the village of Lake Louise, in the heart of the magnificent Banff National Park, right on the Trans-Canada Highway 35 miles (57km) west of Banff itself. With plentiful natural snow and an extensive snowmaking system, skiing is guaranteed at Lake Louise from mid-November to mid-May, and it has the reputation of offering the best powder skiing in the world. The pretty village nestling in the Rockies provides every amenity required by visitors, and a wide choice of cosy accommodation and dining options. Shuttle buses and an efficient system of interconnecting lifts provide easy access to the slopes. Put all this together with the spectacular scenery and pristine terrain, and it is not surprising that Lake Louise has been dubbed the "diamond in the wilderness".
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- Try flat (Nordic) ski-ing: the Cascade Fire Road is easy and only eight miles long.
- The offcial season in lake Louise finishes as late as mid-May, but skiing has been possible right up until June. If that's not enough to tempt you away from European slopes, the mogul fields, downhill pistes and powder are fantastic and there’s more space for you than in the Alps.
- In summer cycle the Kefields Parkway. There are 17 places to camp and eight hostels so you can get some comfort and company at night.
- You've seen them in cartoons now you can see real thing - moose. You might also see wolves, bald eagles, ospreys and that symbol of Canada, the beaver.
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A New England native but explorer at heart, Melisse has lived in four U.S. cities, spent a summer in Hawaii, made her way through wine-producing regions in Australia and New Zealand, and traveled around Europe while studying abroad in London. She is the Content Manager for the U.S. and Canada at Cheapflights.