MONDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2026

(Lake Louise, AB – Radium Hot Springs, BC)

Woke up and looked out of the window. No new snow. Went and got coffee from the hotel foyer. Climbed back into bed. We’d woken up early so there was no rush. Eventually went and had breakfast, before packing up to leave. This was a lovely hotel and it’s a shame we can’t take it with us!

After getting fuel we set off along the Trans-Canada Highway, where our first stop was at the spiral tunnels, a point where you can see trains turning back on themselves to climb the mountain pass. Or at least, you used to be able to see it. Now there were so many pine trees, that you can only see the tunnel entrance. In theory, the train goes into the spiral tunnel, and emerges facing the other direction, whilst its tail is still heading into the tunnel. We’d just missed a train, and although we waited for 10-15 minutes, another one didn’t come along. Given you couldn’t really see it, plus it was -5C…. We admired the engineering, and continued on our way without waiting any longer.

Our next stop was the main event, Emerald Lake. There was a delay on the access road, both in and out of the lake area, as highway construction crews were clearing loose rock and trees, preparing it for the winter, but once we cleared that section we continued on to the fairly small car park. This is a very popular place to visit, and I was worried about getting parked, but there were about six spare spaces when we arrived. There was no snow here, so no need for the spikes. 

The walk guess around the lake, ac distance of some three and a bit miles. We set off to the west side, which started off paced, before becoming a gravel track, winding through pine trees. There were plenty of opportunities to admire the emerald green colour of the lake, surrounded by mountains.

At the far end, we sat in a bench and had a snack bar and tea, while a Stellar’s Jay (?) noisily offered his opinion about how we should leave lots of crumbs bit him, and tried to distract us from our food by hopping around, hoping we’d abandon our lunch to him. No such luck.

The train l return past along the east side was surprisingly different. It turns out that the mountains create a microclimate on this side of the lake, keeping it cooler and wetter. As a result, the trees are taller, with mosses hanging from branches, and lots of thick ground bushes and plants. It’s almost a rain forest climate, similar to what you might find on the west coast.

There were still opportunities to appreciate the lake, and the reflections were even better from this side. The walk finished by passing the cabins of the Emerald Lake Lodge.

We made a short stop at the natural bridge on the way out, a waterfall on the Kicking Horse River, and then it was onwards to Radium Hot Springs.

We arrived there after a two-hour drive [Editor’s note: Road trip photos to follow]. Having checked in, unloaded the car, and having had a cup of tea and a cookie, we drove up to the hot springs. This is a naturally heated pool, with various natural mineral elements in the water. We soaked in the warm waters for forty minutes, cooling off every so often by standing up and sticking our shoulders out into the 3C air, before deciding to get out.

We went for dinner at the Horsethief Creek bar and restaurant, which was a very comfortable choice, before going back to our room to relax and sleep.