Northern Rockies/Alberta Lake Louise / SkiBig3 with a Larger Group

[TonyPlush]

Hey SkiTalk,

I'm trying to plan a 5-6 person guys' trip for late January. Last season, you all spoke highly of Lake Louise / Sunshine Village, so it's now entered the bucketlist. But I keep running into a big wall on lodging options... Everything I'm finding for larger places (3-4 bedroom) is in Banff or Canmore, and I was surprised to learn that both of these are 30-60 minutes from the actual mountains. Is this where everyone usually stays?

I looked into the nearer Lake Louise / Sunshine Village hotels, but those seem to be limited to small hotel rooms or 2 bedroom suits at most. I've also read about the ski bus, but a 2-hour round trip bus ride doesn't sound too appealing.

What am I missing? Does anyone have leads on convenient places for a larger group? Or should I hold off until I plan a solo and/or smaller group trip here?

 

[graham418]

Banff is where you want to be staying. Thats where the accomodation is , and where all the dining / nightlife is. Dont sweat the bus . Its only 30 min to Louise, 20 min to Sunshine. The buses come regularly, if they need more, an extra is right there. They have the routine pretty dialed. Dont forget that you are in a national park. Parking is limited at the hills and you need to have a park pass for your car to get in, especially Sunshine.

 

[Bad Bob]

Don't sweat the bus ride.
You are going to be looking out the window at some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in North America. Sit back and enjoy it.

As a bonus you will stay in Banff, a very cool ski town.

 

[fatbob]

That's it. Hotel in Lake Louise really the only option.

 

[graham418]

That's it. Hotel in Lake Louise really the only option.

The only hotel at Lake Louise is Chateau Lake Louise, and thats a pretty lux option!!

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

I stayed in Banff in late February 2020. We drove our rental car to Lake Louise on first day there, and after that we took the free buses to also Sunshine and Norquay. They drop you right at the door In Banff find a hotel or condo away from the train line as every single train that goes through at night time blasts its horn for the level crossings

 

[Castle Dave]

Lake Louise in January means very cold but I see you are from Minnesota so you will be used to it. Just bring you wooleys.

 

[Sibhusky]

The only hotel at Lake Louise is Chateau Lake Louise, and thats a pretty lux option!!

Uh. No. There's other hotels. The Post for one, where I've stayed twice and would stay again in a heartbeat, but that's pricey as well, and there's several (6?) others.

 

[Mel]

There are several hotels in LL ranging from hostel to chateau, but I agree with others that you want to stay in Banff. More to do and more options to keep a larger group happy. Canmore usually has more condo type options but is an additional 20 minutes away and has fewer options for busses etc.

 

[JoeSchmoe]

Stay in Banff, get a couple of rental cars, and enjoy one of the most beautiful ~30min drives in the world to and from the mountain. You will not be disappointed by the lack of convenience- trust me, you'll know once you get there.

On the flipside, you may be disappointed by staying out in Lake Louise or Sunshine with the relative lack of dining and off-hill options when compared to Banff.

 

[GregK]

Agree with staying in Banff and take the free shuttles to the hills.
Huge discounts from the Big3 website under lodging for hotel rooms. You have to purchase a 4 day or longer Big3 pass to get the discount(tickets discounted as well) to get the 35% off regular hotel rates. Saved $1000 CAN for my 18 day stay in Banff next March using this.

Homepage | SkiBig3

Vacation Specialists for ski and snowboard packages in Banff & Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies: 2023/2024 Ski & Stay Packages available now.

www.skibig3.com

 

[Lane Myer]

Fellow midwesterner here also planning a trip to Lake Louise/SSV this March and have run into the same challenges as you OP in finding lodging for a larger group. In Banff it seems like your options are limited to 2-bedroom suites at places like the Fox or the Moose. Our group ended up getting smaller for unrelated reasons, so we went with a loft suite at the Peaks hotel which looks nice....although the Ikon pass price via the skibig3 site was more expensive than just booking straight with the hotel. If our group had stayed around 6, we probably would have gone with a condo in Canmore and dealt with the added drive time vs cramming into a 2 bedroom in Banff or splitting the group up into two rooms which isn't as social/fun. Our group typically likes to book a nice house with a private hot tub as part of the overall trip experience, which doesn't seem to match up well with the lodging infrastructure in the park...but then again the less developed nature of the area is part of the draw. My wife and I took a summer honeymoon to Banff 25 years ago and it really is as amazing as everyone says. Looking forward to returning with our teenage son in tow this time to experience it in the winter. Good luck with your trip planning!

 

[JoeSchmoe]

Our group of 4 stayed at the Canalta Lodge in a loft room. It was VERY spacious and each of us had our own bed albeit one was a large bunk bed. It included breakfast too. The only knock is it was just far enough from downtown that we only walked it once.

The Hidden Ridge resort also looked good for groups, but that was even further out. The advantage is you're in a part of town where it seems likelier to see wildlife. At least it looks that way from Google maps and the hotel website. They did provide free bus tickets though when I looked at it.

 

[TonyPlush]

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

@graham418 sold me on the drive being no big deal, but lodging-wise, I'm having a similar experience as @Lane Myer... everything in Banff is mostly 2 bedroom suites that would involve a bunch of dudes sharing beds and cramming into each other's space. This is a tough sell compared to the larger, 3+ bedroom places in Big Ski that are legitimate ski in / out with private hot tubs. So, it sounds like this group will be heading to Big Sky this year.

Maybe next year I can get an earlier jump on some Banff lodging... I did see a few larger places in Banff or Canmore that would be a good fit, but they were booked up already.

 

[Jilly]

The drive is a cinch. 4 lane all the way. My issue is coming back into Calgary, trying to get gas and then finding my way to the car rental/airport drop off. I take my GPS with me.
If you're looking for on hill - Sun Peaks, Panorama, Silver Star all interior BC. Or join the mob at WB.

 

[VickieH]

Is there any public transportation between Canmore and Banff? Is there adequate public parking in Banff?

Just wondering about the logistics if a group prefers to have dinner in restaurants and/or wants to see what Banff is all about.

 

[Mike Rogers]

Is there any public transportation between Canmore and Banff? Is there adequate public parking in Banff?

Just wondering about the logistics if a group prefers to have dinner in restaurants and/or wants to see what Banff is all about.

Roam Transit goes between Banff and Canmore

Canmore/Banff Regional – Route 3 – Roam Transit

When in the Bow Valley, Roam.

roamtransit.com

It's usually pretty easy to find parking in Banff in the winter. Maybe not during Christmas. I usually us the bear street parkade. It's free.

 

[Mike Rogers]

Condo style lodging is a bit limited in the Banff / Lake Louise region. There is a good selection of hotels.

To live in the park, a person needs to be employed in the park. Therefore, there are no real second homes that can be rented out during downtimes. With a housing crunch, short term rentals are also somewhat limited. Canmore definitely has more options, but I think Banff is a better base for a vacation.

 

[msutherland]

I did this trip last April. Took a shuttle from the Calgary airport straight to my hotel in Banff. I used the ski bus daily to go to whichever resort I wanted to ski at. It stopped right in front of my hotel. We normally rent cars and stay slopeside when we go. I was apprehensive about this trip using shuttles but i loved it. We saved a ton of money on accommodations and not having to rent a car and the shuttle ran like clockwork. I actually enjoyed the ride as it was so beautiful and we didnt have to fool with parking. The town of Banff is awesome and is completely walkable.

 

[msutherland]

Fellow midwesterner here also planning a trip to Lake Louise/SSV this March and have run into the same challenges as you OP in finding lodging for a larger group. In Banff it seems like your options are limited to 2-bedroom suites at places like the Fox or the Moose. Our group ended up getting smaller for unrelated reasons, so we went with a loft suite at the Peaks hotel which looks nice....although the Ikon pass price via the skibig3 site was more expensive than just booking straight with the hotel. If our group had stayed around 6, we probably would have gone with a condo in Canmore and dealt with the added drive time vs cramming into a 2 bedroom in Banff or splitting the group up into two rooms which isn't as social/fun. Our group typically likes to book a nice house with a private hot tub as part of the overall trip experience, which doesn't seem to match up well with the lodging infrastructure in the park...but then again the less developed nature of the area is part of the draw. My wife and I took a summer honeymoon to Banff 25 years ago and it really is as amazing as everyone says. Looking forward to returning with our teenage son in tow this time to experience it in the winter. Good luck with your trip planning!

We will be staying at the peaks In March as well. When will you be there?