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Old Dec 11, 2019, 5:25 am
  #5  
CanadaDH
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,714
Originally Posted by kcaluwae
Thanks for the info, I will have another look at the activities that we want to do to see if staying at Lake Louise is an option.
Lake Louise is in the middle of nature, which looks really attractive, but if we want to take part in activities that leave from Banff we would need to drive 40-minutes (one-way). I'm OK doing that once but not every day.
Maybe a combination of a few nights in Lake Lousie and some in Banff will work best.
If you have the time, then staying at both is a good option. Last year I split up my February ski trip with a week at each of Banff and LL. This year, I'm back to all LL. It depends on what's right for you. The Banff Springs has great facilities on site, including one of the best hotel spas you will find. It is also close to the Banff townsite, so if you want to walk the streets of town and do some shopping, then BSH is closest. But, many of the outdoor activities you will do, even if closer to Banff, might involve a drive anyway.

If you want great spas, shopping and dining in a nice mountain setting, then BSH is the choice. If you're there to ski, skate, ice climb and hike, then CLL is the choice. If you want to do both, then it's a tough decision, and splitting your time might make sense. But don't discount Jasper entirely. If you're OK with the 4-hour (mostly boring except the last 30 min) drive from YEG to get there, it's really nice. But take caution if you wanted to drive between Lake Louise and Jasper in the winter. The Icefields Parkway is beautiful drive, but it's not maintained to normal highway standards in the winter, they don't use salt nor do they plow down to bare pavement, and it has frequent closures, sometimes for multiple days, for avalanche control (sometimes planned, and sometimes not). I've done the drive in the winter, and it can be fine, but have some flexibility and don't plan to catch a flight out of YYC from Jasper on the same day.
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