Lake Louise Ice Skating: Everything You Need to Know

There is no place to ice skate in Banff that is more iconic or scenic than the famous Lake Louise. Not much of a surprise, but it’s regularly been considered one of the world’s best ice skating rinks, and if you are able to enjoy Lake Louise skating in the winter, consider yourself fortunate.

Ice skating on Lake Louise is also tremendous, as the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise maintains the frozen lake. The lake is regularly cleared of snow and resurfaced, so visitors can enjoy ice skating throughout the winter despite conditions on other natural lakes.

What really sets ice skating at Lake Louise apart from the other lakes is the lake’s atmosphere. Around the lakeshore, you can find cozy fires, an ice bar, a horse-drawn sleigh that you can ride, and even an ice castle. It’s one of the best reasons to come to Banff in winter, and is always a treat.

**The Lake Louise Ice Skating Rink is now open for the 2026 skating season! You can always check what Lake Louise currently looks like on the Fairmont webcam.

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Why You Will Love Ice Skating on Lake Louise

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Lake Louise is Stunning

Lake Louise is excellent, no matter what time of year you visit. There is something magical about this fantastic lake with Mount Victoria in the background, even in the winter. Lake Louise has even been named by CNN Travel as “one of the most beautiful ice skating rinks in the world.” And with a mention like that, you can’t miss ice skating on Lake Louise while you visit Banff.

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Lake Louise is an All Natural Rink

In case it wasn’t clear, ice skating on Lake Louise is an all-natural experience. There’s nothing man-made about this ice. It’s all pure Canadian Rocky lake goodness. The lake starts to freeze around November, and by December it should be completely okay to skate and walk on.

Once the ice rink is maintained by the Fairmont, you can rest assured it’s safe to walk on, but if you’re heading out before the Fairmont opens its rink (in the early season), check the ice for thickness. Ice should be at least 4 inches thick before you can skate on it. The best way to test ice is with an ice screw. You can see a few more of our ice skating safety tips here.

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Lake Louise is Maintained Daily

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise maintains the ice rink on Lake Louise daily. They clear it every morning of snowfall and keep it maintained from around mid-December all the way to mid-April, depending on conditions. There’s no set open date for their little natural rink, it’s all based on the weather conditions.

They even have a Zamboni (a machine that resurfaces the ice). This means that every so often, they bust out the Zamboni and shave a thin layer off the top, washing the ice, and this replaces the top with a fresh layer of water that will freeze and look crystal clear.

This is quite a contrast coming from the other frozen lakes in Banff. Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake, and Vermilion are all beautiful lakes to ice skate on. The problem is once they freeze, and then get covered by what feels like never-ending snowfall in the winter, and they aren’t good to ice skate on anymore.

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Skating on Lake Louise is an All Winter Long Activity

There are so many great lakes in the Rockies where you can skate in the winter. Gap Lake, Spray Lakes, Goat Pond, and Johnson Lake are some of my favorites in the area. The key to skating on these lakes is to get to them right after they freeze (but safe enough to skate on) but before a large snowfall covers up the ice.

Sometimes, this can be a very small time window – I’m talking one or two nights! It’s all weather dependent and each year, month, and day is different. It can be hard to keep up with when you are not local!

Lake Louise, on the other hand, is good to go every single day in the winter. By mid-December, plenty of Albertans will head here to enjoy the rink, and that lasts until April. All winter long, the rink is maintained by the Fairmont. So even if you are visiting for just a short time, you don’t have to worry about missing out on ice skating in Banff.

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Ice Skating on Lake Louise is Free

Yes, ice skating on Lake Louise, one of the most beautiful places in the world, is entirely free. (Besides the price of a national park pass). There’s no charge to skate here. However, if you need to rent ice skates, you can easily do so at the Fairmont or Wilson Sports in Lake Louise Village.

You’re likely to get chilly if you are out for a while, so bring a warm drink canister with hot cocoa powder to save money. Alternatively, plan to have hot chocolate inside the Chateau.

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Admire The Ice Carvings

Every year, the Fairmont invites ice sculptures to create a beautiful and intricate ice castle out of huge blocks at the front of Lake Louise. It’s in celebration to highlight the most stunning rink in the world.

If you’re visiting Banff in late January, check out the Ice Magic International Ice Carving Competition that is part of SnowDays. This is an extraordinary event at Lake Louise and what winter in Canada is all about. This is where ice comes alive and serves as a form of art and architectural design. During this time, you can watch artists from around the world carve different frozen figures.

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You Can Skate on Lake Louise at Night

Remember when I said that Lake Louise is free? Well, that’s because it’s in a national park, which means it’s open to the public. This means if you are comfortable with it, you can skate on Lake Louise under the stars. Just make sure to bring a toque, scarf, headlamp, and warm jacket – it’s without a doubt going to be cold – and you’ll likely be all alone.

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There’s a Dedicated Hockey Rink

Ice skating at Lake Louise doesn’t just mean putting on a pair of figure skates and skating around in a circle if you don’t want to! There’s often a dedicated rink just for the hockey players. So bring your hockey sticks and a puck and enjoy it!

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Lake Louise Skate Rental Hours And Cost

There are a few options to rent ice skates at Lake Louise if you don’t have your own. Skates are available for rent in the Fairmont Chateau Hotel through Chateau Ski and Snow, located just off the lobby. You can also rent hockey sticks and pucks to use on the hockey rink.

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You Can Skate on a Bright Blue Paradise

If you’re lucky, and I mean super lucky, you might get a clear ice skate day on Lake Louise. Which means you can ice skate on a clear blue sheet of ice.

Lake Louise, every few winters, can freeze very early before a significant snowfall, and the result is a blue glass lake. It’s an absolutely stunning natural occurrence and can happen in November, but don’t count on seeing the lake this way as November is generally the worst month to visit Banff, so you’ll mainly find locals enjoying it around this time.

To see the lake like this happens for a very short window, and by short, I mean super short (think one or two days). It also doesn’t happen every year. This past year, people only had one day to skate on Lake Louise while it was clear. The key is to catch Lake Louise when it’s safely frozen over, but before the snow falls again and covers it. We missed it last year, as it only happened for one night.

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There are plenty of other things to do at Lake Louise in the winter!

There are so many amazing winter activities at Lake Louise. It’s a magical time to enjoy the lake, from skiing at Lake Louise Ski Resort to enjoying a horse-drawn sleigh ride. See the best things to do at Lake Louise below.

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Our Recommended Hotels Near Lake Louise

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What to Wear at Lake Louise in the Winter

It always feels about 5°C colder at Lake Louise than in Downtown Banff. Dress for winter when ice skating at Lake Louise! You’ll thank me later.

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Hopefully, you’ll love Lake Louise skating as much as we do! If you have any other questions leave a comment or see our Canadian Rockies travel guide for more articles about photography spots, lakes, hikes, and everything else.

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