How to Visit Lake Louise at Sunrise in 2025
Visiting Lake Louise at sunrise is on many first-time visitors’ Banff bucket list. Witnessing the calmness on one of the most beautiful lakes in the world is sure to take your breath away. What are the best ways to see the pink rays at this beautiful location? Let’s break it down.
Can You Witness Sunrise at Lake Louise All Year?
Unlike Moraine Lake, access to Lake Louise is open 365 days a year – even on Christmas. This means you can watch the day’s first rays hitting Mount Victoria every day of the year.
What Time is Sunrise at Lake Louise?
Sunrise at Lake Louise changes every month, but one thing is for sure, it’s pretty darn early in the summer.
- mid-January: 8:40 am
- mid-February: 8:00 am
- mid-March: 8:00 am
- mid-April: 6:48 am
- mid-May: 5:52 am
- mid-June: 5:26 am
- mid-July: 5:44 am
- mid-August: 6:28 am
- mid-September: 7:15 am
- mid-October: 8:05 am
- mid-November: 8:00am
- mid-December: 8:44 am
As you can see, the sunrise is very early in Banff in the summer, and since you’ll need to deal with parking and getting to your preferred vantage point by the time the first rays hit Mount Victoria, you can count on getting no sleep in the middle of June. If you’re staying in Banff or Canmore and want to get to Lake Louise before sunrise, this means at least a 3:30am wake up. However, in the winter, the sun rises near 9am, which is great for those who enjoy their sleep!
Can You Drive to Lake Louise for Sunrise?
Yes! Unlike Moraine Lake, those with a vehicle can drive to Lake Louise. However, it’s important to note that parking is extremely limited at Lake Louise between June and early October and costs $37 per car. Despite the cost of parking, the lot fills up very quickly, and often, by 6 a.m., parking spots are long gone. So plan accordingly!
How to Visit Lake Louise at Sunrise
Drive Yourself
One of the top ways to see sunrise at Lake Louise is to drive yourself there. As mentioned, the parking area for Lake Louise is not large, and it fills up quickly in the summer. How quickly? Often before 5:30 a.m. Once it is full, there is nowhere to sit and wait for a spot to open up, and chances are none will open up for at least a few hours as everyone parked is enjoying their morning at Lake Louise.
This means if you miss a spot, you should have a backup plan for the day as you are not guaranteed a spot at Lake Louise. It’s worth noting that this is never a problem between mid-October and mid-May. Parking at Lake Louise in the winter is typically worry-free and hassle-free – outside of the holiday season. Parking at Lake Louise is also free in the winter.
If you do not get parking at Lake Louise, some of our suggested backup plans include the following:
- Try your luck at the Park and Ride Lot and get on the Lake Louise shuttle without reservation. If there is space available, Parks Canada will try to accommodate you. Tickets typically sell out before 9 a.m. on the day of departure.
- Book a Parks Canada shuttle reservation online if they are available. There is cell service around Lake Louise to try to do this.
- Book last-minute tickets with a private operator like Moraine Lake Bus Company, or Fairview Limo,
- Drive the Icefields Parkway to Bow Lake or Peyto Lake, two gorgeous blue lakes in Banff.
- Drive the Bow Valley Parkway and stop at Morants Curve.
- Head to Emerald Lake and Tak Falls. For a long day hike, check out the epic Iceline Trail.
- Take a ridge up the Lake Louise Sightseeing Gondola for incredible views of the Bow Valley.
Stay at the Fairmont
Guests of the famous Fairmont Château Lake Louise have room-to-lake access. So, if your dream is to see the sunrise at Lake Louise and it’s within your budget to stay at one of the most luxurious hotels in Banff, we recommend booking a room here.
While hotel guests don’t have exclusive access to Lake Louise, they certainly have a leg up by being able to walk out of their hotel room and be at the lakeshore in under five minutes—no driving involved!
Stay at Paradise Lodge
The Paradise Lodge is more moderately priced than the Fairmont. While it’s not right on Lake Louise, Paradise Lodge is within walking distance. A 20-minute walk along Lake Louise Drive will have you from their cute cabins to the lakeshore. Paradise Lodge is only open during the summer.
Tours to Lake Louise for Sunrise
As far as we know and have researched, there are no private tour operators that go directly to Lake Louise for sunrise. Most tour operators focus their efforts on going to Moraine Lake for sunrise. If you would like to see the sunrise at Moraine Lake and then go to Lake Louise afterward, here are our recommended ways to do that.
Parks Canada Shuttles to Lake Louise
Parks Canada shuttle buses to Lake Louise start running around 6:30-7am, which is too late to catch sunrise in the summer months. These times change slightly by month. Though you may miss the sunrise, if you catch the first shuttle to Lake Louise, you’ll get to enjoy the lake at the quieter point of the day.
Places to Take in the Beauty of the Sunrise at Lake Louise
Lake Louise Shoreline
The shoreline of Lake Louise is the classic spot to take in the sunrise at Lake Louise. From the shoreline, you won’t see the sun, but instead you’ll get a nice alpenglow over Mount Victoria. It’s a beautiful scene to take in. Unfortunately, it is very busy here around sunrise as it is the most accessible place.
Little or Big Beehive
If you’re up for a hike in the dark, pack the headlamps and make your way up to the Little Beehive trail. Once at the top, you’ll get the most epic sunrise view of the valley and Lake Louise. If you’re doing well on time, you can continue up to the Big Beehive, which is just 30-60 more minutes of hiking.
Devil’s Thumb
If you start really early (like 3 a.m.) and have previous experience hiking in the Rockies, you can get a beautiful view over Lake Agnes and Lake Louise from the top of Devil’s Thumb. However, it’s important to know that this is a difficult hike/easy scramble and should only be attempted by those who have experience hiking long distances.
From a Canoe
Guests of the Fairmont can book an exclusive sunrise canoe experience in the summer. The cost is $185 per canoe and includes a 1.5 hr canoe rental. This experience is limited to just 10 canoes, so you must book this experience in advance if you are a guest of the Fairmont. If you are not a guest, you can always bring your own canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard and enjoy the serenity of a calm lake in the morning.
Sunrise at Moraine Lake or Lake Louise
Sunrises at both Moraine Lake and Lake Louise are beautiful. However, you can likely only pick one on your trip. Trying to get to Moraine Lake at sunrise is easily the more popular option. Because of this, there are plenty of private tour operators to get you to Moraine Lake before 5 a.m. in the summer. Even Parks Canada runs its own Alpine Start Shuttle, creating an affordable way to get to the famous lake.
Because you can still drive and park at Lake Louise, there is no sunrise shuttle system in place for Lake Louise. Meaning, that because of the limited parking, it’s actually a bit more difficult to plan a sunrise at Lake Louise.
We are also big fans of sunrise at Moraine Lake, as it’s truly one of the most beautiful places in the world. If you can only choose sunrise at one lake, we say go for Moraine Lake. That is unless you plan to see Lake Louise from a vantage point at sunrise, like from the Little or Big Beehive.
Plan Your Trip to the Canadian Rockies
- Recommended Experiences: There are many things to do in the Rockies, but our top recommendation is the Banff Gondola – a must do experience! If you want to get active, consider snowshoeing on top of the world. Lastly, enjoy nighttime in Banff on this Sunset and Stars Tour!
- Want an all in one tour? Pursuit is running this special Winter Wonder tour on weekends!
- Transport in the winter: If you don’t want to drive to Banff in the winter, we totally get it. To avoid this book with the Banff Airporter.
- Hotels in the Rockies: There are many places to stay, from luxury hotels to wilderness cabins. See all our favorites here.
- Get Around: We suggest renting a car to get around. You can search for rental cars on Rentalcars.com. For a campervan trip, you can check prices and compare on Outdoorsy.
- We can help you plan your 2025 trip to Western Canada! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by planning we can assist! We’ll personally go over your itinerary, hop on a 1 on 1 phone call, or create a bespoke itinerary just for you! See our services here.
