Lake Louise | |
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Unincorporated community | |
 Lake Louise, with which the community shares its name, pictured in June 2018 | |
  Lake Louise Location of Lake Louise in Alberta Show map of Alberta Lake Louise Lake Louise (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Coordinates:51°25′31″N116°10′50″W / 51.42528°N 116.18056°W /51.42528; -116.18056[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Alberta's Rockies |
| Census division | No. 15 |
| Improvement district | Improvement District No. 9 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Improvement District No. 9 Council |
| • MP | William Stevenson (C) |
| • MLA | Sarah Elmeligi (NDP) |
| Elevation | 1,600 m (5,200 ft) |
| Population (2011)[3] | |
• Total | 691 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Postal code span | |
| Area codes | 403,587 |
| Highways |  Highway 1 (TCH) |
Lake Louise is anunincorporated community withinBanff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Named afterPrincess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, it lies inAlberta's Rockies on theBow River, 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast ofthe lake that shares its name. Initially settled in 1884 as an outpost for theCanadian Pacific Railway, Lake Louise sits at an elevation of 1,600 m (5,200 ft), making it Canada's highest community.[citation needed]
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Prior to the arrival ofEuropeans, localindigenous peoples were the only inhabitants ofthe foothills of theRocky Mountains—including what is today Lake Louise—where they hunted the once-widespreadbison, as well aselk,moose and other big and small game animals, in addition to fishing the rich waterways and foraging off of the many species of edible and medicinal plants in the region. In thelanguage of theNakoda people, Lake Louise is calledHo-run-num-nay, meaning "lake of the little fishes".[4]
During the 1870s, construction of theCanadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began, with the route going throughBow Valley. A Nakoda guide took CPR workman Tom Wilson to the site in 1882, and Wilson named it 'Emerald Lake'. The community was later called 'Holt City', and then 'Laggan', before being renamed Lake Louise. A ca. 1890 CPR station was replaced in 1910, but continued to be used by the railway company for other purposes until it was donated toHeritage Park Historical Village,Calgary, in 1976. The depot was moved to the park, where it was restored in the style of the era when the village was called Laggan.[5] The1910 station was declared a heritage railway station by the federal government in 1991,[6] having been well-preserved and operating today as a restaurant.[7]
Lake Louise was added toRocky Mountains Park in 1892, and has subsequently become an international tourist destination, made more accessible by its location near theTrans-Canada Highway.
The community is inDivision No. 15, one of19 census divisions of Alberta and the federal riding ofBanff—Airdrie. It is beside theTrans-Canada Highway (Highway 1), 180 km (110 mi) west of Calgary.
Lake Louise experiences asubarctic climate (Köppen climate classificationDfc). Annual snowfall averages 279.1 cm (109.9 in) and although winter temperatures can fall below −50 °C (−58 °F) in January and February the averages are −18.4 °C (−1.1 °F) and −17.6 °C (0.3 °F) respectively. Summers consist of frosty mornings and crisp, cool days. Snow can occur in any month of the year. Since lower elevations on said latitude havehumid continental climates instead, it may also be described as a subalpine climate. Because of its highdiurnal air temperature variation and high altitude, the frost-free period averages only 14 days.[8]
| Climate data for Lake Louise Climate ID: 3034480; coordinates51°26′N116°13′W / 51.433°N 116.217°W /51.433; -116.217 (Lake Louise); elevation: 1,524 m (5,000 ft); 1981−2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) | 13.9 (57.0) | 17.0 (62.6) | 26.5 (79.7) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.1 (88.0) | 34.4 (93.9) | 32.2 (90.0) | 29.0 (84.2) | 26.1 (79.0) | 18.3 (64.9) | 12.2 (54.0) | 34.4 (93.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.4 (22.3) | −1.7 (28.9) | 2.9 (37.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | 12.7 (54.9) | 16.7 (62.1) | 20.4 (68.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 14.7 (58.5) | 7.3 (45.1) | −1.7 (28.9) | −6.9 (19.6) | 7.2 (45.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.0 (10.4) | −9.7 (14.5) | −4.7 (23.5) | 0.9 (33.6) | 5.8 (42.4) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 11.9 (53.4) | 7.1 (44.8) | 1.1 (34.0) | −7.1 (19.2) | −13.0 (8.6) | 0.2 (32.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −18.4 (−1.1) | −17.6 (0.3) | −12.3 (9.9) | −5.8 (21.6) | −1.2 (29.8) | 2.8 (37.0) | 4.7 (40.5) | 3.6 (38.5) | −0.5 (31.1) | −5.1 (22.8) | −12.6 (9.3) | −19.1 (−2.4) | −6.8 (19.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −52.8 (−63.0) | −50.6 (−59.1) | −44.4 (−47.9) | −33.9 (−29.0) | −27.8 (−18.0) | −10.0 (14.0) | −7.0 (19.4) | −7.5 (18.5) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −32.0 (−25.6) | −44.0 (−47.2) | −49.4 (−56.9) | −52.8 (−63.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 52.4 (2.06) | 47.9 (1.89) | 37.3 (1.47) | 32.3 (1.27) | 59.9 (2.36) | 54.3 (2.14) | 56.4 (2.22) | 53.9 (2.12) | 41.9 (1.65) | 37.7 (1.48) | 57.4 (2.26) | 48.7 (1.92) | 543.8 (21.41) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.7 (0.03) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.5 (0.06) | 9.0 (0.35) | 32.8 (1.29) | 54.1 (2.13) | 56.4 (2.22) | 53.6 (2.11) | 39.1 (1.54) | 19.0 (0.75) | 2.4 (0.09) | 0.0 (0.0) | 268.7 (10.58) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 51.3 (20.2) | 33.4 (13.1) | 36.4 (14.3) | 23.5 (9.3) | 7.1 (2.8) | 0.2 (0.1) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.8 (1.1) | 18.7 (7.4) | 57.0 (22.4) | 48.8 (19.2) | 279.1 (109.9) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 12.0 | 8.1 | 9.9 | 8.2 | 13.3 | 16.5 | 14.9 | 14.2 | 11.6 | 11.3 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 143.9 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.38 | 2.6 | 11.9 | 16.5 | 14.9 | 14.2 | 11.2 | 6.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 78.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 11.9 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.93 | 6.0 | 12.1 | 11.5 | 68.5 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada[8] | |||||||||||||
Lake Louise recorded a population of 691 in the2011 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada.[3] Residents often change year to year, with workers in the service and tourism industries moving to the area for work.[18]
Lake Louise is administered byImprovement District No. 9.[19]
The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) runs adjacent to the community whileHighway 1A begins at the entrance to the community. The southern terminus of theIcefields Parkway (Highway 93) is just north of the community.
Lake Louise travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Lake Louise, Alberta | |
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