Alberta in fall is such a magical place. The air is crisp and the colours are a rich golden and warm orange. The tourist season slowly dies down (although larch madness is still well and truly a craze - but I’ll get to that later!) and there’s a tranquility that comes as everyone slowly prepares for winter. It’s the perfect time to connect with the beauty of our natural environment. Here are some of the things I recommend doing if you’re visiting Alberta in the fall season!

Author’s Note: At the time of writing, private vehicles were allowed on to Moraine Lake Road (with limited capacity). However as of Jan 2023, Parks Canada has announced that the road will be closed to personal vehicles, with access being only by shuttle or commercial buses. This impacts anyone wanting to do sunrise/sunset hikes — I would suggest researching alternatives!

Hiking

Larch Valley Hike

• Easy - Moderate trail
• 8.9km / 607m elevation gain
• 3 - 4 hours
• Trailhead start: Moraine Lakeshore

Arguably the most famous of autumn hikes and the one requiring the most planning, the Larch Valley Hike is an easy - moderate trail that takes about 4 hours to complete. By the end of September/beginning of October the popular “Larch Season” comes alive with golden larches and autumn foliage peppering the mountain sides. This lasts only a couple of weeks and people all over the world descend on to Lake Louise and Banff around this time. With such a short timeframe and the road to Moraine Lake closing within the season, Larch Madness is real.

With switchbacks giving you more elevated views of Moraine Lake, gorgeous little off-trails that show dense larches and a lot of variety in landscape making it more interesting, this hike is well worth it! We did see kids walking on the trail, but keep in mind there is a lot of uneven terrain and a few narrow sections that don’t have rest spots.

The Larch Valley Hike starts at Moraine Lake and there are a few things to note before planning your trip:
— Moraine Lake is accessed by an 11km road, which is only open from June till the second week of October (around 5 months of the year)
— Parking is a big issue at the lake. It is free however limited and is full by 5am on most days. I tried heading in at 2:30am during Larch season and found that it was already full. Apparently people had been waiting since 10pm the night before to catch sunrise at the lake.
— In the last few years due to the popularity of the lake, Parks Canada has implemented a Park and Ride system. Visitors park their car at the Lake Louise Ski Resort and take a shuttle to Moraine Lake. This does get booked out too however so make sure you plan ahead and book in advance.

Arnica Lake Hike

• Moderate trail
• 9.3km / 758m elevation gain
• Trailhead start: Banff-Windmere Parkway, close to the border between BNP and BC

Quite the trail, this hike is another gem for autumn season. The Arnica Lake Hike is an extension of another trail called Vista Lake. The entrance to the trail is located on the Banff-Windmere Parkway, 8 minutes away from the Trans-Canada highway. In the summer season, the parking lot fills up fast, so I recommend heading early for this hike!

Just after the trek down to Vista Lake, you’ll be winding up through forest areas, crossing multiple creeks and waterfalls and eventually the larches! At peak season, the larches can be seen all over the ridges, on top of the ranges and skirting Arnica Lake shores. Watching the sunrise hit the mountains and enveloping the larches in fiery golden hues is something quite special. Keep an eye out for a special meadow that looks up to the mountain - it’s perfect for taking a rest and snapping a few photos. With steep ups and downs, and most of the elevation gain done on switchbacks, this is definitely a more moderate hike.

Saddleback Pass

• Moderate to Hard trail
• 7km / 600m elevation gain
• 4 hours
• Trailhead start: Lake Louise Lakeshore

For the more avid hikers, this one is for you. Nestled between Mount Fairview and Saddle Mountain, the Saddleback Pass climbs up larch-laden trails with one of the best views of Bow Valley and Mount Temple. Another great alternative to the ever-popular Larch Valley hike, the mountain comes alive in late September to early October, with larch season bringing honey dipped trees and fall temperatures. Personally, if you were to do only one hike, I would suggest this one, mainly for its accessibility - a sunrise climb seems to still be an option as opposed to Moraine’s Larch Valley.

The trailhead starts at the left side of the Lake Louise lakeshore past the boathouse. A constant grind inclines the whole way through and with enough elevation you’ll be strolling under golden trees and enjoying views of Mount Temple as you ascend even higher. There are switchbacks and a few boulders that require careful footing so make sure you are wearing appropriate footwear.

One more tip for this trail - do check AllTrails reviews left by fellow hikers. They provide updates on conditions of the trails and in some cases, snow may fall early at the top (which may require you to bring ice spikes). Failing this, you can always give the Lake Louise Information Centre a ring the day before, just to make sure conditions are safe.

Paddling

Abraham Lake

Abraham Lake is home to the famous ice bubbles in winter but did you know that it is also home to a lot of deciduous trees in the fall? In the months of September and October, the trees come alive in rich golds and oranges - you can even find a lot of them standing right on the water. I am always grateful for the privilege of being able to paddle between these beautiful sunken gilded trees.

Don’t be deterred by the weather either. When we arrived it was foggy and gloomy, but we decided to stay for a while, taking pictures and enjoying the serene landscape. After a couple of hours, the weather totally changed with blue skies and bright sunshine coming through - allowing us to capture all the beautiful autumn foliage.

I hope this post makes you consider visiting Alberta in the fall season! It’s such a treat to be able to go leaf peeping and enjoy all that North America fall has to offer! x