Where’s The Workshop

We will be in the Candian Rockies national Park. It is a collection of four national parks nestled into the Rocky Mountains. When you arrive from Calgary, you’ll enter Banff National Park. On the western side of the park, you’ll find Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. When you drive out the north side of Banff National Park you’ll enter the largest of the parks, Jasper National park. You can think of them as one very large park that is divided only for administrative reasons.

Lake Louise

The local map that you get from the rental car company is all you need to find your way out to Lake Louise. It’s not a particularly complicated route. Depending on the time you arrive, the most difficult part will be the traffic in Calgary. 

From the airport to Lake Louise is about 200km (125 miles). Google will tell you it takes a little over two hours but plan on more than that. If you arrive during the daylight hours, you’ll want to take a scenic detour.

After you pass the town of Canmore, you’ll come to the entrance to the National Park. Be prepared to pay your park fees at the toll booth. Fees are grouped as Daily or Annual fees. An annual Discover Pass is generally the best option for the number of days you’ll be in the park - especially if you spend any extra time.

After you enter the park, you will soon pass the town of Banff. As soon as you pass Banff there is an exit for highway 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway. This was the original road from Banff to Lake Louise and is far more picturesque than the sterile-looking Trans-Canada Highway. It takes a little longer but you’ll have opportunities to see wildlife and get a better feel for the area. I like to leave the driving on the Trans Canada Highway for when we finish a sunset shoot in Banff and are driving back to Lake Louise in the dark.