Seeing Lake Louise / Banff peaks from a plane
Photo: Ethan Sahagun, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Glacier silt called rock flour turns the lakes here a milky turquoise. Look for Lake Louise below the Victoria Glacier and, nearby, Moraine Lake under its ring of peaks, both vivid against dark forest and gray rock.
6 of our routes pass it. Alberta
The easy pick
Seattle to Amsterdam: sit on the left, 43 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle to Amsterdam | Left | 43 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Dublin | Left | 43 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Munich | Left | 47 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Reykjavik | Left | 48 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Paris | Left | 50 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Calgary | Left | 51 min after takeoff |
From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day. Where the best seat for the whole flight is on the other side, you'd trade this sight for more elsewhere.
Questions
Which side of the plane do you see Lake Louise / Banff peaks from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (6 of 6). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Lake Louise / Banff peaks from a plane?
Mid-flight: see the table for when on each route.
Do clouds matter?
Yes. These answers assume a clear day. Within 3 days of your flight, pick your exact flight in the app for the cloud forecast.
More
Mount Assiniboine Mount Farnham Columbia Icefield Mount Sir Sandford Calgary Seattle (SEA) Amsterdam (AMS) Paris (CDG) All routes