Paradise Plus at Lake Louise March 14, 2019

If the word "paradise" is part of the name of the main destination then I want to be on the go list and go there!  I have been through there in the summer but never in the winter.  When we reached Paradise Valley on our snowshoes today, I wondered why have I never snowshoed here?  Why I asked?  Why?      

Today's route would be another one of those one-way treks beginning at Lake Louise itself and ending at Lake Louise Village.  Our plan was to follow the trail that heads up as if you were going to Saddleback but turn off at the junction and take the Horse Trail, then turn off onto the Paradise Valley Trail, work our way out there for awhile, return back to the bridge but then veer down along side Paradise Creek, hang a left onto Moraine Lake Road until Tramline then follow it to the junction of Louise Creek Trail and that trail would take us back to the Village eventually.

 The horse trail was narrow lined and with snow laden trees.

 The trail sign along the way which at one point was covered in snow.

We took a few minutes once we reached this junction for a quick energy boost.  

Being mid March, soon it will be time to pay closer attention to signs like this.  

We reached the first bridge and I was in awe!  This was the first time for me to be here in winter.  Why I asked?  Why have I never snowshoed here before?  Others had been maybe many days ago so we still needed to break trail to a minor extent.

 It was looking like paradise to me!

We snowshoed our way into Paradise Valley.  It was so white, so pristine, so beautiful!  Those little puffy white clouds were forming and I did not know where to look.  I admired those clouds, I spied our shadows, the mountain peaks drew me in and then the billowy pillowy snow mounds caught my attention.

 in my happy place mentally and physically

We picked our dining spot in the middle, in the wide open, under the sun, feeling the warmth.  We did not venture far off the trail, in fact we settled down on the edge of it.  A step off too far and you could possibly disappeared into the depths of that white powder.  This is my lunch time view of Saddleback Mountain.

After lunch a couple of us ventured down the trail a tiny bit further before returning to carry on with our day.  Parts of the creek were open.  That's Sheol Mountain behind me and Saddleback Mountain in the top right photo.  I was up on that one twice last summer.    

We passed by the turn off at the bridge and opted to carry on straight down beside Paradise Creek.  

This involved more trail breaking with very careful positioning of snowshoe placement.  

I checked back to make sure the others were close behind.  

It looked so pretty back there.   

Not having snowshoed here before I was curious as to where we would come out.  This was the spot right at the big corner by the bridge along Moraine Lake Road and the X-C Ski trail.  We all gathered together again before heading down the Road towards the Tramline junction.

Gosh, it was beautiful along here too and not busy what so ever.  

We did notice the cloud formation right before our eyes.  

At times it looked like a place, some thought Africa.  

From Moraine Lake Road, to the Tramline and now we snowshoed down the Louise Creek Trail. 

At the bottom of the Louise Creek Trail, we took a round about way to get back to the Village.  We could see clearly over to the ski hill and I imagined while not called paradise over there, it looked like paradise and probably felt like paradise to the skiers.

 We reached the Village and had a few minutes before catching our ride and heading on home.  

This was our route for this beauty of an adventure. 

I was already thinking I can hardly wait to get home to see my photographs of this place called "paradise".  It is quite sweet when you get to just follow all the stars as they align from the beginning of the day to the end.  I think I figured out why I have never snowshoed here before. It happened when the timing was right and that was today!