Photos: Alta, Utah by Sumanch, CC BY 3.0, cropped; Lake Louise by Andrew Patrick Photo, Pexels License.
Alta, Utah or Lake Louise?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Alta, Utah for
- day trips
- getting around
- prices
What lies behind each score is written up on Alta, Utah’s own page.
Choose Lake Louise for
- families
- nature and the outdoors
- wellness
What lies behind each score is written up on Lake Louise’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Alta, Utah and Lake Louise.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Too close to call, 2 points apart
Wins on day trips and getting around with your weighting.
Wins on families and nature and the outdoors with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Alta, Utah in July
Lake Louise in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Alta, Utah has no weather station within reach, so its figures come from a gridded climate model rather than a measured record, and read a broad area rather than the city itself.
Lake Louise has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Alta, Utah: 1991-2020 normals, TerraClimate 4 km grid at the town, no weather station within 90 km. Lake Louise: 1991-2020 normals, Yoho Park (11.2 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Alta, Utah | Lake Louise |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | - | French, English |
| Currency | US Dollar (USD) | Canadian Dollar (CAD) |
| Sockets | AB120 V, 60 Hz | AB120 V, 60 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-7, UTC-6 in summer | UTC-7, UTC-6 in summer |
| Emergency number | 911 | 911 |
| Elevation | 2,610 m | 1,600 m |
| Main airport | Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)37 km from centre108 non-stop destinations | Calgary International Airport (YYC)155 km from centre102 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 12 days | 13 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Alta, Utah | Lake Louise |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 228 | - |
| People per km² | 19 | - |
| Museums within 10 km | 0 | 0 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 2 |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Alta, Utah or Lake Louise somewhere new.