Lakes have pristine, untouched beauty all year, but there’s something especially magical about seeing them during the winter. When they freeze, and the landscape becomes blanketed in snow, the views could not get any more enchanting.
It’s like getting to see a whole new side of them, and even though it’s a little more challenging thanks to the snow and ice, you won’t run into nearly as many other visitors on your way out. These five alpine lakes are especially worth grabbing an extra coat for to see this cold season.
1. The lakes of El Chalten, Argentina
The Fitz Roy Trek on the Argentine side of Patagonia is just one of the treks that leads to the beautiful El Chalten, where milky green-blue waters tinted from the minerals in glacial runoff contrast with the peaks. The result is a scene so stunning it almost looks like a dream. Remember that winter here is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, so you have some time to get your training in for this type of grueling mid-winter hike. The reality is that hiking here in winter requires a lot of experience but appreciating its beauty does not require much effort at all.
2. Lake Superior, Michigan
The largest of the Great Lakes isn’t exactly a hidden destination, but it’s easy to forget that the 32,000-square-mile lake is actually one of the country’s most beautiful vacation spots. Whereas summer brings boating, water skiing, and swimming to Lake Superior, winter brings a host of new reasons to visit, apart from the natural beauty found all along the tree-lined shore. The lake covers a pretty wide range, touching three states, but the most magical places to visit are probably the sandstone caves at Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands. When the lake is frozen, you can walk across the surface to see the petrified waterfalls and streams in the caves, which are themselves encased in icicles. If you happen to be visiting Lake Superior from the Michigan side, you may want to base yourself in Marquette, which hosts the Suicide Hill Ski Tournament and Noque Ski Marathon (which includes a dog sled race) in late January.
3. Rawson Lake, Alberta, Canada
Rawson Lake sits under the sheer cliffs of Mount Sarrail with breathtaking views all year. It’s a steep climb, leading up through spruce forest and along Upper Kananaskis Lake. In the winter the trail also serves as one of Alberta’s best routes for snowshoeing.
4. Lake Bled, Slovenia
Slovenia’s Lake Bled is the most photographed lake in a country filled with beautiful lakes — and for good reason. Winter, though, offers a chance to gaze on the lake when far fewer people are present and when the white of snow adds an ethereal touch to what is already one of Europe’s most photogenic bodies of water. The spires of the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria tower over Lake Bled in Transylvania, creating a stark contrast to the cold waters below and the Slovenian Alps in the background. The scene is at once natural and historic, conjuring the beauty of both Gothic-era architecture and the Eastern European high country.
5. Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
Some 3.6 million visitors travel to Banff, Canada, and Lake Louise each year. Most, however, never see this high-altitude lake in its snow-clad prime, as the vast majority of the visitors come in summer. In winter, when Lake Louise is frozen solid, gazing upon it from its center is the best way to feel as though you’re inside a snow globe. You can gaze upon it while sipping a hot toddy lakeside at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, slice over it on ice skates or even while trying your hand at ice hockey, sign up for a round of Bavarian Curling on the ice, take a sleigh ride around it, or snowshoe the forested hills above.
