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Pink glitter and streamers were left scattered across the frozen surface of Lake Louise on Jan. 31, prompting a Parks Canada investigation.<\/p>\n
A tourist from California, who has been coming to Banff National Park in Alberta for more than 30 years, discovered the litter while visiting the lake that day. <\/p>\n
\u201cI’d say the Lake Louise area in particular is truly one of the most spectacular places in this world,\u201d said Kim Steinbacher.<\/p>\n
Steinbacher was snowshoeing across the lake when she spotted a large area of pink discolouration and confetti pieces on the ice.<\/p>\n
Parks Canada says it believes the litter was left behind after a gender reveal celebration.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770945609_872_default.jpg\")
Kim Steinbacher at Lake Louise heading out for a snowshoe trip. She later found litter on the frozen lake. (Submitted by Kim Steinbacher)<\/p>\n
The debris was visible from roughly 50 to 60 metres away, she says.<\/p>\n
She decided to clean it up.<\/p>\n
Steinbacher estimates there were a couple hundred pieces of confetti, and says it took about an hour to collect it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just the right thing to do,\u201d she said. \u201cI love the area. Nobody wants to see a place as pristine as Lake Louise left trashed.”<\/p>\n
Steinbacher says she doesn\u2019t use social media much but felt compelled to share her frustration online.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770945609_711_default.jpg\")
Steinbacher collected the confetti and gave the bag to Parks Canada when she filed her complaint. (Kim Steinbacher)<\/p>\n
Her post about the incident quickly gained traction, with thousands viewing it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Steinbacher did not expect her story to attract so much attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was both very surprising and surprisingly encouraging to see that everybody else was just as upset as me and that I wasn’t overreacting \u2014 that others care as much as I do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After her post sparked so much interest, Steinbacher decided to file a formal complaint with Parks Canada.<\/p>\n
![\"Snow](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770945610_507_default.jpg\")
Pink discolouration remains on the ice at Lake Louise. (Kim Steinbacher)<\/p>\n
She revisited the spot where she found the litter about a week and a half later.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could still find a lot of the powder discolouration where it had taken place,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She hopes the conversations her post sparked reminds visitors to be respectful and mindful when visiting national parks.<\/p>\n
“I would love to see people understand how precious a national park is and that these places need to be protected,” she says.<\/p>\n
In a statement to CBC News, Parks Canada confirmed it is investigating the incident.<\/p>\n
Littering is prohibited in national parks, and Parks Canada says violations can result in court appearances and fines of up to $25,000.<\/p>\n