In June of 2018 my mother and I made the road trip of a lifetime across Canada from Kingsville Ontario to Vancouver British Columbia; we spent 5 days in the Banff area and by far one of my favourite day trips I made was to Lake Louise and hiking up to the tea house. Here’s why:
There is nothing quite like walking up to a pristine blue lake while you’re surrounded by mountains with evergreen trees towering over you. It really is like a breath of fresh air. Though, let it be known that Lake Louise is a tourist trap and you will find a large number of people gathered around the lake trying to get that perfect shot, especially in peak season.
Luckily for us, early June has not reached peak tourism and while it was busy, we were still able to enjoy the nature. We parked in the ski village and hiked in to Lake Louise instead of parking right near the lake (the lot was full anyway- expect to wake up early to arrive to secure a parking spot close). The hike in took us about and hour or so and we hiked with my dog Zeus and a couple backpacks with all the snacks and beverages we would need for the day. Along the way, it was amazing views, I won’t lie, I think I may have enjoyed this trail more than the actual trail we went on to head up to the tea house. Be it more just because this trail was almost free of people which allowed me to really enjoy the nature and take it in.
As mentioned previously, Lake Louise was packed full of tourists trying to get an authentic experience and a good picture in front of the clear blue water. We stopped for a bit to rest and enjoy the view but continued on up the trail to Mirror Lake.
The trail went up and was steeper than my mother and I were used to (especially since we are from the flat region of Ontario). We stopped frequently and made sure to hydrate, and keep the pup happy with some water and treats too! While the trail was hard on my legs, it made my soul happy and there was nothing like coming up near the top as the trail got more snow covered and Zeus jumped right into the snow and rolled around like the happy puppy he was. Mirror Lake was beautiful, but because Zeus was hot, I let him go for a little swim in the lake to cool off, which pretty much made the entire smooth lake take on a ripple effect, but Z was a lot happier after that swim!
I’ll admit, there’s nothing quite like the breath of fresh air you get when you’re up in the mountains, but it gets even better when there’s a tea house waiting at the top!
My mother and I unknowingly took the “high road” so to speak and ended up going up the steeper trail (to the left of the lake) instead of using the more populated trail to the right. Though, in the end we both reflected the views were well worth the effort.
This section of trail was by far my favourite, in terms of views and the way it was off the beaten path, honestly would not change a thing. We did have to do some scaling of boulders to make it to the set of stairs at the top which leads to Lake Agnes, so this trail is not meant for everybody, especially if your mobility is limited! The other trail has views that give the same satisfactory feeling and leads to the same place!
So, once at the top, we enjoyed a picnic we had packed and some water before heading back down the trail. The tea house, was packed full of people and Zeus was pretty amped up from the excitement, so we only stayed long enough to take in the views and take a couple pictures…next time I plan to actually go in and check out the tea house, I hear it makes the hike well worth it.
We took the less steep trail on the way back down to Lake Louise, and we took our time to soak in the views!
Honestly, well worth the effort, even after parking far enough away that we ended up hiking for about 7 1/2 hours. I put this hike back on my bucket list after completing it, just because of how beautiful it was, I know I will be back here someday…I didn’t get a tattoo of mountains on my bicep for nothing!
I have heard Lake Morraine is just as beautiful with less tourist traffic than Lake Louise, which would be nice to check out as well. Have you ever been? How does it compare to Lake Louise?
I wish you all luck on your travels, as I reminisce on mine.
Cheers!
Jessica
Oh happy life 