- Distance: 18.2km
- Elevation gain: 1,017m
- Time it took me: 5 hours (with stops and a lunch break!)
- Difficulty: Moderate (AllTrails rated Challenging)
- Best time to go: The tea houses are only open from June-October, but this is also peak season for tourists, so definitely make it an early morning as the parking lots fill up by 7am!
- Otherwise, they have shuttles available (which you can pre-book as well). I did this hike on May 30th, which, by the way, is still a part of avalanche season, if you are thinking of heading into the Plain of Six Glaciers, which is notorious for its avalanches.
AllTrails Link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/canada/alberta/plain-of-six-glaciers-big-beehive-lake-agnes-tea-house
Land Acknowledgement
These lands and waters are Treaty 7 territory and is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded home to the Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, Stoney Nakoda, Blackfoot, Siksika, Tsuut’ina, and Métis peoples. I’d like to thank them for sharing their land with us so we may have the opportunity to experience and appreciate the beautiful glacial lakes, pine forests, glacier-topped mountains, diverse forms of wildlife, and culture-rich lands of Banff National Park.
*I had trouble finding a specific land acknowledgement for the Lake Louise area and so I created one using https://native-land.ca/. If I have missed any treaty lands and/or nations, please let me know in the comments so that I may rectify my mistake in this post 🙂
Hiking the Plains of Six Glaciers – Big Beehive – Lake Agnes Teahouse
If you’ve ever been to Banff, you’ve likely heard of the infamous Lake Louise. It boasts millions of tourists each year and really is the star of many Canadian postcards. For some, visiting the lake and village below it is enough to suffice their travel goals for the national park. Maybe they’ll even rent a canoe for an hour or two to get those perfect photos for the gram. But the real gems of Lake Louise lie hidden among the glaciers and forests surrounding the lake, for those happy to hike a bit, that is.
I’ve visited Lake Louise on many occasions with my international friends from summer camp. Typically, we’ve done the Lake Agnes Teahouse hike, which is gorgeous on its own. But did you know there was another tea hut? Honestly, yeah, there are signs for it… and maps… and I’m sure other blogs such as this one. I was just never observant enough to look through them and take notice.
When I found I had a few days off on my own, I was adamant on going on my first ever solo hike. My criteria being that it had to be a SUPER busy trail, as I’m terrified of bears (don’t worry, I still carried bear spray and everything). So in looking up Lake Louise, one of the busiest places in Banff that I knew of, I found out about the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. I was curious. And figured it was time that I challenged myself a bit.
Here’s some tips for hiking the Plain of Six Glaciers – Big Beehive – Lake Agnes Teahouse trail:
- Get to the Lake Louise parking lot EARLY: Even though I went in the ‘off season’ (May 31st), the parking lots were nearly full by 9am. I also went on a weekday (a Wednesday) and ended up sleeping in a little later than I had planned. Regardless, this is a tourist hotspot, so if you don’t plan on getting up early to be at the lake lots by 6am, then book a shuttle, or maybe try out a less famous hike…
- Bring the Ten Essentials (and bear safety equipment!): I had seen families and couples hiking with only one water bottle each and no bear spray. While I didn’t have to use my can personally, I had overheard some Parks people dealing with a bear kill at the first teahouse (Plains of Six Glaciers) -I’m not sure how recent the bones were, but still a pretty decent reminder that bears like tourist traps too. I also learned about a week after my hike that the Plains Teahouse had only recently reopened due to being the home to a Grizzly family with cubs. Disregarding the anecdotes, bear spray and extra water are always a must.
- When AllTrails fails, GoogleMaps apparently has hiking trails as well?: The Lake Louise to Lake Agnes Teahouse trail is fairly straightforward, but the junction trail from the Plains of Six Glaciers to Lake Agnes? A little confusing… Especially with snow covering a good component of the trail. When my AllTrails app malfunctioned, I figured I’d go out on a limb and check GoogleMaps, which, to my surprise, also had the walking path marked out neatly? It helped me get back on track after the snow-covered crossings, but I’ll definitely be looking into more reliable navigational features in the future, as I’m sure I won’t always be able to rely on my phone and having cell service in the forest.
- Don’t be afraid to be friendly: Lake Louise, and Banff in general, hosts travelers from all over the world on a daily basis. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and say hi to some of them! I had asked a sweet looking older couple if they could take my photo on the hike and I noticed they had a French Canadian accent -turns out, we lived about thirty minutes apart back in Ontario/Quebec! Hikers in general tend to be a friendly crowd and you’ll never know who you’ll get to meet until you try talking to them.
- Last but not least, take a cold plunge: there is absolutely nothing better than dipping in a glacial lake after a hike on a hot day! I’ve made it a tradition to either dunk my head or dive into any body of water at the peak or end of the trip, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to resist the icy blue waters at Lake Louise. When I dunked myself at the Lake Agnes Teahouse, there was a chorus of cheers from passing hikers, which hyped me up aptly for my descent!
At the end of the day, I’d have changed the rating of this hike to Moderately Challenging as opposed to its current Difficult rating, but overall, this hike was worth every kilometre, and in the future, I’d definitely recommend doing an earlier hike when the teahouses are open!
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