Banff National Park is one of the most popular National Parks in North America. It has many shining jewels, one of them being Lake Louise. It wasn’t always Lake Louise though- it was once named Emerald Lake but the popularity of the Chateau Lake Louise led to the renaming of the lake. In the winter it freezes over, but in the summer it’s a striking turquoise color. Surrounded by gigantic mountains, Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy, it is a picture perfect alpine lake that does not require a long hike in the wilderness to access.

There are multiple trails that start from Lake Louise, one of them being the Lake Agnes Trail to the Lake Agnes Teahouse. In early May the trail still had a layer of snow on it- doable without spikes and hiking poles, but hiking boots recommended. People had post-holed closer to the end of the hike, and there was ice that you needed to take care around while hiking back down.

The Lake Agnes trail starts along the lake, just past the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. It does have an incline but it’s not super steep at any point and there are some switchbacks which help. With a slower pace than normal due to the snow, it took me 2 hours 10 minutes (including spending ~20 minutes at the teahouse). When you reach Mirror Lake, you are about 2/3 of the way there and when you reach the waterfall and stair case, the Lake Agnes Teahouse is just above that.

The Lake Agnes Teahouse is open from June through October so it wasn’t open when I went. But, Lake Agnes is another stunning lake to behold and there are places you can sit to enjoy a snack and enjoy the view even when the teahouse is closed. There are other trails that you can from here, such as a hike to the Big Beehive. This trail goes around the perimeter of Lake Agnes, but if you don’t want to hike to the Big Beehive, you’ll see it on your hike from Lake Louise to Lake Agnes anyways.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Lake Agnes Trailhead is just past the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Many people drive, but depending on the time of year the parking lot can fill very quickly. There is a public transportation option that leaves from the Banff Highschool Transit Stop. There are two ticket options- one for a reservation and one for general boarding. During the bus season it might be best to purchase a reservation ticket as these ones are guaranteed a seat on the bus. It is a 50 minute drive between downtown Banff and the lake.

MILEAGE

4.6 miles out and back

ELEVATION

On the hike you’ll gain 1,427 ft, but the hike starts at 5,249 ft. For those not living in mountain towns, this might cause one to get exhausted more easily, so bring water!