Anne-Charlotte PasseraDiscovering Lake Louise’s teahouses was by far our favorite part of our road trip through the Rockies and the most tiresome. I wish we could have had more hikes during our trip but we just didn’t have enough time.
How to get there
If you want to make it to Lake Louise, you need to arrive before 9 am to hope to be able to park. Another option is to park nearby and grab the shuttle (it is indicated where to do so).
Lake Louise is located about 2 hours from Calgary and 45 minutes from Banff. You can check with Rome 2 Rio for the best way to get there.
So we got lucky, as we were able to park and started our walk at 9:17 am. There were loads of people and it was very annoying. I was not impressed by the lake probably because it was cloudy. I changed my mind later on.
Practical information
Before setting out for your hike, remember to go to the bathroom as there are none on the trails except at the teahouses.
We used the one in the hotel as the public one was being cleaned (such bad timing with all that crowd).
The trails to Lake Louise’s teahouses are only open during the summer. Otherwise, they are closed, mainly because of snow. Yes, it is not uncommon for snow to be around as early as September!
As you start walking around the lake, the crowd starts to shrink down. That is a relief!
I had read about Lake Louise’s teahouses and there are 2 above the lake. Both looked great and different. Since it was hard to pick between them, we decided to visit both.
What to bring on your hike to Lake Louise’s teahouses
Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes, a light jacket even if it’s Summer and bring water and snacks. It’s not accessible to strollers or wheelchairs, so bring your baby carrier.
Remember to wear layers of clothing. You’ll see that the weather tends to change while you’re going up and down the trail. When you go up to visit lake Louise’s Teahouses, you’ll keep on adding or removing clothing.
As I had done for Iceland, I bought some hiking shoes from MEC which allowed me to walk the walk. This is the model I bought. I found it to be really comfortable, resistant, doesn’t hurt your feet, and not too heavy.
Since I have back problems, I’m more careful with what I wear on my feet and on my back, especially when hiking. For that purpose, I used the backpack I had bought for our Hawaii and San Francisco trip. My little red backpack.
It’s expensive gearing up but worth it in the long run. I see it as an investment on my health. As I now have my winter and summer gear, I have no more excuses for not enjoying the outdoors more!
Feed me!
Although you can eat at Lake Louise’s Teahouse, they either might be packed or you might have forgotten to bring cash.
If you didn’t pack food here is another option.
While doing my research on The Rockies, a place whose name came up a few times was Laggans. Apparently, they can provide packed lunches and great slices of pizza.
However, we were terribly disappointed by it. We stopped by Laggans at the end of our Teahouses hike. There was hardly anything left and it was around 5:40 pm. It wasn’t necessarily their fault, but I was expecting more than 2 slices of pizza to be available. It also looks like the inside of Subway.
I don’t know what I was expecting it to look like, not a fancy place for sure, but something that matched their popularity. We ended up getting food at the grocery store next door.
Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse
We went up towards the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse first as it was the furthest away but the easiest climb from what I had read. I agree with the looks of it on our way down.
This teahouse was built in 1924 as the base for Swiss guide mountaineers. The vistas are absolutely beautiful going up and looking back.
To reach it just follow the lake outline and the horses all the way to the lower valley floor, if you see some. They hike part of the same trail going up to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse.
The horse ride is roughly 3 hours long from what I had read. As we already had planned on doing some horse riding elsewhere we skipped that option. You can’t do it all.
I am not a hiker but I enjoy walking so that was definitely an experience.
It took us a good 3 hours to reach the first teahouse as we stopped quite a few times, not only to catch our breath but also to admire the spectacular view.
Drink some tea and eat some food
We had packed some snacks and water but when we got to the teahouse I was really starving. Since it was also chilly when we got up there, I really needed something warm to eat.
The place was packed because we arrived there around noon but we managed to get a tiny spot.
Everything is prepared on the spot and if you bring garbage you have to leave with it. You can only pay by cash.
We had some soup and homemade bread (yum) and of course tea! Big Boss is not a big fan of tea but he had some. We were open to anything to warm us up. Our little meal was good!
The Abbot Pass
After replenishing ourselves and resting our feet we set out to hike the rest of the trail. We really wanted to see the glaciers and the Abbot pass viewpoint. Listen…it is insane!
It’s worth it but when you are like me and not super outdoorsy, not trained, even with good shoes on, that is hard and it becomes steep.
The extra hike is about 1.3 km roundtrip from the teahouse and the hardest part is only about 200m long.
However, it’s as if you are walking along a cliff but made of gravel. There are lots of rolling rocks especially if there are people in front that are not wearing proper shoes (slip more). I gave up at that point as I wasn’t about to hurt myself. Big Boss and Blondie Bear (10 years old) managed to finish it off (barely).
According to Big Boss, he felt like his heart was gonna jump out of his chest. He is the guy who is in shape, eats somewhat healthy and doesn’t smoke. Had I gone up I would have had a heart attack for sure.
As a side note, you get good cell reception up there as Big Boss received a call from Junior asking for some random information.
From the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse to Lake Agnes Teahouse
So after surviving all that excitement and suffering, we proceeded downwards. In other words, we backtracked, cut across the mountain (Highline trail) to go and reach Lake Agnes Teahouse. As crazy as it sounds it is survivable.
We came across a few couples carrying babies on their back. I could never do that. It was hard enough with just a small backpack and Big Boss was carrying our water. I admit I was very impressed by them.
It is therefore doable for families with very young children (ones that you can carry on your back for a long time) or semi-old (at least 8 or who are too old to be carried) but it is not a beginners hike.
View from the top of Lake Louise
On our cross over we had some amazing views of Lake Louise and its hideous hotel, what an eyesore. I’m sure back in the day when it was built it was sensational but I find it ugly.
Sorry not sorry. I know I’m alone on that one but we saw a similar type of architecture close to Banff and that would have been a better option.
Besides, coming from Europe, France to be exact, I know what a “CHATEAU” is supposed to look like and that ain’t it people! That being said, if you paid for me to lodge there I would!
We passed by the little or big beehive, not sure which is which. We didn’t go up as it would have added more mileage to our hike. From what I have read it is worth it though. The little beehive is 1km away from the Lake Agnes Tea House and the big Beehive is 1.6km.
Mirror Lake
We stopped for a halt at Mirror Lake before attacking the hike up to Lake Agnes Teahouse. I think it’s about 2km from the Teahouse but I’m not sure.
Mirror Lake… When we got there the mirror was broken. We did not see what the name entails but on our way back down it seemed to be getting fixed and all the people had disappeared.
We got there around 2ish in the afternoon and it was very crowded. The water was cold but it didn’t discourage a crazy soul to go in for a swim.
It makes for a very nice halt. There is sand for kids to play in and the water is pristine. One of the hives overlooks it but not sure which one. Why am I even bothering writing about this?
Lake Agnes Teahouse
Lake Agnes Teahouse. Yep, like the name indicates you have a teahouse and a lake. It’s a totally different vibe from the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. A bigger teahouse means more people, more families.
Prior to your arrival at the Teahouse, you are greeted by a waterfall.
It kind of felt like it was purposefully put there to make you stop and admire it before your final ascent.
The hike is rough on the legs, but it’s absolutely worth it, do not give up!
The Lake Agnes Teahouse seems to have a broader list of teas so we had some citrus ones with some pie. We were able to relaxe, take some pictures and finally make our way back down to Lake Louise.
We were completely exhausted but our heads were truly in the clouds. This was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip.
We thought about going to Moraine Lake after Lake Louise, but the road was still closed off at 5:30pm, as the parking lot was full. This would be our 2nd attempt to it.
Lake Louise’s teahouses are absolutely a must-see when you are there in the summer. Make sure to arrive early to beat the crowds and don’t forget to bring food and water.
As the saying goes: everything that goes up, must come down. Don’t forget to bring down your trash!
Where to go next?
As the combined hike to both of Lake Louise’s Teahouses is roughly 16km, you might want to only do one. The hike to Lake Agnes seems to be shorter but the teahouse is really crowded and you don’t get as good of a view than on the other trail.
If you only do one teahouse, try your luck next at Moraine Lake or head out to Emerald Lake, about 20 minutes away.
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