If you like the idea of having a tea house on your hike, this is the adventure for you! Lake Agnes was on our very long bucket list of Banff hikes and it ended up making the cut mostly because of the tea house. Having hiked mostly in the US, I had never heard of having a tea house as part of a hiking adventure, but I had to check it out! In case you are also new to this exciting concept, allow me to enlighten you! Basically, you hike up to a cool spot (whether it be a lake, a viewpoint, mountaintop, etc.) and you find that not only do you get rewarded with this accomplishment and view, but also a snack shack! Of course the tea houses vary in their shacky-ness. They can be anything but. The tea houses in Banff were quaint little houses with some outdoor seating. They are also quite old (built around 1900, I believe) and have no power, water or wifi. They are cash only and serve a variety of refreshments such as fine teas and baked goods to help you refuel for the remainder of your hike.
In the end, we didn’t aaactually end up going to the tea house (it was cash only, and I am one of those people who never has cash), but we saw it, the great crowd it drew and still love the idea of it. And it really makes me wonder what kind of hiking gear, snacks and hydration people would have had in the early 1900’s!
The Lake Agnes trail is an out and back totaling about 5 miles and 1,300 feet of climbing. From Lake Agnes you can also do an add-on and continue on to Big Beehive, Little Beehive (the iconic Banff photography spot where you can capture Lake Louis from above)
The trail begins just past the main Lake Louis viewing area. It’s a nice, manageable and steady incline. While it’s woodsy and pretty, it’s not the most exciting hike up. It is mostly switchbacks, but you don’t really notice, except that you can often peek through the trees to see the turquoise waters of Lake Louis which get further and further away.
Our day to hike was drizzly and was expected to end up with pouring rain (spoiler alert, it did end up pouring eventually). We started out with high hiking hopes and ended up cutting it a little shorter than we had hoped. If the weather and your energy level is in your favor, I highly recommend combining the Lake Agnes hike with the Plain of Six Glaciers hike. The two can be done as one long loop rather than two out and backs. We also wanted to hike to Little Beehive (to see the famous shot in person), but opted to head back while there was still just drizzle and not pouring rain.
As we approached Lake Agnes, we hiked past a lovely (but impossible-to-photograph-without-dying) falls, and then up a long set up stairs to reach the tea house and lake. Dark clouds covered the sky in every direction and the water was flat calm and crystal clear as far as the eye could see. We were eager to have a quick snack and head back before the serious rain came.
Minutes later, the sun peaked out, completely transforming the lake. With the weather playing tricks on us, we contemplated going the long way back and connecting with the Plain of Six trail. At this point, there were a couple ways to do this, but either way would add substantial mileage and given us a higher chance of getting soaked. Instead, we followed the path along the lake’s shoreline almost to the end of the lake, buying us some time to decide what to do next.
We opted to cross the bridge at the edge of the lake and make our way back down the other side of the falls. This would give us a little bit different view and loop back to connect with the main trail. It also involved a long, very steep and slightly unstable-feeling staircase. If you are afraid of heights, you will most certainly survive the terrifying experience (I did!) and you will be delighted with the views once you make it to the bottom and the trail evens out.
With a slight and steady decline, we made our way down to Lake Louis. While the rain did start to pick up, the lower part of the trail has a fair amount of tree cover which helped keep us mostly dry. We appreciated this because the areas of trail that did get pretty soggy were both muddy and slippery which slowed us down and added to the challenge.
While we missed out on the tea house experience, upon our return, our appetites took us straight to lunch at the Fairmont. It was definitely a big salad and side of fries kind of day and we enjoyed taking cover as the steady rain turned to downpour.
All Cedars and Sunsets adventure posts are meant for inspiration only. Always consult a proper map, tell someone where you are going, and check up on current weather and trail conditions. Be aware of potential dangers or wildlife threats and always pack extra water.
Be safe, have fun and keep adventuring!
XOXO – Jennie B.