Lake Louise-Takakkaw Falls & Lake Agnes

We drove 79 miles from Abraham lake to our Lake Louise campground. This is one of the most beautiful areas in the world and can be quite busy in the summer months. We luckily are fine with waking early and hiking further in to reduce getting caught in the worst of the crowds. We enjoyed the wild beauty of the Canadian Rockies including massive waterfalls such as Takakkaw falls in Yoho National park and spending lots of time in the mountains.

Lake Louise is a bright turquoise glacier fed lake with a beautiful hotel along the shores. Because it has become so popular it is difficult and expensive to park at the lake, but there is a shuttle system that you can purchase from a local ski lodge. We enjoyed hiking from Lake Louise up to Lake Agnes which had a teahouse to purchase beverages and pastries from. We ordered tea biscuits and a fudge bar along with a lemon-raspberry tea. We continued on to the Big Beehive portion of the trail, a section with several steep switchbacks followed by a ridge section that offered beautiful views looking down at Lake Louise. Then it was time for some downhill, yay! We connected over to the Plain of Six Glaciers trail and started to ascend again, this time less steep but no shade for several hours. Luckily there was another tea house and we had a light lunch which was delicious. Overall, an amazing day with the hike totaling 12.25 miles and 3700 ft of elevation gain. Phew!Read more