Lake Agnes Teahouse And Plain of Six Glaciers Hike

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Lake Louise is amazing. The huge milky turquoise green lake is the backdrop to the luxurious Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotel. It’s a place you have to visit at least once in your life to fully understand what all the fuss is about. A magical place. But just because you’re at a fancy hotel resort doesn’t mean you can’t experience some outdoor activities. At the edge of the lake starts one of the most impressive hikes in the regions. Actually it’s two hikes in one. And for once there’s a reward at the end other than a view. Both hikes culminate in a teahouse experience that has to be seen to be believed. The Lake Agnes Teahouse and Plain of Six Glaciers is an impressive Lake Louise hike that is worth the energy.

Where is Lake Louise?

Lake Louise is a beautiful glacial lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. Less than a 45 minute drive from Banff it can easily be seen as a day trip if that’s where you’re staying. If you prefer you can stay in Lake Louise, either at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise or in the tiny village area of Lake Louise. The Lake Louise Inn or the HI Lake Louise hostel are more affordable options. But since Lake Louise isn’t very big it gets rather busy in the summer. And even the food options are expensive. I do recommend you plan to spend at least a day in the area though so you can enjoy this hike if nothing else. I stayed at the Fairmont Lake Louise for a couple of nights and it was amazing.

The Teahouses

Most hikes in the Banff area have incredible views. Instagram worthy shots of imposing mountain peaks flanked by jaw-droppingly indescribably lakes that people travel to from miles around. The whole area is so terribly gorgeous it’s insane. But while the views are a wonderful reason to hike, no other hikes have the unique pull of the Lake Agnes and Plain of Six Glaciers hike. They have something special. Two rather charming teahouses nestled into a mountain backdrop with an incredible history. Both teahouses were built by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a place for weary hikers to rest. Since a lot of the CPR founders and dignitaries were of British origin it’s not hard to see why a teahouse would be the popular choice.

Lake Agnes teahouse and Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse were built in 1901 and 1927 respectively. The remote locations in the Canadian Rockies mean that not only do hikers have to make an arduous trek there, but so do the staff. In fact, the seasonal teahouses employ staff who live on site and hike to town and back on their days off. The teahouses used to be stocked by using horses to carry the items needed. Now both are serviced by a helicopter carrying the major pantry staples at the beginning of each season. Then staff bring up additional supplies when they return to work each week. More on that later.

The hike

The hikes can be done independently of one another or together for a longer hike. The Lake Louise to Lake Agnes Teahouse return hike is approximately 2.5 hours. The Lake Louise to Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse return hike is approximately 3 hours. Or you can combine them and expect to spend 6-7 hours hiking with breaks at each of the teahouses. We began our journey at 7am and returned to the hotel just before 2pm. We first went towards Lake Agnes and stayed there for about half an hour, then carried on to Plain of Six Glaciers where we spent about 45 minutes for lunch. For the combined hike see the details below:

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Length of hike: About 19km
• Time needed: 6-8 hours depending on time taken at the teahouses
• Elevation: 900+ meters
• Parking: Lake Louise parking is limited at the open day lot. If you’re not staying at the hotel here I would suggest arriving by 7am in the summer months to get parking. Definitely before 9am.

*Please note: This was the closest All trails map I could find to the trail I did. I ended up heading to Lake Agnes first, then taking the higher route towards the Plain of Six Glaciers. I stopped at the Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse and didn’t go quite as far as this map takes. Then I returned on the lower route coming out at the top of Lake Louise. Essentially I did this route but in reverse and a little shorter. I would recommend that as the lunch and seating situation at Plain of Six Glaciers was a little better for a longer lunch break.

Lake Louise to Lake Agnes Teahouse

The first part of this trail was mostly a steady incline. You’ll be going along a lot of the roads that were put in place for the horses to get up there with the goods so you’ll have to watch your step over some of the logs meant to stop the cart rolling back down the hill. It is steep but actually not as steep as I’ve been led to believe for many years prior to doing this hike. We left at just after 7am in order to get to the teahouse for just after its opening time of 8am. The trail gets busy so earlier is better, especially if you’re going all the way to the Plain of Six Glaciers. If you’re only doing the Lake Agnes teahouse you will have more flexibility with timing.

Along the trail you will catch glimpses of the blue-green hue of Lake Louise as you ascend above it. Don’t worry, if you’re doing the longer hike there are better places to stop later to photograph it. Around three quarters of the way to Lake Agnes, you’ll come across the first big rest spot. Mirror Lake (pictured above). As the name suggests the lake captures the reflections of the surrounding scenery in the most tranquil way that will encourage you to sit for a moment, have a water break and enjoy the calm of the secluded lake. Continue on the trail until you get to a waterfall just before the steps that lead up to the teahouse. One last photo opportunity before you can rest with a nice cup of tea.

Lake Agnes Teahouse

The teahouse itself is a log cabin/stone structure that just screams back-country Canadian wilderness. The crowds however don’t. It can be busy here, a reason we started so early. But even at about 8:30 am we had other lake photographers to contend with and there were people in line for tea. Although we did manage to get a seat on the veranda of the teahouse, it was getting busier the longer we sat. Lake Agnes is beautiful, and well worth the hike alone even if there wasn’t a hot drink and a sit down waiting for us. But there was, so that made it even more special.

The chipmunks were loving the teahouse more than anyone as they scurried around searching for crumbs. Keep an eye on your stuff. They’re friendly enough but I was more worried about packing one into my backpack and finding him later in my hotel room. There are plenty of tea choices as well as some soft drinks and even hot chocolate. I got the Lake Agnes Wildberry herbal tea and it was delicious. Drinks are reasonably priced despite the tourist factor and the fact the staff have to schlep everything up a mountain. Less than $5 for a hot drink. Grab a snack for the road here if you didn’t bring any (a variety of biscuits and energy bars are for sale). If you do arrive closer to lunch time there are soups and sandwiches for sale also.

**Note that it’s best to have cash for the teahouse. Their signals aren’t strong enough to reliably use card machines

Lake Agnes to Plain of Six Glaciers

We bade farewell to our rest stop before it got much busier. There were plenty of tired hikers wanting to sit and relax in this gorgeous spot. The trail started to descend back downhill for a while. The views got better and the terrain became more rugged. Although it has to be said this is a pretty well marked route. Following the signs for the Plain of Six Glaciers we forged ahead until Lake Louise came into view again. Now illuminated with the mid morning sun the blue color started to show even more. The trail led up to a point with a roughly laid out stairway that curved around to get a ridiculous view from the end of the lake. You can see all the way to the hotel that sat, still the only structure for miles, at the top of Lake Louise.

The mountains and glaciers became taller the more we walked as our route went from forested trail to alpine meadow-like path. The evergreen trees gave way to pretty flowers. They made the dusty brown mountains we were passing a little less mundane. We constantly heard the call of marmots and other small mountain creatures. There were some narrower paths and the trail seemed busier now as we got to the rough and steep final ascent.

It was rocky under foot and the last kilometer had some significant steps and elevation until we arrived at the top. We had found the second teahouse at the Plain of Six Glaciers.

Remember to take a reusable water bottle with you on your travels, like this one from FastTech

Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse

As well as the obvious teahouse, this rest area had two other amazing things. Plenty of seating (wooden benches on which to sit and enjoy the scenery) and toilets. Sure, they were pit toilets, but still better than finding a random tree to hide behind on a busy trail. We decided, since it was almost lunch time, that this would be the perfect time for some food and a seat. The teahouse had space for us, but it was getting busy. Much busier than the Lake Agnes teahouse which makes me think some hikers went this way first. The much larger teahouse, decorated with colorful Tibetan prayer flags and surrounded by bench seating and assorted tables was a welcome site.

The menu was small but more diverse than Lake Agnes. The tea list was just as extensive and this one actually also had coffee. We opted for soup and a sandwich which was delicious. Not the cheapest but worth it for some good food ($18 for the soup and sandwich). And it was good. The bread is actually handmade there every day by the staff. It’s denser than your usual supermarket bread but full of flavor and impressively made considering the environment. They told us that the recipe is so unique because the altitude affects the bread making process in a big way. So you’ll never have bread like this at home.

**Again note that it’s best to have cash for the teahouse. Their signals aren’t strong enough to reliably use card machines and sometimes have to process the payments later in the day after you’ve left

Plain of Six Glaciers to Lake Louise

After a hearty lunch it was time to turn back. Although I must say to keep an eye out around the teahouse. It turned out we just missed a porcupine wandering through which would have been a cool sight. The way back was mostly downhill so it didn’t take us as long as we thought it might. Only just over an hour. Past the rocky path we’d taken on the way up we veered right to take the trail to the top end of the lake. As we got lower the rocky and gray terrain became full of green trees again, and we passed a river that flowed towards the lake.

As we came out at Lake Louise we walked along a boardwalk trail over the wetlands until it became the main path that runs the length of the lake. It’s hard not to keep stopping along the shores of Lake Louise to admire the beauty and the ever changing color as the light hits it in different ways. Given it was now early afternoon the path was quite busy with day trippers wandering around the lake. Even the lake was getting busy with people out on canoes in the middle of the giant lake. After almost 7 hours we were back where we started. Full of tea and a sense of achievement. But mostly tea.

One teahouse or two?

The big question is whether to focus on one of these hikes or combine them like me? I heard that the Lake Agnes trail was a difficult one. The All Trails comments mentioned the steepness and how you would be too tired to continue to the Plain of Six Glaciers. I think that’s all relative to how much hiking you do. As a fairly new hiker I found it much more enjoyable than I was led to believe. I would say if you have the day go for both. A lot of the Lake Agnes to Plain of Six Glaciers trail is flat or mildly elevated until the last push. And the way back is not difficult.

This Canadian Rockies hike is so beautiful, but I can’t say if one of the teahouses is better than the other. It’s incredible that people work and live there, and such a place exists in these remote locations. While Lake Agnes is the prettiest viewpoint, there are things you would miss by not doing the rest of the trail. The only thing to ask yourself is if 6 hours is too long for you. But chances are with some caffeinated refreshments and freshly baked bread products you’ll have more energy than you thought. My trekking poles helped me for some of the tougher parts. I recommend people take these on hikes as they are good for balance as well as taking some of the strain of a hike if you get a bit tired.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you done this hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse? Or either of the smaller hikes on their own? Which teahouse gets your vote?