Hiking to Agnes Tea House and Little Beehive, Canada.
Hello loves, hope you’re doing well and living life to the fullest! I’m super excited to share with you these amazing trails because we had so much fun hiking them. Alright, let’s get to it!
My husband (Dereck) and I went to Alberta, Canada the second week of September, a month after Canada opened its doors to all tourists. There were a few COVID requirements we had to meet before going. I recommend that you consistently check for any travel changes. Canada Travel Restrictions.
Alright, since you’re a responsible person and already have everything ready for your trip ;), let’s get to it!
Safety
Remember to always bring enough water, snacks, and a first aid kit. We took a 2 liter Hydrapak, a 32oz water bottle, snacks, and a first aid kit. Check out my hiking gear.. We also love to use the Pro AllTrails app because it allows you to download maps to stay on track without service, it keeps friends and family informed with Lifeline and it gives you information on air quality, pollen, and weather details on any map. It’s only $30 for the annual plan, not too shabby! I highly recommend it because it honestly saved us from getting lost in the past. :)
LAKE AGNES TRAIL TO TEA HOUSE
Miles: 4.6 miles (7.4km) roundtrip
Location: 51°25'02.4"N 116°13'09.2"W
Elevation gain: 1,427.2 feet
Level: Moderate
Kid-friendly? Yes!
Dog-friendly? Yes, but leashed
Wheelchair-friendly? Yes
Map: AllTrails
In order to get to the trailhead, you will have to park at the Lake Louise parking lot. Mind you, it gets pretty packed so I recommend you get there as early as possible to find parking right by the lake.
You will need to walk towards the right where the famous Fairmont Château lies next to Lake Louise. By the way, I also recommend renting one of their canoes. They're a tad bit expensive for an hour, but it was truly an experience of a lifetime, and to be completely honest, an hour was more than an enough time to canoe around the lake. I would’ve loved to canoe in Moraine Lake because in my opinion, the view of the mountain peaks looks even more majestic, however they were closed, so Lake Louise it was. Still a beautiful lake to canoe. Check out their page for more information: Canoe Rentals.
Anyway, back to the hike. Lake Agnes trail to the tea house is heavily trafficked and it has a steady incline of 400 meters, but nothing you can’t handle. The switchback views up the mountain of the Noktu Crags and Lake Louise are utterly fantastic! We were amazed by all the beauty. On our way up, we came across three lakes, first one of course, Lake Louise; the second one was mirror lake, a great pitstop for some rest before making it to the Tea House; and lastly, Lake Agnes, where the famous Tea House is located.
According to AllTrails, Lake Agnes Tea House was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1901 as a refuge for hikers traveling to higher locations. How cool is that? It’s open from early June through October. There were a lot of people when we arrived but that didn’t stop us from getting a table to enjoy a cup of tea, delicious tea biscuits and some of the tastiest lentil soup I’ve had. It was freezing cold up there in September, so those hot drinks really warmed us up. It even started snowing on us! Check out their menu for some delicious treats! Oh, and keep an eye out for Canadian Blue Jays! They’re super cute and get surprisingly close. :)
Quick tip, I recommend you take some cash because their internet service is not too great up there. We unfortunately didn’t know, so it took a while for us to pay with card. We manually had to insert our card information, so to be more respectful of their time, I recommend taking some cash. Don’t learn from us tehehe. Anyway, when we went in the tea house, we immediately saw some signs asking visitors if they could take trash back with them. There are no garbage/recycling bins at the Tea House as the staff are responsible for trekking supplies up and down the mountain. Crazy right? The waitress was telling us that they don’t trek up every day, they stay up there for a few days, and then go back down. Since we always carry a trash bag with us on our hikes, we decided to take all our trash we used back with us. Sadly, we couldn’t help take more because we were continuing our hike to the Little Beehive. But, if you’re only going to the Tea House and back, it is much appreciated if you take some trash back with you. :) If you would like more information on Lake Agnes Tea House, feel free to visit their website.
If you wish to continue your journey to the Little Beehive Trail, which I hope you do, please read on! You won’t be disappointed. :)
TEA HOUSE TO THE LITTLE BEEHIVE TRAIL
Miles: 1.2 miles (1.9km) roundtrip
Location: 51°24'59.1"N 116°14'38.1"W
Elevation gain: 1,755.2 feet
Level: Moderate
Kid-friendly? Yes!
Dog-friendly? Yes, but leashed
Wheelchair-friendly? Yes
Map: AllTrails
After our delicious treats at the wonderful Lake Agnes Tea House, we continued our journey to the Little Beehive trail. We walked back to the intersection where the trail sign marks the Little Beehive Trail and we started hiking up.
This trail is also well maintained and the incline is steady all the way to the summit. We had to stop a few times to catch our breaths because of the altitude and the cold. I have no shame in resting, make sure you know your limits and stay safe. We enjoyed some amazing vistas along the way, Lake Louise just below the Canadian Rockies and the valley of Banff as the backdrop. Truly majestic.
When we arrived to the summit, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Seeing the dusty snow falling on the larches and pine trees was out of this world. We were the only ones there, so we truly embraced our time connecting with nature. I absolutely loved hiking both of these hikes because of the many different angles of Lake Louise.
I hope you enjoy and take the most out of these two hikes because they’re truly spectacular. Happy hiking!
Love you all!
