Larch Hike at Lake Louise

I have fantastic memories of a larch hike I went on in autumn 2023 in Canada's Banff National Park at Lake Louise.  Today I am sharing highlights of that hike with you. (Info on larches below.)

Image 1: View of Lake Louise looking Southwest
(Lake Louise elevation 1731 meters/5680 feet)

The trail I took with two of my adult children starts near the stunning view of Lake Louise shown above.  The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel complex overlooks this landscape.  (The hotel is behind the camera.) This iconic vista of Lake Louise has to rank highly in lists of the most beautiful and recognizable sites in the world.  For most travelers, this view is the destination.  For some more adventurous, it's a good place to start a hike.

Image 2: Lake Agnes Trail start

We started by taking the trail to the Lake Agnes Tea House. The hike starts deceptively easy, (a paved promenade for hotel guests...)

Image 3: Tree roots on trail to Lake Agnes, Banff, Canada

but soon turns into a often rugged path with many switch backs through tall trees. 

Image 4: Lake Agnes Trail Terrain in Banff, Canada

Every once in a while a break in the trees reveals a stunning view of Fairview Mountain across the lake. 

Image 5: View of Lake Louise and Fairview mountain with larches
from the Lake Agnes Trail in Banff Canada

The view above looks southeast across Lake Louise, whose water actually appears that color.  Yellow larch trees are visible on Fairview mountain near the upper edge of the trees (the tree line).  Larch trees are pine trees whose needles turn a bright gold in fall and then loose their pine needles.  Larch trees mostly live near the top of the tree line, and blend in with other pine trees during the summer.  

Image 6: Mirror Lake in front of Big Beehive
with Larches in autumn colors, Banff Canada
elevation 2026 meters/6647 feet

Once we had climbed about 1000 feet of elevation, we reached Mirror lake (above), with Big Beehive in the background.  It was the first time we actually saw a larch tree up close!  So we trudged around Mirror Lake to see the larches.  Trudged because we were tired, sweaty, and sometimes out of breath.

Image 7: Actual encounter with a Larch tree!

We finally got up close to a larch tree! Notice that at this point we are using walking sticks, which comes in very handy on heavily uneven rocky surfaces. After actually touching a larch, we continued up the trail.

Image 8: View of Fairview Mountain from trail
between Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes

The distance between Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes and the tea house is only .8km (1/2 mile) so we were eager to reach our first destination.  But in this short distance we passed an incredible spot with a great panoramic view of Fairview Mountain.  The above photo doesn't do justice to the view. My camera can't capture what the eye can see, and my exposures and metering were not up to the scene.  This photo shows only about 1/3 of the mountain range that's visible.  But the view was incredible, and I wish I would have stayed there longer and tried to photograph it better.  

Image 9: The Lake Agnes Tea House with Larches in Fall Colors

On to the tea house!  (Hikers see the tea house before they see Lake Agnes.)  One wonderful feature of Banff National park is the Lake Agnes Tea House.  What an incredible idea!  Put a tiny tea house near a great view that people struggle to get to.  Once people arrive, hospitality awaits - you can, relax, re-hydrate and eat!  The Lake Agnes Tea House is a treasure. 

Image 10: Lake Agnes with Larches in Peak Color
Devils Thumb and Mount Whyte in the back
(Lake Agnes altitude 2135 meters/7000 feet)

The real rewards are the views of Lake Agnes!  Seeing Lake Agnes with golden larch trees reflected in the water made the hiking effort worth it.  Simply more beautiful than I can photograph. 

Image 11: Lake Agnes tea house table with a view
Devils Thumb and Mount Whyte are in the background

We waited in the line to be seated in the tea house for a long time, but while we waited we rested - and we got a table with the best view.   

Image 12: Snacks at the tea house

We were so grateful for the wonderful treats served at the tea house surrounded by the breathtaking view, especially since the climb was challenging and left the out-of-shape out of breath (me).

Image 13: Bird near the Tea House

I also enjoyed bird watching while we ate.

[ Side note: ]

• The trail, 3.3 km (2 miles) one way, rises 400 meters (.25 mile) to the Lake Agnes Tea House.
• 400 meters may not sound like a lot of rise, but a .25 mile of rise is like climbing a .25 miles of stairs or a .25 mile ladder.
• Climbing the empire state building to the 102nd floor would be 380 meters/1250 feet.
• Lake Louise's altitude is 1731 meters/5680 feet.
• Lake Agnes' altitude is 2135 meters/7000 feet.

Image 14: Lake Agnes Canada view

After our snack, the clouds lifted a bit, and we rallied to hike further.  We started on the trail rimming Lake Agnes and heading into a larch forest.  You can see the trail on the right in the photo above.  

Image 15: Larch tree closeup!

Larch trees are both coniferous (the have needles and pine cones) and deciduous - they loose their "leaves"/needles in the fall, and grow them back in the spring.  They only have their golden color in fall for maybe a week or two, so we were fortunate to hit "peak season".  We planned the vacation hoping to see the larch fall colors, but sometimes luck doesn't go your way.  This time it did.

Image 16: Reflection of Larch trees in Lake Agnes in Autumn

The reflections of the larch tree's colors in Lake Agnes mesmerized me - every step and turn changes the view.  The mountains behind the trees stretch up high and the view surrounds the hiker.  The water color astounds at many spots and angles.

Image 17: Lake Agnes trail with Larches in fall.
Mount Niblock is in the background.

Larch trees can be tall, despite appearing tiny when viewed from far away.  These larch trees were much more robust than the first few we saw at Mirror Lake.  The extra hiking was worthwhile.

Image 18: Mount Niblock from the Southwest end of Lake Agnes

When we reached the southwest end of Lake Agnes, sunlight lit a small stand of larches and another beautiful view greeted us, with blue sky peaking through the clouds that drifted down Mount Niblock.  Most of the morning had overcast skies, now the clouds started constantly shifting, sending patches of sun and shadows flowing over the trees and occasionally revealing brighter colors and hiding portions of the mountain's tops.  

Image 19: View from the Southwest End of Lake Agnes,
looking back Northeast at the Tea House

In the photo above, sun lit some of the trees as we looked back northeast over Lake Agnes.  Notice the tea house, barely visible near the center on the left side of the point where the lake meets the distant mountain. 

Image 20: View from the Southwest End of Lake Agnes,
looking back Northeast at the Tea House

Above is another angle of the Tea House and Lake Agnes. 

This blog post is getting too long, and so I am regretfully going to break this post into 2 parts.  I think this may be the longest post I've written. If any readers are still here, thank you for hanging in and I hope you enjoyed the first part of my larch hike!

Image 21: Larch Trees and Mount Niblock in Banff National Park, Canada

The view above is from further on in my hike that day, when we eventually went to the top of Big Beehive, elevation 2270 meters, 7450 feet.  ... Stay tuned for part 2.  I consider this photo of Mount Niblock of my best from that hike.

The Best Views come from
the Hardest Climbs!

Click on the images to see them enlarged.  

Have you ever been to Lake Louise and/or climbed to the tea house?

Leave a comment if you have the time, they brighten my day!

Here is a link to a topographical map of the Lake Louise area.

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Image 22: Lake Louise in Banff National Park Canada
Notice the Larches on the left tree line