Lake Agnes Tea House

Elevation: 2135 m
Elevation Gain: 433 m
Lake Agnes was named by Walter Wilcox for Susan Agnes Macdonald, the second wife of Canada’s first Prime Minister. Lady Macdonald visited Lake Agnes as part of her trans-Canadian tour in 1886 following the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In order to better-see the country that the newly built railway had united, Lade Macdonald famously rode atop the train’s cowcatcher. Since 1901, the shores of Lake Agnes have been home to a rustic cabin. This structure was built by the railway to shelter hikers. In 1905, it began serving tea (a tradition which continues to this day).
My Ascents:
September 14 2019
Trailhead: Lake Louise Parking Lot

After celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary atop a pair of peaks, Brianne and I enjoyed a child-free night at Lake Louise’s Deer Lodge. Despite the lack of toddlers screaming “MORNING TIME!!!” at dawn, we still found ourselves awake by 7 am (old habits die hard, it seems). With no one to tend to, we allowed ourselves the rare luxury of staying in bed. As the sun began to stream through our window, however, Brianne’s desire for coffee eventually outweighed her desire to remain cozy and warm in bed. With a few hours left before we needed to return to Calgary, I had a brilliant idea! Why not go for our morning’s caffeine fix and breakfast at the historic Lake Agnes Tea House? Thanks to our overnight stay, we already possessed a coveted parking spot at Lake Louise meaning that Lake Agnes was but a short 3.5-km-hike away! To my great surprise, Brianne agreed to my impromptu suggestion and, a short time later, we found ourselves back in our hiking clothes and en route to Lake Agnes for our morning coffee (for Brianne) and tea (for me).

Passing by the Chateau Lake Louise, we elbowed our way along the crowded lakeshore path (crux – sort of), enjoying a colorful display of flowers on a moody mountain morning.

Mounts Lefroy and Victoria disappear into the cloud above the lake’s serene, cerulean surface. Just west of the Chateau, we easily found the well-marked trail to Lake Agnes and started up.

Easy-going on the monstrously wide trail. The Lake Agnes trail isn’t exactly scenic but the lack of views (and the fact that we’ve both hiked it a million times before) allowed us to maintain a speedy pace. Motivated by the prospect of alpine caffeine ahead, we passed dozens of other groups out for a pleasant morning hike.

LEFT: After 30 – 40 minutes with little to see, we were finally rewarded with a view of the Big Beehive rising steeply above minute Mirror Lake.
RIGHT: Following the trail around the north of Mirror Lake, we soon found ourselves on steep switchbacks with improving views towards nearby Fairview Mountain.

LEFT: A rock band and waterfall form the hike’s final defenses. Immediately above, we could hear the caffeine calling us!
RIGHT: Brianne makes unusually quick work of the cliffs below Lake Agnes. If only all Rockies rock bands were this easily overcome!

LEFT: A gloriously golden larch greets us as we arrive at Lake Agnes about an hour after setting out.
RIGHT: Taking in the views across the Bow Valley as the lake water plunges steeply down a headwall and begins its journey down towards Mirror Lake and, eventually, Lake Louise.

The Devil’s Thumb and Mount Whyte tower impressively above the calm lake while amber hues herald autumn’s arrival. In a word, this scene could be described as serene…

…But it is not! Like everything associated with Lake Louise, the Lake Agnes Tea House now attracts hordes of visitors. Ultimately, the wait in this queue took longer than the actual hike had!

LEFT: Luckily, I had a lovely wife to hold my place in line! As a result, I could explore around looking for unique photo opportunities. After scrambling down the south side of the nearby cascade, I found this lovely view of the tea house perched high atop the waterfall-draped headwall.
RIGHT: When I returned from my waterfall exploration, we’d neared the front of the line and were enjoying a seat inside the historic tea house shortly thereafter. As we consulted the menu to place our order, a grim reality dawned on Brianne. This Tea House does not serve coffee! So much for my suggestion that we grab a romantic anniversary coffee at Lake Agnes! Fortunately, my wife is a good sport and made do with a breakfast tea instead.

After spending an absurd amount for tea and biscuits, we left the Tea House, grabbed an anniversary selfie at the lake and started down (motivated to finally get Brianne her morning coffee!).

For variety, we descended the good trail to the south of Lake Agnes (which returns to Mirror Lake anyways). This trail was no more lengthy or difficult than the one which we’d ascended and it did offer these pleasant fall views towards Haddo Peak and Mount Aberdeeen.

Enjoying the small things as we hiked back down towards the Lake Louise gong show. While the crowds were just as horrific as before, we knew that we would, at least, find a coffee down at the lake. Of course, once we arrived, we deemed the lineups too long and retreated to Canmore before finally getting Brianne her morning coffee (around 2 pm)!

I guess we’ll need to find a hike to a coffee house to celebrate our next anniversary! 😂 ☕