Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse

Elevation: 2070 m
Elevation Gain: 360 m
The Plain of Six Glaciers is an alpine meadow located on the south face of Mount Whyte. The Plain features outstanding views of 6 different glaciers which feed nearby Lake Louise. Notably, this meadow is also home to a historic teahouse, which was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1927 and continues its rustic backcountry operations to this day.
My Ascents:
September 10 2023, September 21 2014, September 13 2007
Trailhead: Lake Louise Parking Lot or Lake Louise Shuttle Park-and-Ride
GPS Track: Plain of Six Glaciers

During a recent visit, my sister-in-law Jana told us that our 2-year-old niece Maren wanted to go for a hike with the “big kids” (her cousins Mera and Penny). 🥰 Having enjoyed previous Okanagan hikes with Maren in 2021 and 2022, I immediately responded: “I’ll see what I can do!”

Since this would be Maren’s first hike in the Canadian Rockies, I suggested that we attempt one of the trails at Lake Louise. While the Lake is harder to get to than it once was, it still sports a network of wonderful hikes for families and some of the finest views on Earth. As we discussed possible hikes, it started to feel like the really big kids (aka the adults) were pretty excited about going up to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. ☕ We hadn’t been up there in nearly a decade and also figured that the actual kids wouldn’t object to a treat at the top!

With the objective settled upon, it was time to deal with the logistics of getting everyone to the always-busy Lake. In that regard, my brother-in-law Craig came through big-time, and secured relatively last-minute shuttle reservations for 4 big kids and 4 littler kids on a perfectly sunny September Sunday. 🌞 With the objective and logistics settled, we departed Calgary around 8 am and met at the Lake Louise Park-and-Ride around 11 am (after a few kid-related stops on the drive west 🤮💩🤷).

LEFT: While the drive to the Park-and-Ride featured some car-sickness and a fake diaper disaster, the shuttle to the busy lakeshore went much more smoothly. About 30 minutes after we left our cars, we reached Lake Louise and little Maren got her wish: it was time for a hike with the “big kids”, her cousins 7-year-old Mera and 6-year-old Penny! ❤️
RIGHT: Unfortunately, the Lake’s serene beauty was interrupted by noisy construction of the Chateau’s new “Thermal Wellness Center” 😒 (read: a communal bathtub for the wealthy to wash away their capitalistic sins 😏). Funny, that this somehow fits within Parks Canada’s mandate to protect the area’s ecological integrity?

Even with the vexing construction, colorful autumn views of the Lake and its source, the Victoria Glacier, continued to impress as we rounded the shoreline path towards our intended trail.

LEFT: Hiking with the big kids! 🥰
RIGHT: Although our kiddie hike got off to a promising start (with 3 children walking on their own ❕), we made it less than a kilometer before progress came to a grinding halt and snacks were demanded… 🥪🍪🍎

LEFT: With a smaller appetite than the other kiddos, Mera quickly found a different way to amuse herself on a climbing route at the back of the Lake (BOTL). I think we may be creating a little mountain monster… 🧗‍♀️
RIGHT: After sating little appetites and convincing Mera to climb back down, the hike resumed and we finally managed to make our way beyond the Lake.

Silty views back towards the noisy eyesore Chateau and the much lovelier Lake. This silt (aka “rock flour”) is what remains after massive glaciers grind the bedrock below them into oblivion; it is also the reason that glacial lakes are so colorful as fine, suspended silt particles contribute to the absorption of red, orange, yellow and some blue light, while reflecting green-blue (aka turquoise) rays. Sadly, the unreal color of lakes like these seems destined to fade as the glaciers that feed them disappear at an increasingly alarming rate.

LEFT and RIGHT: After enjoying her 2-km walk along the lake with the big kids, Maren took a load off (and Craig put that load on) for the more rugged, final ❔-km hike to the tea house.

LEFT and RIGHT: While Maren and 11-month-old Lillian got to cruise up the trail in style (read: on their dads’ backs), Penny (left) and Mera (right) got to enjoy all the awesome views up-valley towards Mount Victoria on their own two legs. ‘Tis the price of being a “big kid!”

LEFT: As the trail contoured along the south slopes of Mount Whyte, the Mitre (center left) and massive Mount Lefroy (right) took on more imposing airs.
RIGHT: With the forest mostly below us, the hot sun began to take its toll. ☀️ Fortunately, there were trickle waterfalls just off the trail in a few places that allowed us to refresh one another with some playful splashing.

Shortly before the trail converged with a lateral moraine, it crossed a series of good ledges. It’s baffling to think that this moraine marked the former edge of the Victoria Glacier and that the entire valley below it was filled with ice only one to two-hundred years ago!

LEFT: The pre-moraine ledges were at least as wide and flat as a sidewalk but they proved a wee bit uncomfortable for those among us with weaker constitutions. 🙃 There used to be a guidewire along this section to help these folks and the vertigo-prone 😵 but, like so much else in Banff, Parks Canada has seen fit not to maintain it… 🤦‍♂️
RIGHT: Mera and her Auntie Jana don’t need no stinkin’ guidewires anyways.

Safely off the ledges, our group continued up as the trail joined with the lateral moraine. Normally, Craig is a giant, however, Mount Aberdeen dwarfed him in this terrain.

After a short but scenic walk, the trail left the moraine and switch-backed up slope into the forest a bit. These rocky switchbacks provided an astonishing panorama of the void valley left between the Victoria Glacier’s two lateral moraines. A few generations ago, this entire valley was filled with ice right up to the top of the moraines. Even in person, it’s difficult to fathom the scale of these rock piles and the volume of ice that’s been lost since the glacier pushed them up as it flowed slowly down-valley. On the far right of the photo, you can see what’s left of the once-mighty Victoria Glacier, while the first stage of its demise (colorful) Lake Louise is visible on the far left. Click to see larger.

Shortly after the moraine and the switchbacks, a short walk through the woods brought us to our destination: the beautiful and sun-splashed Plain of Six Glaciers. Click to see larger.

LEFT: Mount Lefroy’s sheer northeast face is one of the highlights of the view from the Plain of Six Glaciers. Lefroy was infamously the site of North America’s first documented mountaineering fatality as 28-year-old Phillip Stanley Abbott fell to his death while attempting its first ascent in 1896. Today, the pass on the right side of this photo is named in memory of him and is a common “base camp” for ascents of the surrounding peaks.
RIGHT: The other highlight of the view from the Plain of Six: Mount Victoria’s impressive, glacier-covered face. On hot afternoons like this one, it’s common to see large avalanches, as seracs break free and crash loudly down to “the Death Trap” below. While we failed to witness any on this day, we heard the impressive roar of several as they echoed down the valley.

LEFT: Lefroy and Victoria are nice, however, for the kids, the main event of the hike was undoubtedly treats at the tea house.
RIGHT: Penny approved of her icy cold mug of fruit punch and Mera reported that he lemonade was equally delightful. Who wants tea on a hot day? 🧃🫖

LEFT: The little kids, big kids and bigger kids enjoying treats at the Plain of Six Glaciers tea house.
RIGHT: While we enjoyed our bag lunches and chocolate cake from the tea house, this big fellow tried to masquerade as one of our “big kids” in an attempt to sample some for himself… 🥸

LEFT and RIGHT: After lunch and treats, we allowed our littlest kid Lillian to enjoy some free time in the alpine. 😍

LEFT: While Lilly roamed free, the other kiddos, apparently, decided that it was nap time 😴 and found a comfortable bench to settle down upon.
RIGHT: Craig also enjoys a good sit (and was smart enough to pick a different bench well away from our kids)! 😂

Eventually, we managed to rouse everyone from their respective benches and found a stranger who (reluctantly) took a family photo for us.

LEFT: With treats consumed and a good sit had by most, the time came to bid adieu to Mount Victoria and we started back down towards Lake Louise.
RIGHT: Parting Plain of Six views towards Pope’s Peak and a single golden larch tree.

Craig (and Maren) make their way back along the ledges (while trying not to look down). 🫣

LEFT: My hiking pride-and-joy: Miss Mera. 🥰
RIGHT: Jana, Craig and Maren amble down through the fall foliage towards the still-turquoise Lake below.

Back at the BOTL, Fairview Mountain towered impressively above the silt flats.

LEFT: Lovely late afternoon views during our return along the lakeshore path.
RIGHT: Lilly looks pleased to be on Mom’s shoulders for a bit. Of course, that’s probably just because Mom has more hair to pull than I do…

LEFT: After enjoying a nap on the hike down from the tea house, Maren awoke just in time for a game of “Run Away from the T-Rex” on the lakeshore. 🦖 While this was an odd choice for the current surroundings and geological era, it was very effective with respect to keeping the kids motivated and moving (RAWRRR)!
RIGHT: The biggest kid of all delayed us a little when he stopped to search for minnows in the glacial lake. 😂 I guess the Stoney Nakoda people did refer to Lake Louise as Horâ Juthin Îmne (“the Lake of the Little Fishes)…

After prying the kids (little, big and bigger) away from the scenic Lake, we got to finish the day with a shuttle back to our vehicles (which was more fun for the kids than the entire hike had been). 😂 From there, we drove into the hamlet and capped our awesome big kids’ hike with a well-earned round of burgers 🍔 and cold ones 🍺🧃 at the creatively named “Mountain Restaurant.” Thanks to Jana, Craig and, especially, Maren for sharing a great day in the mountains with us!