Lake Louise Things to Do Tips by DPando

I got Lake Louise after spend a weekend in Calgary on a friend's pad at mid morning. Perfect time to buy something on the grocery store next to the visitors center. Just after unpacked my stuff i wore my hiking boots towards Moraine lake and Lake louise... the road is so steep after Lake Louise village and leads to the fork after 2km among Moraine and Louise...such a disappointment.. the road was closed due to the bloody berry Bears season ..it means that there are many chances to cross your way with bears getting ready for the winter. Such a pitty.. so i had to go to Louise where i parked my toyta yaris rented in San Francisco in the huge parking lot..
This treeking would be the starter one before the huge train of next day in Yoho National Park (BC) and 40 kms away from Lake Louise.. so after 100 meters from the parking lot you get dazed for a great landscape crowded by people doing the same ..pictures to the lake as a mirror of the six glacier plain just in front and the mountains more than 3000 m high

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Address: Banff National Park

Trail begins on the right side of the lake . A mixture of trail that begins in old-growth forest of spruce and fir before leading to an open view of the waters below (the magical blue of glacier-fed Lake Louise ). This part of the trail is quite steep, some guides tell about 4h round trip but no way it just take to me 2h to get there and come back . Further up the trail, slightly less than one kilometre from the teahouse, Mirror Lake appears offering a nice view and a chance to rest. At this point there are 2 options ..going left or right ..actually its a loop but going by the left side u have a steps next to the huge rockover you that leads to the Agnes lake teahouse but you can go straight and take the option to hike up to Beehive lookout point over Agnes lake and it worth absolutelly

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Address: Banff National Park

Here it is ...after 1h hiking fast i reached Agnes Lake where a small closed cottage welcomes people with a stunning view of the lake half-frozen and on the other side you peer out the main road from Banff to Jasper (Icefield parkway) From there i got down from the easier side in order to make a loop and hike the Big Beehive that looked threatenig from below

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Address: Banff National Park

I felt so impressed when i saw that horrible hotel in a beautiul place like lake louise.. awful, horrible such a mistake i thought .. and why some bastard did that in that place !! I tried all the times to shoot pictures erasing the hotel on them .. because I guess that hotel spoil the overview of mountains, glaciers, forests, lake..

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Address: Lake Louise Banff National Park.

From mirror lake there are two options to climb to Big Beehive..the first is taking the fork to the left leaving the lake to your right and get straight towards valley of six glaciers. Just before the first kilometer there's a detour to the right so steep from the first moment.. leaving back a precious sight of Lake Louise from the heights and with nobody to disturb you. That detour will guide you for a kilometer more that seemed to me 3 or 4 to the pass on the top.. a switchback narrow trail full of rockies and sand so strenous and demanding so much effort.. there's so much gradient !!
Once in the pass was all covered by snow.. from there turn right to get to the edge of the beehive where a cottage is waiting your visit. This last part is so beautiful and looks like a maze ..sometimes the you lose the path just for a while ..there's no other way but get straight..
Such a peacefull moment just there alone with a grand valley overview on my first day in canadian rockies.. i cant demand much for my first day !!!!

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Address: Banff National Park

This picture is lake Agnes from the top of Big Beehive.. you can see the slope that you have to hike to get there...and in fact i wanted to doit but it was impossible... the steep trail was totally frozen.. there wasnt footprints on the trail, even mines .. i tried for 5 or 6 meters and it was unaffordable.. so risky and i had to make grand efforts to come back to the start point (just 5 meters up)... so i had to go down from the same trail where i got there towards Mirror Lake and after Lake Louise..

This way ended my first day hiking in canadian rockies.. After that i took a shower and i took the car to discover Yoho national park and chances to hike next day

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Address: Banff National Park

On my third day in Lake Louise I had to improvise because on my hostel advised me not to go to Paradise Valley area or Moraine Lake due to bears activity, and such a blast. They told me was fined so i couldnt go to that area and Sentinel pass.. so i took my car and drove some kilometers towards Banff... i cant give you the exact km point where is the parking lot but driving carefully you will find the place on the right side of the road.. On the parking lot nobody was there..just me and my car. hopefully i wont find anybody on my day hike. I got ready all my stuff and lets go .. the first 200 hundred meters the path is plain and with no other dificulty but mud and a narrow one in order to get the mountain slope. i knew that the hike will be for 6 kilometers and it was real, 6km so steep in so many parts that require a good trim and despite the path is quite wide is so steep and hard on some gaps. Walking alone by this lands made me so so happy and I miss so much remembering those moments.. the trail runs beneath lush fir forests on the upper part and other tree species during all hike crossing several times the stream that falls down all the way from Taylor lake and the mountains and glaciers some thousand meters higher.
Final meters never arrive..or seems that... due to you can see that the forest is less depper and the sun shine some parts of the path till at last u get a muddy plain (like marshes) straight to the lake bending a little bit to the right to reach the "picnic" area .
the first view of the lake and the mountains around is terrific, stuning, glorious. Just me and nature, why more !!

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Address: Banff National Park