Banff National Park
What a beautiful day in Banff National Park, rainy weather and all. Bev, Marion, Anne and I took a two hour drive from Calgary to the Lake Louise Area of the park to explore the Lake Agnes and Little Beehive Trail.
I met Bev and Marion on my trip to Antarctica this past winter and decided on a weekend visit to the Canadian Rockies. They, along with their friend Anne, opted to take me to the Lake Louise Area for a hike, rain or shine. I’m so glad they did. I had always heard Banff was beautiful, and it was on my bucket list. Boy, it did not disappoint!
Lake Agnes Trail
With the skies clouded over and a light drizzle falling, we started up a moderate 3.4 km trail. Converting from the metric system the trail gains approximately 1,300 feet over 2 miles as it wends beneath the pines trees switching back and forth up the mountain side.
We stopped to shed some clothes, despite the fifty degree temperatures, to admire the magnificent views of Lake Louise’s aqua waters, to check out Mirror Lake, to investigate the waterfall, and finally to enjoy lunch next to Lake Agnes, still covered in ice. At our leisurely pace, we reached the tarn, located at about 7,000 feet and tucked beneath sheer glaciers and rocks that look like beehives in a few hours.
After a quick lunch, we continued another kilometer through some packed snow to a fire lookout at the Little Beehive which provided lovely views of Bow Valley. At one point on the trail we could see all three lakes…the aqua Lake Louise, the emerald Mirror Lake, and the ice-covered Lake Agnes…so cool! At the top, we found a survey marker (I may have to log that as a benchmark cache), and a Marmot den, home to a baby marmot and its mama!
Tea House
On our way back down, we stopped off at the Tea House, located next to Lake Agnes for some tea, coffee, and goodies. The inside, with the heat, was full, so we waited outside on the patio. By the time, we got our tea and coffee, it was definitely needed to warm up our insides. Our trek back down was bit slow. Believe or not, we hiked faster than the horses that were trying to maneuver down the slick path, but we had to hang behind them for a while.
Eventually, we made it back to Lake Louise, watched a wedding in the rain, wandered through the beautiful lakeside hotel, and took drive through the Town of Banff before heading back to Calgary. What a great day in Banff National Park! ETB
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when did you do this? Sounds beautiful!
I’m jealous! Banff has been on my list for over 20 years.