Canada Day 3 - Lake Louise and More




Today we headed to Lake Louise (LL from now on) for another day of hiking. Forecast is rainy and cloudy. So we'll see. Or not.....


LL is probably the most famous and popular lake in Banff, if not all of Canada. It's also famous for the beautiful (and pricey) Fairmont Chateau Hotel, which we did NOT stay at. (Price is around $1,500 US per night.) LL has parking restrictions like Moraine, so we shuttled to the lake after breakfast on the 8:15 AM bus and it was raining. Very light drizzle, but enough to require raincoats and pants.



From LL we hiked up to Lake Agnes, a popular route and not very difficult. Along the way we stopped at Mirror Lake. You can guess from its name it is known for its mirror like surface. This is a bit harder to imagine in the rain. 


Mirror Lake with Big Beehive Hive behind it. 

Young man snapping our photo started early.
Still having fun after 40 years. 

We also made a stop at The Little Beehive, a rock outcrop that is famous for its picturesque views above LL. The weather sort of cooperated. Clouds came and went at each view/stop, so patience usually resulted in opportunities for good pictures.


Random shots as we hiked to the Little Bee Hive

Typical trail…
sometimes way rockier sometimes smooth. 



The rock where many pose for
iconic shots of Lake Louise. 

Here come the clouds. 

After a lunch break beside Lake Agnes, we decided on a different route back that would take us near Big Beehive. Another even higher rock outcrop with beatiful views of the valley below. The route was more challenging and Heather was a trooper. She’s a Haerr but understands plodding along and goes uphill like a tortoise. We ended up going all the way up to Big Beehive and were rewarded with spectacular views. 



Our lunch time view of Lake Agnes…wet, but wonderful. 


Headed up to Big Beehive Hive. 

Made it. What a view!


Clouds rolling in again. 

She’s a bit proud of herself. 

We then wended our way back to the valley floor and followed the glacial stream that feeds LL for about a mile before finishing our hike along the lake shore back to our shuttle pickup point.



The hotel seen from the opposite end of Lake Louise where the milky white water feeds into the lake.
Then it turns that crazy blue green. 



It was quite a bit more hiking than we had set out to do, but well worth it. About 7 miles distance and a considerable amount of elevation change. Definitely some time in the sauna and hot tub tonight…after another good meal at our favorite Lake Louise restaurant. 




Fabulous carrot cake. 

Tomorrow we leave the mountains and head over to Drumheller to check out dinosaur fossils.

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