After spending four days in Banff National Park during our Summer 2019 RV Road Trip, our family drove 45 minutes northwest to visit Lake Louise. The drive from Banff provided spectacular views, as we wound through the most gorgeous valley along the way. We knew that the Lake Louise area would be extremely crowded, so we planned ahead to check into our campsite in the Village first, and then utilize a park shuttle to get us up to the lake for the day. Our campground, the Lake Louise Campground, was the perfect homebase for us while visiting.
After waiting for our shuttle at the campground, we hit the road, arriving at Lake Louise a short 15 minutes later. None of us will ever forget our first glimpses of the crystal clear blue lake water of Lake Louise, the most spectacular water we had ever seen! Lake Louise is, without a doubt, the most gorgeous lake any of us have ever seen. Grace, however, also quickly referred to the spot as “Disneyland,” as it was overrun with tourists and large crowds. We quickly made our way along the lake, adjacent to the Fairmont Chateau Hotel, to a trailhead to Agnes Lake, which had been recommended as a good hike for our family.
In my research, I had read that this particular hike had an elevation climb of 350ft, and I had talked to a Ranger prior to our departure to see if the mileage was do-able for our kids. What I did not realize was that I had read the Canadian pamphlet wrong, and the hike was really 350METERS of elevation. We very quickly realized this as we began the hike, and the steep incline had us all huffing and puffing. When I realized my mistake, we all agreed to push on. It was touch-and-go at times, but we made it to the top. With a 1300 feet elevation gain, I was so proud that the kids made the trek to the top with no assistance. It was the toughest hike of our trip to that point.
The hike wound through the trees on the way up to Lake Agnes, with some views of Lake Louise from above. We stopped at Mirror Lake, also, along the journey and to take a rest before continuing on.
Finally, we arrived at the top, at Lake Agnes. We enjoyed the amenities of the teahouse at the top, and we enjoyed the delicious fresh tea biscuits and chocolate chip cookies at the tea house, which tasted even sweeter after pushing our bodies so hard.
After hiking down (which was a BREEZE after the hike up), we sat and took in the incredible beauty of Lake Louise once more. This gem is simply STUNNING, and such a wonderful stop along our journey across Canada.
