Lake Louise

Our third day in the Banff area and off we went to Lake Louise. The lake is one of the most photographed subjects of the Rocky Mountains. It shimmers crystal clear and is nestled in wooded mountains with a view of the Glacier of Mount Victoria.

We had chosen a beautiful hike - the 'Plain of Six Glaciers Trail'. The weather was so-so, rather cloudy, windy and cool, but that doesn't stop us 🙂. The trail is described as 7 km long, gradually ascending, with the opportunity to take a break in a 'teahouse' after 5.5 km.

Since we have already had our experiences with the trail descriptions here (especially regarding the non-existent difficulty level), we started well-equipped with hiking shoes, provisions, and weatherproof clothing on one of the remaining parking spaces.

As a tip for future hikers on the route, here are some information from today that might be helpful:

- the trail actually starts at the end of Lake Louise, so realistically we are not talking about 7 km one way, but rather about 8.5 to 9 km - but we like hiking 😃

- at the beginning, the trail ascends gradually, as described in the guidebook - then it ascends rather steeply and sneakers or even fabric shoes or sandals, as we have seen on some others, become a problem at the latest in the last third, when it goes over scree and ice fields. Hiking poles are quite helpful here.

- the teahouse actually exists, even though you may have doubts about it at times 😉

- from the teahouse, it is about 1.4 kilometers to the viewpoint of the rock cliffs and the Victoria Glacier, but the paved trail ends after about 500 meters. The trail continues, among other things, on trampled and scree paths as well as along the mountain ridge. Overall, the last stretch is short but time-consuming.

Is it worth it? Definitely! Even if it is cold, windy and cloudy and the light drizzle of snow doesn't exactly feel like summer.

On the way back, we fortified ourselves with tea at the teahouse (Dennis' maple tea, I had ice wine tea) and then returned to the car with many great pictures.