Lake Agnes Tea House Hike Guide

The hike to Lake Agnes Tea House is a very popular and beautiful route near Lake Louise. Located in the stunning mountain setting in Banff National Park, The Lake Agnes Tea House is a tourist hot spot, bringing in hundreds of visitors each year to its shores and surrounding areas.

Built in 1901, this charming hut once sheltered hikers and now serves tea and food since 1905. This family run tea house is a must see if visiting the Canadian Rockies.

This Lake Agnes Tea House hike guide will provide all the information you need to spend the day exploring the area.

Lake Agnes Trail Information

• Route: Lake Louise to Lake Agnes Tea House
• Distance: 7.6km
• Elevation Gain: 400m
• Type: Out and Back
• Difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit Lake Agnes

This hike is best enjoyed during the summer months of June to September, when the temperatures are ideal and the snow has melted from the slopes. The tea house itself is open from June to October and closed from November to May. While it is possible to visit Lake Louise in October, the probability of snow increases as the month proceeds.

Trail Safety/Conservation

Make sure you read the full trail report before departing, as trails can close due to avalanches and bear sightings on short notice.

Construction is ongoing in certain areas of Banff and Kananaskis, resulting in some trail and parking lot closures as well.

Lake Agnes Tea House has a no garbage policy. Any food brought in, must be bagged and disposed of down the mountain in designated waste areas. This will help reduce the amount of wildlife encounters and protect the natural ecosystem.

National Park Fees

Entering Banff National Park requires either a Discovery Pass (yearly pass) or daily admission fee to enter. Daily passes can be purchased at the entrance gates to the national park.

Daily

Adult	$10.50
Senior	$9.00
Youth	free
Family/Group	$21.00
Commercial Group, per person	$9.00

Parks Canada Discovery Pass

Adult	$72.25
Senior	$61.75
Family/Group	$145.25

Discovery Passes can be bought here.

Getting To Lake Louise

Calgary International Airport is located 125km (1 hr 20 mins) from Banff National Park. From the airport, head north on Deerfoot Trail and go west on Stoney Trail (201). Follow Stoney Trail to the Trans-Canada Hwy to the park entrance.

Once through the entrance, Lake Louise is another 61km down the Trans-Canada Hwy. Take the Lake Louise exit and turn left down Lake Louise Drive. This road will lead to parking areas and the Fairmont Château Hotel.

Address: Fairmont Château. Lake Louise: 111 Lake Louise Dr, Lake Louise, AB T0L 1E0

Parking at Lake Louise

In addition to the park pass, a new parking fee has been introduced to Lake Louise. Since 2024, the price to park daily has increased to $36.75/day/vehicle. These fees are in place from mid-May until October and from 7am-7pm. There are pay stations available at both the lower and upper parking lots.

Speaking of parking, Lake Louise is one of the busiest parking lots in the national park. It quickly fills up before 9am and attendants often send vehicles away back down to the village.

If you aren’t’ lucky enough to find parking, there is a shuttle available that runs frequently during the summer months.

Click here for shuttle details: Lake Louise shuttle

Washrooms at Lake Louise/Lake Agnes

There are two main washrooms near the upper and lower parking areas of Lake Louise. The upper washroom is seasonal and not maintained as frequently as the lower washroom. For a cleaner experience, stick to the lower one.

There are also washrooms, as well as food/snacks in the Fairmont Château. Hotel. There are multiple signs throughout the area indicating that the hotel is only for overnight guests and visitors are not allowed to enter. That being said, I saw many visitors venture in a out of the hotel grabbing coffee. I was able to access the cafe and was not questioned whether or not I was a guest.

On route to the tea house, there are no washrooms. Once at the hut, there are 2 unisex porta potties to the right of the building. There are signs indicating where to go. These washrooms are very busy, so don’t be surprised if you have a line up of 10 or more people.

Getting to The Lake Agnes Trailhead

The trailhead starts at the central area of Lake Louise. Walking 200m past the hotel and swarms of people, hang right towards the lakeshore trail. There will be a fork in the road. Staying left will take you around the far side of the lake and towards the Plains of Six Glaciers hike. To get to the Lake Agnes tea house hike you will want to take the right path heading up into the treeline.

Lake Agnes Tea House Hiking Route

The trail leads up into a shaded forest for 95 percent of the hike. This is one of the more popular trails at Lake Louise, as it’s easily accessible for all skill levels. While the path is wide, it can become very crowded and congested, especially right before lunch time.

Around 3km in, you will reach Mirror Lake and can take a breather, or take advantage of the people stopping and pass them.

At this point, there will be another fork in the road. Both directions will lead to Lake Agnes Tea House. I suggest taking the right path to the east, as there are nice viewpoints to see along the way. On the return route, continue the loop you were making and you’ll return on the western side of the Lake.

Horse back riding is a popular activity along this trail, so be aware of riders and horse dung. Give extra space for riders as the area is rocky and the cliff drops off sharply. You can book your adventure here.

You will reach a waterfall and a set of stairs before long that will lead up to the lake and tea house.

The tea house offers both a sit down (space is limited) and takeout options. They offer over 100 kinds of loose leaf teas, sandwiches, soups, coffee and desserts. Reservations cannot be made, as it’s a first come first serve basis. Do not be surprised to see the line up extends well beyond the front steps.

The tea house is opened from June to October, 8am until 5pm.

I would recommend getting there first thing in the morning, or just bring your own food. There are plenty of areas to sit and enjoy the lake and surrounding areas in peace.

If you continue north on the trail (beside the washrooms), there is an optional viewpoint called the Little Beehive. It provides beautiful views of both Lake Louise and Mirror Lake below.

To begin the return trip down, pass along a bridge next to the tea hut that will take you over the river that feeds the waterfall. Continuing past a few sets of picnic benches and rest areas, there will be another set of wooden stairs on the opposite side of the waterfall that you came up on.

The initial descent is a little steep, but the trail is significantly quieter and less congested. After a short time you will be back at Mirror Lake and it is a direct route back the way you came.

Additional Hiking in the Rocky Mountains

Windtower

Moose Mountain

Easy Hikes

Tent Ridge