We had a slow start to the day today, with a sleep-in and then a very relaxed breakfast. We decided that our first destination of the day should be the area’s namesake, Lake Louise, a drive of about ten minutes from our hotel.

Lake Louise.
Lake Louise.

After a hort walk around the beautiful lake, we came across trail, and we decided to head up the trail to see where it led.

Andrea on the trail at Lake Louise.
Andrea on the trail at Lake Louise.
Andrea on the trail at Lake Louise.
Andrea on the trail at Lake Louise.

Our first stop on the trail was the incredibly beautiful Mirror Lake.

Mirror Lake.
Mirror Lake.

From Mirror Lake, we continued the climb up the trail until we reached the Lake Agnes Tea House. After a hike af about 3.5 km, we were certainly ready to stop for a rest and refreshments. The Lake Agnes Tea House was built in 1901 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a refuge for hikers. It started serving tea in 1905 and has been called the oldest teahouse in Canada.

Keith on the trail to Lake Agnes Tea House.
Keith on the trail to Lake Agnes Tea House.
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel at Lake Agnes Tea House.
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel at Lake Agnes Tea House.
Scones and jam at Lake Agnes Tea House.
Scones and jam at Lake Agnes Tea House.

After a wonderful afternoon tea of scones and freshly-brewed tea, we headed out along the trail to get a view of Lake Louise.

Looking back to Lake Louise.
Looking back to Lake Louise.

As we descended the trail, the weather turned and, ill-prepared as we were, we ended up getting pretty wet. We laughed on the way down at little thought we had given to what we should be wearing on a hiking trail!

Andrea after getting drenched on the walk back down to Lake Louise.
Andrea after getting drenched on the walk back down to Lake Louise.
Lake Louise mountains, on the eastern edge of the Continental Divide in the Rockies.
Lake Louise mountains, on the eastern edge of the Continental Divide in the Rockies.
Fairview Mountain, on Lake Louise.
Fairview Mountain, on Lake Louise.
Keith at Lake Louise.
Keith at Lake Louise.

When we reached the bottom of the trail, we had mostly dried out! We hopped back in the car and returned to the hotel. For dinner, we walked across the road and bought a pizza.

After our big hike during the day, we fell into bed pretty early.

Tomorrow, we’re planning on driving to Banff for the day.