(#2) Driving Icefields Parkway: Hiking Big Beehive at Lake Louise

July 24, 2024 Kelly W

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Day 2: Hiking Big Beehive

Today is the day I am most looking forward to along our entire 10-day Icefields Parkway Road Trip… We’re spending the next 24 hours at Lake Louise and staying in THE iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise!!!

*PINCH ME*

Btw… This is a fairly accurate snippet of how we travel. Two nights of car camping with electric fencing and animal grates to deter bears… and one night of luxury in a hotel with a view! #balance—That said, those hotels are usually not 5-star hotels on world-famous lakes. This is one we saved up for, put gift money towards, ate PB&Js for, and have been dreaming about for a while!

I repeat, *PINCH ME* 😍

Our car camping setup in the backseat keeps us warmer and more comfortable than our informal front-seat arrangements the night before, so we wake up feeling better and more rested. The temperatures dipped to about 40 degrees last night, so we’re grateful for the comforts of the car and the insulation it provided.

It’s about 7am when we wake up, and we don’t wonder what we should do and when.

We pack up and drive straight to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Although our room won’t be ready until later, we’re able to park in the hotel’s garage to explore the trails around Lake Louise while we wait.

We decide to hike the “Big Beehive Trail,” an approximately 6.5-mile trail past Lake Louise, Lake Agnes, and the Lake Agnes Tea House, to the summit of Beehive Mountain for a bird’s eye view of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau.

It’s one of the most epic hikes in the area, and we’re happy to stretch our legs while getting a beautiful view.

You can hike Big Beehive as an out-and-back trail or a loop. The out-and-back trail is highlighted in green, while the loop also includes the yellow highlights. Both routes start at the lakeshore near Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the turnaround point is the summit of Big Beehive (starred in this map).

Big Beehive Trail Overview

Distance: Big Beehive Trail is about 10 km (6.2 miles) round trip, starting from the Lake Louise lakeshore.
Elevation Gain: Approximately 650 meters (2100 feet).
Difficulty: Challenging, mainly due to the elevation gain and steep switchbacks.
Time Required: 4 to 6 hours round trip, depending on your pace and how much time you spend at the top. (Add more time if you plan to stop at the Lake Agnes Tea House.)
Starting Point: The trail begins at the Lake Louise Lakeshore, near the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The trail is well-marked, so you’ll be able to find it from the hotel or the Lake Louise parking lot. Simply walk toward Lake Louise and around the shoreline (following the Lake Louise Shoreline Trail) until you see the forked trail. You can either begin your ascent there—this is the green highlighted trail route above—or continue following the Lake Louise Shoreline Trail, which is the yellow highlighted trail above.

Highlights: The hike to the Big Beehive passes through several iconic spots and is one of the best hikes around Lake Louise. The following stops are in chronological order if you’re following the out-and-back route or hiking counter-clockwise.
- Mirror Lake: The first notable stop, about 2.6 km (1.6 miles) from the trailhead. It's a small, picturesque lake that reflects the Big Beehive.
- Lake Agnes Tea House: The trail continues to Lake Agnes, where a historic tea house offers refreshments. This famous spot is a great place to take a break and enjoy the views before tackling the final climb. Lake Agnes is a beautiful lake, and you can grab tea and snacks at the teahouse.
- Beehive Mountain: From Lake Agnes, the trail climbs steep switchbacks up the Big Beehive. There’s a signed junction, so it’s easy to follow the route to the summit, where you’ll find gorgeous panoramic views.
- Panoramic Summit Vistas: At the top, you’re rewarded with incredible bird’s-eye views of Lake Louise, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and the surrounding mountains. The distinctive turquoise color of the lake is especially vivid from this vantage point, which is one of the reasons this hike is one of the best places to see and photograph Lake Louise!

Route Option: Out-and-Back or Loop

The Beehive Trail can be done as an out-and-back hike or a loop.

While checking in for our one-night stay at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, we mentioned hiking Big Beehive and received the recommendation to follow the shoreline up Big Beehive rather than ascending via Lake Agnes.

As shown in the map above, that means ascending via the highlighted yellow trail and descending via the green trail. Although this is the opposite of how most hikers follow the loop, it’s generally the easier path with a more gradual incline.

In the map below, you’ll see a more detailed look at the steep switchbacks near the Big Beehive Summit. (The smallest lake is Mirror Lake, and the larger lake is Lake Agnes, where you’ll find the Lake Agnes Tea House. You can see the steep switchbacks around the left-hand edge of Lake Agnes and near the summit of the Big Beehive.)

Following the loop clockwise, starting on the Lake Louise Shoreline, we’ll be descending rather than ascending these switchbacks and ascending via the more gradual incline instead.

Trail Pictures

We take the recommendation and begin hiking counterclockwise around the Lake Louise shoreline all the way to the very back of Lake Louise.

Lake Louise is famous for its milky turquoise color, which it gets from rock flour carried by the meltwater of glaciers. Walking past the backside of the lake, we can see the changes in color as the small rivers seemingly carrying rock flour meet Lake Louise.

Lake Louise Shoreline Trail

Back of Lake Louise, with the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise straight ahead.

Crossing a stream just before we begin the incline to the summit of Big Beehive. You can really see the change in the water here! It’s much milkier.

Starting the incline to the summit of Big Beehive.

The path evolves to a steady climb, and soon, we’re at the point of any uphill hike where you ask everyone you pass, “Are we close?” or “Is it worth it???”

We’re tired, and this is definitely more of a workout than expected—despite taking the easier route.

We eventually make it to the summit of Big Beehive and walk to the very end of the path for an overlook of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau.

The color and vibrancy of Lake Louise are even brighter from a bird’s eye view. Its creamy turquoise pops against the gray haze in the sky and the Chateau on the far end of the lake. Plus, standing seemingly at eye level with the mountains and glaciers around Lake Louise makes for an outstanding view and photograph.

As mentioned, the Beehive Trail can be done as an out-and-back hike or a loop.

We opt for the loop, so we’re descending past Lake Agnes and the Lake Agnes Tea House as we make our way back to the shore of Lake Louise.

The Lake Agnes Tea House is one of the most popular places to visit in Lake Louise for both its panoramic views of Lake Agnes and its cafe with teas, homemade baked goods, soups, and sandwiches.

The appeal of the tea house is obvious—it’s next to a gorgeous alpine lake and offers refreshments you know taste better than almost anywhere else, if only because you eat them after a grueling uphill climb. This side of the loop hike is shorter but much steeper than the side we ascended, so there’s no doubt a tea here tastes better than anywhere else because of how hard you have to work for it.

That said, midday on the Sunday of a holiday weekend is not the time to be at the Lake Agnes Tea House.

People are ev-er-y-where!

Swimming in the lake.
Hanging out on its shores.
Seated at tables on the restaurant’s patio.
Standing in line for food and drinks to go.

And because it’s a much smaller lake, Lake Agnes feels busier and more overcrowded than Lake Louise, so we (happily—after all, we’re TIRED) walk right past the tea house to make our way down the mountain.

Lake Agnes: The Big Beehive trail walks down switchbacks on the mountain on the left-hand side of this photo, around the edge of the lake at the far back of this photo, and follows the shores on the right-hand side.

The view when I turn around, ha! Here’s a glimpse at the crowds at Lake Agnes Tea House around midday on a Sunday in September.

We get back to Lake Louise around 1:30pm, and not five minutes after letting Lincoln in the lake to cool off, Jon gets a text… Our room is READY!!!!

Allowing no more time to pass, we make our way to room 573, open the door, and head straight to the curtains on the opposite wall.

Behind them lies a private view of Lake Louise in all its glory—turquoise waters, mountains, glaciers, even the gardens of the hotel—and it’s even DREAMIER to see this view out a hotel window than I expected… (Keep reading here!)

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