One of the most popular hikes in the Lake Louise area is the hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse – a teahouse nestled in the mountains where you can buy tea (of course) and snacks and enjoy it with a beautiful view of Lake Agnes and the surrounding mountains. There are two hikes that can be combined with this one – Little Beehive and Big Beehive. Each of the Beehive hikes gives visitors amazing birds eye views of Lake Louise, the Fairmont Lake Louise, and the beautiful mountains of Banff National Park!
The Lake Agnes Teahouse, Little Beehive, and Big Beehive all start on the same trail at the shores of Lake Louise.
Details of Each Hike:
LAKE AGNES TEAHOUSE HIKE
- Elevation gain: ~435 m
- Difficulty rating: Moderate
LITTLE BEEHIVE
- Elevation gain: ~535 m
- Difficulty rating: Moderate
BIG BEEHIVE
- Elevation gain: ~776 m
- Difficulty rating: Hard
How to Get to the Trailhead
To start the hike, you’ll have to make your way to Lake Louise, because the trailhead is at the Lake Louise Lakeshore.
Visitors have a couple of options to get here:
- Parks Canada Shuttle bus (runs May – October)
- There is a shuttle bus that will take you up to Lake Louise
- Route: Lake Louise Park & Ride Lot → Lake Louise
- Reservations have to be made in advance through Parks Canada Online Reservation System
- There is a shuttle bus that will take you up to Lake Louise
- Transit bus (runs May – September)
- You also have the option of taking public transit from Banff
- There is a Scenic Route (Route 8S) (not running in 2024!!) or an Express Route (Route 8X)
- These routes take different paths and have different stops
- Drive yourself
- If you have access to a car you can drive yourself and park in the parking lot! The lot does fill very fast though, so be prepared with a different plan if you get there and there is no parking
- Cost: $36.75/vehicle to park at Lake Louise Lakeshore
My Experience Hiking Lake Agnes/Big Beehive/Little Beehive:
We started our hike at Lake Louise around 11:00 AM and in total it took us 5.5 hours to complete the hike! This factors in stopping to eat lunch, bathroom breaks (there are washrooms at the tea house but the line can get long), snack breaks, and sitting back to enjoy views along the way!
Mirror Lake
The first stop we took on the hike was at Mirror Lake, this is a popular place to stop and snack or snap some photos. From Mirror Lake you can choose to head towards the Plain of the Six Glaciers (a different hike & Teahouse) or continue in the direction of Lake Agnes & Little Beehive.
Little Beehive
Our next stop was the Little Beehive Viewpoint, it made sense for us to go to Little Beehive first and it was so incredible! There were a lot of forest fires in BC making the whole area smoky, so the views weren’t as amazing as they could’ve been, but they were still great. (And it’s a reason to do the hike again once the smoke clears). Little Beehive is a nice place to enjoy a snack and just admire the views of Lake Louise and the surrounding mountains. Just make sure to continue down the trail until you get to the information panel about Little Beehive and until you can’t continue any further.
Lak Agnes Teahouse
From Little Beehive, the Lake Agnes Teahouse is about 1 km back. On your way, keep an eye out for a tent structure on the top of one of the mountains – this is Big Beehive!
We didn’t spend too much time at the actual Teahouse because the line was suuuuuper long and we didn’t bring cash anyway. So make sure you are prepared to wait and have your cash with you! There are pit toilets at the tea house as well, and areas along the lake to enjoy any snacks or food you bring. A beautiful view of the Teahouse is from the opposite side of the lake, so I would highly recommend waking a couple of minutes to the other side of the lake!
Big Beehive
If you’re continuing on to Big Beehive from the Teahouse, you’ll have to walk around the lake either way. Then you’ll hike up a ton of switchbacks to the top (this part was kind of hard, but worth it!). At Big Beehive, you’ll be rewarded with incredible views of Lake Louise, the Fairmont Hotel, and the surrounding valley and mountains. There is also a cool shelter at the top that was built by the Canadian Railway!
Hiking Back to Lake Louise Lakeshore
From Big Beehive, we headed down the mountain on a different trail than what we took up. The trail we took connects to the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail, at the junction you can choose to either continue further to the Plain of Six Glaciers, or you can head back to Mirror Lake. We headed back to Mirror Lake because we were getting tired, and it was still a long way back down! From Mirror Lake we continued down the mountain back to Lake Louise, and then enjoyed the shoreline of Lake Louise before heading back to our campsite for the day!
What to Bring on Your Hike:
- Proper shoes (runners or hiking shoes/boots)
- Cash if you want to buy something at the tea house (they only take cash!)
- Water
- Lunch & snacks
- Dress/pack for the weather
- I hiked in July & it was cold when we got to Lake Louise, I alternated between taking my jacket off and on during the hike, and it started snowing at Little Beehive, so just make sure you’re prepared because weather can change so fast in the mountains !
- Your camera of course!!
Be Safe While Hiking Lake Louise
- Always hike responsibly and use your discretion
- Inquire about trail conditions/closures or any warnings of bears or animals in the area
- Don’t rely on other hikers for your safety
- Always pack out what you pack in – respect the park and the wildlife that call this place home
So there you have it! Have you hiked to Lake Agnes, Big Beehive or Little Beehive before? What was your favourite part?
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Hey! I’m Kat. Based in Alberta, Canada I love to travel to the Rockies and explore new places around the world. Follow along on my adventures and find inspiration and tips for your own travels.
