Hike to Plain of Six Glaciers
Since we were only in Banff for a short period, we only had time to go on one long hike. We went to the information center in town and decided to hike to the Plain of Six Glaciers.
The trail will take you up close to Mount Lefroy, Mount Victoria and the Victoria Glaciers (Upper and Lower). After you finish your hike, you can order a hot tea and various snacks at the teahouse at the top. Most hikers take the trail to the Lake Agnes Tea House, but the Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse is a little less populated due to the longer hike.
Trail Location: Lake Louise
Roundtrip Length: 9.4 miles (14.2 km)
Trailhead (Starting) Elevation: 1,380 ft (420 m)
Trail Total Elevation Gain: 1,215 ft (370 m)
Highest Elevation: 6,890 ft (2.1 km)
The trailhead starts at Lake Louise.
To avoid crowds and the summer heat, we started our hike at 7am. It was perfect timing because we managed to catch Lake Louise at sunrise and it was beautiful! Unsurprisingly, there were already crowds of tourists at the lake at this time. As we hiked the trail towards the back of the lake, the crowds lightened leaving just us to hike towards the plain of six glaciers.
I took approximately ~1.5 hours to reach the teahouse. Since it wasn’t open yet, we decided to hike the additional 1.4km to the Plain of Six Glaciers lookout to get a closer look. As we approached the teahouse, we heard a loud rumble and saw a snowmelt fall off the Upper Victoria Glacier. This is a common occurrence during the early summer months, but we were lucky to experience it.
We were the first ones there so we had the lookout all to ourselves!
We ended up not eating at the teahouse because I left my wallet in the car and we did not have any cash. 🙁 Next time! At the teahouse, we saw multiple helicopter drop offs and pick ups at the teahouse to stock supplies and pick up waste.
Since it was still early in the day, we decided to grab our climbing gear. There is a lot of rock climbing in the back of Lake Louise, so we used the remainder of the day to climb.
This was definitely one of my favorite hikes and my favorite national park from the first leg off our road trip. I will definitely be back to Banff National Park since there is so much more of the park I have not explored. In addition, I didn’t even get to visit Yoho or Jasper National Park, so those will definitely be on the next trip’s itinerary.
TIPS Before You Go
- Start early to avoid crowds and get parking. Lake Louise is a popular destination so parking can be limited if you go in the afternoon or on a weekend. In addition, it can be hot hiking in the summer months.
- Teahouse: If you wish to go, check the hours of operation as it is only open seasonally depending on the conditions. In addition, bring cash!
- Do you need bear spray? We didn’t bring it. The hike is very popular and gets enough traffic to scare away all of the wildlife. But I would leave it up to your own comfort level if you think you need to bring bear spray or not.
- Bring a light jacket. You won’t need it going uphill, but if you decide to take the additional hike to the lookout it is a little cooler and more exposed.
