Groovy Wanderlust: Lake Louise, Banff National Park

Well, that's just great...

I have been with my husband for nearly six years and during that time I have never seen him as disappointed as he was when we were in Lake Louise. After we left the town of Banff, we drove about 75 kilometers to one of his lifelong destinations. This is an area that is the heart of Banff National Park and the most scenic area in the Canadian Rockies. The day we arrived, Mother Nature was not agreeing with our plan to hike – there was a constant, cold rain, and a cloud cover blocking the view of all the mountaintops. Hmm…what do we do now? We tried to make the best of it and drove west to see a few tourist sites we would not have sought out otherwise: a waterfall, a spiral train track – not fun when it’s raining. We wound up 45 minutes away from Lake Louise and decided to camp the night and hoped for better weather the next day. We stayed in a rustic, National Park campsite (only $17). No amenities, but incredible scenery. We were nestled in a valley and our “backyard” was a raging river with a backdrop of incredible glacier covered peaks. Mark set up our two beach-chairs, I made cups of tea, and we sat to admire the beauty of it all.

At our campsite someone built an Inuksuit, which is a very popular symbol in Canada.
You see them along roads, on trails, and near lakes.
Years ago, the Inuit Tribe used them as trail markers in the deep woods.
You may recall that this was also the logo for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

In the morning, we awoke to cloudy skies, but no rain, and quickly packed up and headed back to Lake Louise. There are multiple trails – easy, moderate, and difficult. We opted for a moderate hike, the Six Pillar Glacier Trail, a five-mile (roundtrip) trek along the shore of Lake Louise, ascending on rocky paths to amazing views of the glaciers, and to the final destination at the top, a teahouse chalet, built in the late 1800’s.

A little drizzle won't stop us.

The rain subsides!

Looking back to the lake where we started.

As we approached the glacier the temperature dropped.

Happy hikers!

After hiking for nearly two hours, we ate at the teahouse – veggie soup and tea biscuits for me, chocolate cake and coffee for Mark. $28.00 and so worth it. Interestingly, the women that work there live in cabins for five-day shifts since it’s so remote and the bulk of supplies have to be transported by helicopter.

Yum.

Descending back to the base of the trail was much easier (although the drizzle was intermittent) and we were eager to get back to Nellie Belle, our two kitties, and back on the road.