It was raining when we went to bed our first night at Lake Louise campground and it was supposed to keep up all night and into the next morning, so we weren’t sure what was going to happen for our first day of hiking. We had a ticket for the Lake Louise bus and were pretty determined to use it, but if we woke up to pouring rain, I’m not sure it would have happened. Happily, when the alarm went off at 6:30, it wasn’t raining and the forecast said it wasn’t supposed to start until 1. So we caught the shuttle at the campground that goes to the park and ride and then caught the 8:30 Parks Canada bus to Lake Louise.

What mayhem! Our destination was Lake Agnes and we certainly weren’t the only ones. The scene at the Lake Agnes Teahouse was total chaos, but we figured out that we could get a table immediately if we were willing to sit inside (everyone wants to sit outside). After a nice pot of tea and biscuits, we headed up Little Beehive to check out the views. And then Sue headed down, while I decided to climb up Mount St. Piran, as it looked like I could make it up before the rain started. And I just did – the clouds were looming as I turned around at the summit and the sleet started when I was about half way down. Wisely, I had warm clothes and full rain gear, unlike the vast majority of the hordes who were still hiking up to Lake Agnes as I was hiking out in the rain.

For our second day in Lake Louise, we had a ticket on the Parks Canada bus to Moraine Lake. As of this year, private vehicles are no longer allowed on the Moraine Lake Road, so having a bus ticket is the only way to get there. We set the alarm for 6 AM, with the goal of catching the 8 AM bus. It was definitely a lot calmer when we arrived at Moraine Lake and we mostly had the Eiffel Lake Trail to ourselves on the way to the lake. The trail travels on the north side of the Valley of Ten Peaks, so the views were great, except that the clouds never let us see all the summits. Sue turned around at Eiffel Lake, while I kept going to Wenkchemna Pass, which is at 8,566 feet and sits on what Canadians call the Great Divide. Many more people were on the trail as we each headed down and there was some chaos at the lake, but overall there was less mayhem that at Lake Louise.

We didn’t get a bus ticket for our third day, figuring we would want a rest day. And Sue did take a rest day. But I decided that I needed to see the sunrise at Lake Louise, along with hundreds of other people. This involved getting up at 4:45 AM to drive up to Lake Louise by 5 to be sure to get a parking spot. And then I staked out my spot on the lakeshore to wait for sunrise at 6:45. The view was perfectly clear at 5:30, but then clouds started forming and by the time the sun came up the peaks were somewhat obscured. But the sight was still impressive

After getting my photos of the sunrise, I headed out on the Plain of Six Glaciers trail and had the lakeshore trail to myself the whole way. The clouds continued to ebb and flow and by the time I arrived at the Six Glaciers Teahouse it was completely in the fog. I had to wait until 9 for the Teahouse to open and then I snagged a prime seat on the upper balcony to enjoy some tea and wait for the fog to dissipate. And when it did, the view was stunning! Then I continued up to the Six Glaciers viewpoint and sat for thirty minutes watching the Victoria Glacier, to see if it would put on a show. I also enjoyed a wonderful peanut butter and jam sandwich on homemade bread that I had picked up at the teahouse. And just as I had given up and was ready to leave, the glacier calved with a thunderous crack and I was lucky enough to capture it on video.

We had tickets for the Lake Louise bus again for our fourth day. We caught the 8 AM bus and then headed up the trail to Saddleback Pass. As soon as we left the craziness of the lakeshore, we had the trail to ourselves and we didn’t see anyone else all the way to the pass. The pass offers great views of Mount Temple, Sheol Mountain and Haddo Peak. Sue turned around at the pass, while I continued up to the summit of Fairview Mountain (not a very apt name – it should be fabulous view). We saw some people on the hike back down, but not that many compared to our other lake-based hikes.

For our final day of hiking, we again had a ticket on the Moraine Lake bus. When we arrived at the lake, the Ten Peaks were out in their full glory, so we climbed the Rockpile to get the classic shot of Moraine Lake. And then Sue headed to Consolation Lake for an easy hike, while I hiked up the trail to Larch Valley en route to Sentinel Pass. The hike to Sentinel Pass is clearly the most popular one from Moraine Lake, so I had lots of company. And there were many people who were continuing on from the pass to climb Mount Temple. I was tempted, but I didn’t have a climbing helmet, so it will have to wait for another trip.

After enjoying the view at the pass, I headed down the other side to Paradise Valley. And what a treat that was! I only saw a few other hikers and several groups of backpackers – definitely the most peaceful hike I did in the area. I did a short detour up to see the Giant Steps waterfalls and then I hiked down past Lake Annette and out to the Moraine Lake Road, where I flagged a bus to take me back to the park and ride. And then we finished our stay in Lake Louise with a wonderful celebratory dinner at the Post Hotel Dining Room.

And that is a wrap on the Lake Louise portion of our trip. I hiked 49 miles over five days, including visits to two teahouses, two alpine passes and two summits. Lake Louise has beautiful scenery and is definitely an alpine hiking mecca, but it has the crowds to prove it. If you like solitude as we do, this certainly isn’t the place to find it. About all you can do is start as early as possible and enjoy a few hours of relative quiet before the trails get really busy.