Canada Rockies at Last

Knowledge is power. Attitude is everything

August 12, 2005, Friday. We were up early and began our drive to Lake Louise Village. As we passed the Columbia Ice
Field Center, we took note and plan to come back and get a good look, another day. We had the experience of waiting in line for a campground site, so we wanted to get to Lake Louise early. It was no problem, so once settled we started out on our bikes to the visitor’s center. It is a lovely center, and the village is small. We thought we would bike to the famous Lake Louise .
Lake Louise -- Canada's "Diamond in the Wilderness," and the "Hiking Capital of Canada". This area offers a tremendous diversity of recreational and sightseeing opportunities. Lake Louise is home to one of North America's finest downhill ski areas, and has numerous hiking and walking trails. The region abounds with spectacular scenery, from glaciers to waterfalls.
We began biking and found it not biker friendly, so we stashed the bikes in the woods and began hiking the lovely trail following Lk Louise Creek. Then one arrives at the Chateau Lake Louise, a magnificent hotel and the lake, wow! The color of the water is awesome. It is emerald green. We walked around for a while taking in the magnificent scenery. The lake is nestled at the bottom of the mountains. We decided to take a canoe out on the water. The day was crystal clear and perfect for picture taking.
We hiked back and found our bikes just where we left them and headed back to the campground.
August 13, 2005, Saturday. Today we planned a hike and hike we did. The trails do not have switchbacks, so one is climbing up, up and up at a straight angle. The teahouse at Lake is one of the most popular hike in the Rockies. Starting from the lake which is after Niagara Falls, the most popular tourist attraction in Canada, the trail climbs through forest to a couple of teal blue subalpine lakes. They are pristine jewels of the Rockies. After a few hours hiking, one arrives at Lake Agnes Teahouse where we sampled the green tea, quite refreeshing. The teahouse was built in 1925 and has stunning views of the lake and the Bow Valley. We continued the hike, it was a full day.

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