Lake Louise

7/31/2019 Wednesday

We woke at 0530 and drove to Lake Louise before coffee to insure we could find a parking spot. When we arrived an hour later, we were not the first vehicle there, but we still had our choice of parking spots. An interesting rig pulled in next to us all the way from Germany. We enjoyed coffee and a leisurely breakfast before hitting the trail.

Here's an iconic shot of Lake Louise with glaciers in the distance.

And here are the people at 0700 enjoying the same view.

This map shows the trail we will be taking today up to the Tea House and back.

Leaving the crowd behind at the hotel, the views get even better.

Not just mountains, but small things along the way, like this mat of Spotted Saxifrage, added interest to the hike.

Fireweed blooms from the bottom up amid reflections of the opposite shore.

The mountains don't leave much room for a path between the lake and some very vertical slopes.

As we continued to climb, gravel deposits from receding glaciers came into view.

We were passed here by a young woman with a full pack. She was heading to work at the tea house where they do 4 day shifts and stay in cabins.

Alpine wildflowers, like this Yellow Columbine are still blooming at the end of July.

These tiny blossoms sprang up in the light of the clear trail. We're not positive what they are, but one identification site calls them Mountain Death Camas.

The foot path and horse trail diverged at this point. The foot path goes along a cliff edge while the horse trail follows a gravel ridge.

After clinging to the inside edge of the cliff trail on the way up, Beth elected to take the horse trail on our return leg.

At 1015 we arrived at the pretty wood and stone tea house.

More importantly, we had arrived at these outhouses! This has to be one of the most scenic outhouse locations in the world and they didn't install windows.

We joined hikers from all over the world enjoying the stone patios and log benches with glacier views.

We heard what sounded like thunder, but it may have been glacier bits breaking off in the distance.

Heading back down we could just see the hotel in the distance.

You can  click on any image in our blog for a higher resolution view.

The path is well worn, but wasn't very crowded.

The prettiest part of the trail followed glacial melt water running down the slope to meet Lake Louise.

These might be Hairy Arnika flourishing in the shade of some pine trees.

Rock climbing is an option for the more adventurous folks.

By 1316 we were back at the van. It was a beautiful 7.3 mile hike. The parking lot was full. It is well worth getting up early to enjoy the area before the crowds arrive.

Heading to the "town" of Lake Louise, we stopped to investigate the Train Station. Parking nearby was not crowded. There is Verizon cell service throughout Lake Louise, including up at the Tea House!

The train station, built of logs in 1910, is now a restaurant.

A vintage heavyweight dining car is available to rent for private parties.

Peeking through a window, the car interior was nicely restored.

A Canadian Pacific train didn't slow for the station as it sped containers toward the west coast.

Beautiful scenery for everyone, flowers for Beth, and trains for me. The Lake Louise area has it all. We would love to come back and spend more time in the area.

There was once a tramway that delivered freight and guests to the hotel. No track remains, but it is now a hiking trail.

Drove the Parkway back to Protection Mountain Campground hoping we might see a bear.

We saw a black bear along the way, and a grizzly crossed the road in front of a bus stopped at our campground. Apparently one needs to check for traffic, and bears, when exiting a bus here.

One of the things that led to us choosing this van was that it has lots of windows. This is a spot where we feel like that was a good decision.

$21.50 seems reasonable for this campground with modern toilets, but no showers or cell phone connectivity. I don't know that anyone can put a price on this view.

Good night from Protection Mountain.

Todays travel map. Dark blue was driving and light blue was walking.