Magical Moments in Lake Louise

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Our first glimpse of her unimaginably clear, baby-blue waters resting as still and smooth as a plane of glass, left us speechless and completely aware of how lucky we were to be in a place as beautiful as this:

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As our eyes began to adjust we were eventually able to pull our attention away from the lake and on to the majestic snow-capped peaks and rolling, spruce-lined hills that painted Lake Louise’s dream-like reflection:

We had seen our fair share of glacial lakes in Iceland, Glacier National Park and other parts of Banff and Jasper (they’re everywhere in this part of Canada!), but there was something special about this one. Maybe it was the classic architecture of The Chateau elegantly placed amongst the rugged peaks, or the site of mighty Victoria Glacier, who melts away a bit more each year, ultimately creating this oasis of beauty and reflection for us to admire and enjoy. Most likely it’s for all of these reasons, and more, that everyone who visits Lake Louise leaves with memories reminiscent of a dream.

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One of the first things we learned upon arriving was sunrise canoeing on Lake Louise aka. MAGIC.

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This is exclusive only to those who sign up a day in advance, in order to keep the amount of people to a minimum, preserving the magic and peace, making for a truly unforgettable and adventurous morning:

We watched in silence as the mountaintops transformed from blue and purple waves, to gold-encrusted peaks.

We paddled in silence, sipping on a hot cup of comfort, observing and admiring as Louise awakened from her dusty blue slumber.

In addition to exploring on Lake Louise herself, we had a great time hiking over the surrounding mountains and woods. In fact, we ended up hiking about 20 miles in one day bouncing from peak to peak and teahouse to teahouse:

If you are looking for an unforgettable, must-do hike around Lake Louise and you’re not afraid of covering some serious ground, follow our lead. We started by hiking up 1,205 feet in elevation to the Lake Agnes Teahouse, the oldest teahouse in Canada, originally built in 1905!

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Insider Tip: BRING CASH (they only take cash), and start hiking by 8am. This is a hike that EVERYONE tries to do and with just 3 people running the show, the wait, even for a simple cup of tea, can be a couple hours long.

With over 75 different types of tea you can’t go wrong, unless you forget to order the apple cobbler… don’t forget to order the apple cobbler.

Everything is made from scratch and you can watch as the workers scoop up water for tea straight from the shimmering shores of Lake Agnes herself!:

Isn’t that awesome?! From there, we hiked to Little Beehive, which has such a fantastic view of Lake Agnes and The Chateau that we couldn’t pass up the chance to enjoy our lunch and admire it a little while longer:

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All this little guy wanted to admire was our lunch (and Drew’s shoes)!

We ate, packed up and geared up for the steep 1.5 miles to the Big Beehive overlook:

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Before we knew it, we had hiked 5 more miles and worked up enough of an appetite to stop at The Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse, famous for its made-from-scratch German chocolate cake!

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It was the perfect balance of hiking, relaxing, admiring and refueling, which is probably why we continued on to the Plain of Six Glaciers Abbott Pass lookout. The magnified view of Victoria Glacier and a mystical Lake Louise in the distance was stunning:

Loved this rock-man cairn:

As we made our way back we were able to observe the delta that has been created at the end of Lake Louise formed by silt deposited from the glacier melt. This glacier silt, or “rock flour,” is what the light reflects off of, giving Lake Louise her beautiful turquoise color.

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There are so many ways to enjoy Lake Louise, whether it’s a romantic canoe ride, a savory cup of tea at an old teahouse, an invigorating hike, a delicious meal at The Chateau or simply admiring a beautiful site. One thing’s for sure, no matter what you do at Lake Louise, it’s sure to be MAGIC.