Trip Dates: October 10 & 12, 2023
2023 BRITISH COLUMBIA & ALBERTA ADVENTURE VACATION
Mt. St. Piran Summit Loop
Big Beehive Trail Loop
Lake Louise
Mirror Lake
Mount Saint Piran (2649 m / 8691 ft)
Lake Agnes
Big Beehive Lookout
Plain of Six Glaciers
Trip Report Summary
Region: Canadian Rockies (Alberta)
Sub-Region: Southern Continental Ranges
Sub-Sub-Region: Bow Range aka Ten Peaks Range
Area: Banff National Park
Daytrip 1: Mt. St. Piran Summit Loop
Starting & Ending Point: Lake Louise promenade (Elev. 5700 feet / 1740 meters)
Way Points: Lake Agnes Trail junction & Mirror Lake & Little Beehive Trail junction & Mt. St. Piran Trail junction & Mt. St. Piran summit & Niblock / St. Piran Saddle & Big Beehive Trail junction / Lake Agnes & Lake Agnes Teahouse & Highline Trail junction & Mirror Lake / Lake Agnes Trail junction & Lake Louise promenade (trail hike & off-trail hike)
Summit: Mt. St. Piran (trail hike via East Slope; descent via Southwest Ridge)
Approximate Stats: 7.5 miles traveled; 3000 feet gained & lost; 5.0 hours elapsed.
Daytrip 2: Big Beehive Trail Loop
Starting & Ending Point: Lake Louise promenade (Elev. 5700 feet / 1740 meters)
Way Points: Lake Agnes Trail junction & Mirror Lake & Big Beehive Trail junction & Lake Agnes Teahouse junction & Big Beehive crest & Highline Trail junction & Plain of Six Glaciers Trail junction & Back of Lake Louise & Lake Louise promenade (trail hike)
Sidetrip: Big Beehive Lookout (trail hike)
Approximate Stats: 7.9 miles traveled; 1900 feet gained & lost; 6.0 hours elapsed.
Full Trip Report
During our week in the Banff – Lake Louise area, Eileen and I completed two nice loop hikes. One hike took us over the summit of Mt. St. Piran and back via Lake Agnes, for a total length of about 7½ miles. The other hike took us past Lake Agnes, over the top of Big Beehive, and back along the shore of Lake Louise, for a total length of about 8 miles. Both loops began and ended at the viewpoint promenade adjacent to famous Chateau Lake Louise. Unsettled weather was a consistent theme for us, but we were still able to enjoy the close-in scenery. It should also be mentioned that these two loops could readily be combined into a single 10-mile loop
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Daytrip 1: Mt. St. Piran Summit Loop
Leaving Lake Louise on an overcast Tuesday morning, Eileen and I followed the Lake Agnes Trail up to tiny Mirror Lake, which gave us a dramatic look at aptly named Big Beehive. This imposing rock knob is largely, if not completely, composed of layered quartzite—a very hard type of rock created through the metamorphism of quart-rich sandstone.
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Rather than continuing up to Lake Agnes, we veered northward on the Little Beehive Trail. This provided an interesting profile view of Big Beehive’s steep eastern face and highlighted the extensive layering within the rock.
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After climbing 500 feet above Mirror Lake, we made a left turn onto the inconspicuous Mt. St. Piran Trail and began climbing more steeply through sparse forest of larch and spruce. The rocky summit of Mt. St. Piran could be seen far upslope.
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We gained the broad summit in late morning (2.5 hours + 2950 feet from starting point). Mt. Niblock and Mt. Whyte, with their dusting of fresh snow, were particularly impressive from here. A large windbreak has been constructed on the summit to provide refuge on a windy day.
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To create a loop trip, we hiked down the southwest ridge, following a crude path through the rubbly terrain. Scattered cairns and stone ducks helped mark the route, which bottomed out in a low saddle between Mt. St. Piran and Mt. Niblock.
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From the low saddle, we turned left and descended a steep, dirty hillslope southward toward a barren basin at the head of Lake Agnes. Several digital maps show a trail on this hillslope, but there was nothing of the sort; we were left to carefully pick our way down for 500 feet. I wouldn’t say that it was terribly difficult, but it was very unpleasant. We eventually intersected a primitive trail running laterally above the valley bottom.
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The primitive trail led us down-valley to the head of Lake Agnes and an intersection with the well-traveled Big Beehive Trail. It had started to rain lightly, so we were glad to be back on a formal trail at this point.
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We followed the Big Beehive Trail along the shore of Lake Agnes, past the famous teahouse (recently closed for the season), and down to Mirror Lake, thereby closing our loop. From there, it was simply a matter of hiking back down to Lake Louise to end our day.
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Daytrip 2: Big Beehive Trail Loop
On an overcast Thursday morning, two days after our previous hike, Eileen and I left Lake Louise with Bob and Nancy. We hiked up to Mirror Lake and then swung around to the left side to intersect the Big Beehive Trail, which took us up a few switchbacks and a long stairway to Lake Agnes.
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We passed the still-closed teahouse and continued around Lake Agnes, which looked quite serene on this windless day. Another series of switchbacks led us up to the crest of Big Beehive.
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After poking around for awhile, we were able to find a splendid vantage for gazing down at Lake Louise. The seemingly opaque water and striking turquoise color gives this world-renowned lake a totally unreal appearance—as though it were simply a huge panel of painted plywood resting on the valley floor!
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While Eileen and Nancy took a lunch break overlooking Lake Louise, Bob and I made a short sidetrip along the crest to visit the historic Big Beehive Lookout (2.8 hours + 1850 feet from starting point). This covered viewing platform was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the early 1900s to promote tourism and recreation in the area.
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After lunch, we all continued on our counter-clockwise loop by descending the southern side of Big Beehive until intersecting the Highline Trail, which extends from Mirror Lake to Plain of Six Glaciers. This gave us the option of (1) doing a short loop by returning to Mirror Lake and then descending directly to Lake Louise promenade, or (2) doing a longer loop by hiking toward Plain of Six Glaciers and then returning along the shore of Lake Louise. We chose the longer option.
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We hiked southwesterly on the Highline Trail for a level mile until intersecting the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail, then we cut back sharply on this latter trail. The first mile took us down-valley to the head of Lake Louise and past the impressive quartzite sport-climbing cliffs at “Back of the Lake.” The next mile led us on a scenic stroll along the lake’s shoreline, providing iconic views of Chateau Lake Louise reflected in the glassy water. By mid-afternoon, we were back at the promenade to close our scenic loop (2.6 hours from Big Beehive).
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Route Maps & Profiles
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Photo Gallery
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