In the 1920s, tea houses were built for folks to hike from Lake Louise to nearby scenic sites. The closest is the Lake Anges tea house. The more scenic and less travelled one is the Six Glaciers tea house. This is a fantastic hike through awesome scenery to fresh baked food and tea at the end.
To get to the less-travelled to of the Tea Houses, the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House Trail offers stunning views of the glaciers and mountains that surround Lake Louise.
The Tea House itself was built in 1924 by Swiss guides employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Constructed to house mountaineers en route to Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy, today the Tea House offers refreshments and food to hikers. Like the Lake Agnes Tea House, it has no electricity or running water. Supplies are flown in by helicopter at the start of the season, and additional goods are packed in by horses or staff.
The hike to the Tea House is moderately challenging, and can be accomplished by people of average fitness.
Trail information
The Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House hike is 5.3 kilometres (3.4 miles) one way, with a 370 metre (1,215 feet) elevation gain. It takes most people around 4 to 6 hours for the round trip.
The Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House is open from mid to late June or early July through to mid October (depending on conditions).