The hike departs from the Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail, just a short walk from the Chateau Lake Louise. From here it’s a steady trail but not too steep. 3.5 kilometer walk to Lake Agnes and the tea house. The total distance of the the return hike is seven kilometers (4.5 miles), and the elevation gain is approximately 400 meters (1,312 ft).

The exact distances in elevation depend on whether you start from the parking lot at Lake Louise or from the Lake Agnes Tea House Trail, where the Shoreline Trail starts.

The Lake Agnes trail is a wide trail through the woods. Views from the trail to Lake Louise are almost nonexistent on this hike. Switchbacks about a kilometer or more into the hike is a scenic spot where you can see Lake Louise below, and many people stop here to take a photo. Don’t do this hike if you’re looking for a great view over Lake Louise, unless you plan to continue to the Big Beehive Trail, over Lake Agnes.

Approximately 2.7 kilometers into the walk, you will arrive at Lake reflection, more a pond than a lake. This is a popular resting spot with a couple of benches on one side of the lake looking out over the generally calm water and a great view of the Great Hive behind.

From here it’s only another half mile to Lake Agnes, but weary souls sometimes turn around here if they’re not up for the walk. Once you’ve made it this far, it’s definitely worth continuing on to the Lake Agnes Teahouse.

At Mirror Lake the main trail leads to the right. A second trail to the left is a slightly shorter but steeper path to the lake. It’s best to continue on the main trail, and on the return trip from the lake you may want to go down the steeper trail, turning the Mirror Lake to Lake Agnes portion into a loop.

Just before reaching the tea house, the trail ends at a long flight of stairs with about 58 steps. The Lake Agnes Teahouse is at the top of this set of stairs. You literally can’t miss it. You will see a corral on the side of the trail just before you reach the stairs, and this is as far as the horses go. Right at the bottom of the stairs is a waterfall and popular photo spot.

From the Lake Agnes Teahouse there are views across this beautiful alpine lake to Mount Niblock and Mount Whyte. Allow some time to walk along the coastal path to the right of the lake. This path continues and goes up to the Great Beehive, which you can do if you want, or go around the end of the lake.

Along the shore, near the tea house, there is a small bridge with a beautiful view of the lake. If you don’t want to go back down the way you came, you can go over the bridge, and the trail from here drops down and joins the main trail at Mirror Lake. This is a steeper section, but it cuts the distance down a bit.