Lake Agnes Teahouse

10km round trip from Chateau LL  415 m elevation gain

Parking is becoming a little crazy up here so I'm pretty happy we could just park at the Chateau whenever we arrived.  This also means quieter trails since most people come early to get a space and head out.  We passed a lot of people coming down when we started the trail at 11:45.  Since we planned a longer hike the next day, this one was for fun (and scones).  

We only saw maybe 2 or 3 lots of hikers on the way up.  The little triangle of Lake Louise appears at the switchback corner, this means you're making progress.

We passed Mirror Lake then this beautiful waterfall.

Time for the steps.  

There was a heat warning today but we had cloud cover a lot of the way up.  I was probably still purple upon arrival at Lake Agnes.  I never get tired of seeing this lake appear as you turn the corner.

We went directly to the Teahouse and waited about 10 mins for a table.  It was lovely.  The tables and chairs are original from 1905.

Look at the details on this door.  

Scones (tea biscuits) are baked fresh every day.  

We approve.

The clouds had cleared by now so we sauntered round the lake to enjoy the views.

The colour of the lake changes depending on your view and the sun, it's fantastic.  

There is an alternate route down, crossing the outlet stream and descending on stairs initially.  It's a little more technical than the other side.  The views are different, we crossed a rockpile under Big Beehive.

This is Mirror Lake from the other side, Mt St Piran in the back.  Much quieter over here.

The trails connect and it's a hot trek back down the switchbacks.  We pass a huge number of unprepared people at this point, no water, flip flops, you name it.  Sigh.  I wonder what this trail is like in a normal year?