Hikes With the Best Views in the Alberta Rockies

Big views from the summit at 9,000 feet; you can see the tea house at the Plain of Six Glaciers
Big views from the summit at 9,000 feet; you can see the tea house at the Plain of Six Glaciers

When you’re visiting the Alberta Rockies, there’s nothing quite like going for a hike to get up close and personal with nature. Here are five hikes offering some of the best views in the Alberta Rockies. Summer is the best time to experience them as the snow will be gone and route finding will be easier.

Little Beehive hike in Banff National Park

The Little Beehive hike is a classic in the Lake Louise area, with wonderful views of Lake Louise, Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes. If you’re feeling energetic you can stop at the Lake Agnes Teahouse on your way down (or up). It’s approximately 9 km return with a height gain of 520 m.

Read: The Lake Agnes – Little Beehive Hike near Lake Louise

Looking over to Lake Agnes and the Big Beehive
You can see Lake Agnes from the Little Beehive Trail

Fairview Mountain hike

If you’re strong and fit, the Fairview Mountain trail overlooking Lake Louise is a great choice for wonderful views of the Victoria Glacier and surrounding peaks.

With approximately 1,000 m in elevation gain, you’ll need to be well prepared for this long, rugged hike with good hiking boots, plenty of water and snacks, and perhaps a hiking pole, to help spare your knees on the way down. Stay on the trail – no short cutting.

Read: A Hike to the Summit of Fairview Mountain

Looking down at Lake Louise from just below the Fairview Summit
Looking down at Lake Louise from just below the Fairview Summit

Sunshine Meadows hike

The flower-filled alpine meadows above Sunshine Village offer spectacular hiking at 2,220 metres above sea level, with lakes, waterfalls, and dramatic mountain views.

There’s a combo gondola – chairlift package at Sunshine that will take you all the way to the start of these gentle hiking trails, described by the Lonely Planet as one of the top hikes in Canada.

Reservations are recommended.

Read: A Hike into Sunshine Meadows, Banff National Park

Spectacular views of Howard Douglas Lake
Spectacular views of Howard Douglas Lake

Rawson Lake hike

This is a gem of a hike in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country in the Upper Kananaskis Lake area. Rawson Lake is exquisite, with sheer cliffs rising far above its emerald waters.

This hike offers lots of variety in the terrain you walk through to reach the lake (320 m height gain, 7.8 km return). It’s possible to hike above the lake to Sarrail Ridge for even better views.

Rawson Lake in mid-June when the ice is leaving
Rawson Lake in mid-June when the ice is leaving

Grassi Lakes – a Canmore Classic

Grassi Lakes, in the Canmore area, is another great option. Short and sweet (4 km return, height gain 300 m) this is a very popular trail leading to two emerald-turquoise hued lakes. Formerly called Twin Lakes, Grassi Lakes were renamed to honor legendary trail builder and mountain guide Lawrence Grassi, a longtime Canmore resident.

Grassi Lakes features two trails, one marked ‘difficult’ and the other ‘easy.’ (The ‘difficult’ trail has a steeper bit near the top, and more variety in what you see along the way). You can do these trails as a loop (go up the ‘difficult trail’ and down the wide and gentle ‘easy’ trail – or simply return the same way you came.

Grassi Lakes are a beautiful place for a picnic, or simply to enjoy the peacefulness of the lakes and mountains. It’s also fun to watch the rock climbers doing their thing on the cliffs above the lakes.

The Grassi Lakes are also a great place for a picnic
The Grassi Lakes are also a great place for a picnic

The Alberta Rockies await you – it’s all out there, yours to discover.

“There’s just lots of opportunity to get outdoors,” says Jill Sawyer, regional communications officer with Alberta Parks. “There are so many hikes for people of all different hiking abilities.”

For more information, please visit Alberta Parks.

This is a guest post by Jacqueline Louie, a Calgary-based freelance writer.

Other Alberta blogs related to hiking you might enjoy

Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.

5 hikes with the best views in the Alberta Rockies

 

My Cart Close (×)

Your cart is empty
Browse Shop