Escape the crowds at the mega-popular Lake Louise in Banff National Park and try Mount St. Piran Hike to see the lake from above. The 13 km trail is quite easy and you’ll leave behind other hikers from popular routes.

Some lakes are pretty just to look at from the shore, such as Moraine Lake, but Lake Louise doesn’t fall in this category in my opinion. Even though it’s nice and blue with a glacier above, the horrendous amounts of tourists and fighting selfie sticks always ruin the fun.

Luckily, there are a number of hikes in the area which offer even better views of the lake from above. And the best part is, I think we found the winner of the least crowded hike in the Lake Louise area.

Both Lake Agnes Tea House and Plain of Six Glaciers are incredibly crowded in summer. The trail empties quite a bit when you hike to Big Beehive, Little Beehive or Devil’s Thumb. Based on our experience in the area, the quietest trail is on Mount St. Piran Hike.

For more amazing trips in the Banff National Park, read these:

Especially in summer when the crowds are unbearable, I highly recommend checking out this “secret” hike. When we hiked in September, we’ve met a total of 2 other hikers.

Sounds good? Let’s go over the essential information about the Mount Saint Piran Hike.

Mount St. Piran Hike, Banff National Park

View of the Bow Valley, Lake Louise, and tiny canoes on the lake.

Pros & cons of the Mount Saint Piran Hike

Pros:

Quiet and uncrowded trail unlike other hikes in the area
Easy trail with no scrambling required
Bird’s eye view of Lake Louise, Bow Valley & Lake Agnes
Stunning view for the most part of the hike
Optional lake (ice) dip
Optional visit to Lake Agnes Tea House for a snack (recommended only in offseason)
Overflow camping nearby to start the hike early in the morning

Cons:

Finding parking might be difficult in summer
The first few kilometres might be a bit crowded as the trail leads also to Lake Agnes Tea House

The trail to Lake Agnes and Mount St Piran

Where is Mount Saint Piran

Mount Saint Piran is located northwest of the famous Lake Louise in Banff National Park. The parking lot at Lake Louise is about 45 minutes away from Banff. You can also stay in the Lake Louise campground instead of Banff.

How to get to Mount Saint Piran Hike

The easiest option would be to stay in Lake Louise, especially during the summer when the huge parking lot is usually full by 8 am. The parking costs 12 CAD/day. There is a Lake Louise campground and also an overflow campground along the Trans-Canada Highway just a few kilometres from Lake Louise.

Once you get to the Lake Louise parking lot (with big washrooms) and walk to the lake, the trailhead is on the far right side as you walk along the shore (and past the hotel).

: View from above is much better than this…

: …and without these crowds!

Mount Saint Piran Hike, Banff National Park

Distance: 14.2 km return (took us 5 hours with a break on the top)
Elevation gain: 960 m
Maximum elevation: 2649 m
Difficulty: moderate (easy trail with some loose rocks on top)
Best time to go: June to September (the snow at the end of September was knee-high)
Gear: water bottle with filter (you can fill up at Lake Agnes), windproof jacket, running shoes (the trail is easy), bear spray

: Mount St. Piran GPS route

The first few kilometres might be a bit crowded as the same trail also leads to Lake Agnes Tea House. But don’t worry, not for long.

When you reach Lake Louise shore, head to your right along the lake, and you will find a sign for Lake Agnes Tea House. It ascends slightly and follows the lake. The trail is wide and well-trodden. You hike through the forest with occasional glimpses of the insanely blue Lake Louise.

Start of the hike to Mt. St. Piran / Lake Agnes Trail

After about 2,5 km you will reach small Mirror Lake and continue to the right on Lake Agnes Trail. You will turn right shortly onto the marked Little Beehive Trail. This is where you leave the crowds behind.

Mirror Lake

Before you reach Little Beehive, you will see a sign for Mount St. Piran. The narrower trail goes left to the trees (about 4km from the start of the Lake Agnes Trail).

: Sign to Mount St. Piran along the Little Beehive Trail

: Larch trees in September

Views are spectacular in every direction.

Because we hiked in September, the yellow larch trees were accompanying us as we made our way up. When you leave the trees behind and enter the alpine terrain, stunning views of Lake Louise open right in front of you.

: Lunch views…

: …along the trail.

The trail continues up slightly ascending on the many switchbacks. We tried our luck following the footsteps of previous hikers but soon they stopped and the knee-deep snow didn’t allow us to reach the peak.

Late September conditions…

…made us turn around just few hundred meters below the summit.

Even though our first attempt at reaching the peak was unsuccessful, the panoramic views made up for it.

The views were stunning ever since leaving the trees behind.

The next year, we returned determined to summit Mount Saint Piran. And we finally did! The views from the top were even better than I imagined.

beautiful Mount St. Piran

The next year we hiked up, there was no snow in late September

Finally on top!

On our way back, we stopped at Lake Agnes to rest and have a snack before continuing back to the parking lot. The tea house is enjoyable in September when you don’t have to stand in line. Make sure you bring cash if you’re craving a cake and tea with a view.

Lake Agnes Tea House…

…with a nice view.

Tips for Mount St. Piran Hike

National park fees

To visit any national park in Canada, you are required to purchase a Park Pass (daily or yearly).

10.50 CAD per person for a daily pass, 21 CAD for a group/family
72.25 CAD per person for a yearly pass, 145.25 CAD for a group/family

The yearly Discovery Pass is valid for all National parks in Canada. You can purchase it at the gate when you enter the national park, in the Visitor’s Centre or online here.

Staying in Banff National Park

To have the most freedom and enjoy nature to the fullest while staying on a budget, we always recommend staying in the campgrounds. Banff National Park has many with picturesque scenery. Read our comprehensive guide about camping in Banff National Park for all camping info and lots of pictures of the campgrounds.

TIP
If you like adventurous trips, book a Smile Campervan from us and you don’t need to worry about any camping equipment or setting up a tent. You can comfortably sleep, cook and eat in the campervan.

Entrance to Banff National Park

Road closure

For trail closures due to wildlife presence or avalanche dangers in Banff National Park, check out the report from Parks Canada.

Accurate road conditions can be checked here.

Trail report

Before you head out, check current trail conditions on Trail Report from Parks Canada (you will only find conditions for Lake Agnes trail here as the trail to Mount St Piran is not monitored by Parks Canada, therefore it’s not on the popular maps).

Packing list for Mount St. Piran Hike

Our hiking essentials include:

Paper map of the area and downloaded map of the hike on the phone
External battery for the phone (especially for using GPS on the phone)
Lifestraw water bottle with a filter so we can drink from anywhere
Extra snacks
Windproof & waterproof jacket (yes, in summer as well)
Fleece or down jacket as unexpected snowstorms happen in summer
My absolute favourite trail running shoes
Bear Spray

And a few other items as well. For a full list of our gear, check out our hiking packing list for summer in the mountains. You can see the full list with links to purchase our favourite gear on our Amazon page.

Bear safety

As always in the Canadian Rockies, you are in bear habitat. You should always carry a bear spray (can be purchased at Visitor’s Centre or outdoor stores), know when and how to use it and make noise while hiking and running (so you don’ surprise any bears)! Carefully read these instructions on how to behave around them.

*In the spirit of full disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through them, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support!

Additional reading about the Canadian Rockies

More hiking ideas:

Day hikes in the Canadian Rockies

Canmore & Kananaskis Country:

Kootenay National Park:

Floe Lake

Yoho National Park:

Jasper National Park:

Plan your trip to the Rockies:

Spread the word! PIN this to your Pinterest board.

2 Comments

Stacey on August 10, 2020 at 4:05 pm

Would you recommend this for a family? Kids are 10 & 13, and have done White Buddha, Mistaya Canyon and Whistler/Blackcomb trails.
- Maya Steiningerova on October 29, 2020 at 12:38 pm
  
  Hi Stacey, I’m not familiar with hikes you mentioned but since your kids are already hikers, I’m pretty sure they would conquer Mt Saint Piran. Even if you don’t make it to the top, once you’re above the treeline, the view is spectacular!