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travel / adventure / guides / summer 2004
| Travel & Adventure Guides |
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BY MARION HARRISON
I find the idea of stopping for tea midway through a Rocky Mountain hike irresistible.
Tea never tastes so refreshing
as when you drink it on high. Mountain air sharpens your senses and stimulates your appetite,
which means your hard-working body also
appreciates fresh-baked sugary treats in a whole new way. I can also get dreamy about the past,
transporting myself back 100 years to
the company of the early Swiss guides. How I wish I'd been part of those pioneer forays,
cutting trails that hikers enjoy today or perhaps
bagging a first ascent.
Five historic teahouses offer hikers a taste of the past in the mountain national parks
of Alberta and British Columbia. Each of today's
Rocky Mountain teahouses began as a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) facility, encouraged by
trail surveyors and mountain guides. Their
motives were to provide creature comforts at the staging grounds for climbing adventures.
While 19th-century gentility may have inspired the teahouses, you can set aside any
preconceived notion of a stuffy atmosphere,
fine china, silverware and table linens. Rocky Mountain teahouses are for hikers and climbers
visiting the surrounding area. You'll be
travelling in some of the most spectacular landscape in the country. At the end of an afternoon
of exploring, your steaming brew will taste
just as delicious sipped from an earthenware mug set out on a rustic log table.
Sensibilities and gear may have changed over the 150 years since the Rockies were first
pioneered, but these historic teahouses
offer a delightful pause for adventurers today.
Lake Agnes | Plain of Six Glaciers |
Shadow Lake Lodge |
Twin Falls Chalet
| Lake O'Hara Lodge
Lake Agnes
Lake Agnes, near Lake Louise in Banff National Park, is home to the earliest teahouse, built around 1900. Named after two Agneses -
a mountaineering client and Sir John A. Macdonald's wife - Lake Agnes is a picturesque tarn formed by glacier melt and surrounded on three sides by towering peaks. Starting from Chateau Lake Louise, hikers follow a wide, well-travelled trail to the teahouse. The 90-minute hike is not strenuous, but it's relentlessly uphill as you'll gain about 400 metres of elevation. Along the route, there are some magnificent views of the Chateau and the emerald waters of Lake Louise.
At the teahouse, you have a choice of 50 varieties of loose tea served in "Brown Betty" pots. Owner Cynthia Magee rebuilt the teahouse after purchasing it from the CPR in 1981. The menu includes soup, sandwiches, tea biscuits, cookies, apple crisp, banana bread and apricot nut loaf. After your repast, you may be tempted to snooze by the lake, but continue along the lakeshore trail away from the busy teahouse area. You can join the
company of marmots and pikas sunning themselves on jumbled rocks, watch golden eagles float high on thermals and see
mountain goats pose on the rocky ledges of Mount Niblock. You can retrace your route to Lake Louise and cover about seven kilometres. Alternatively, continue around
Lake Agnes to the lookout on the Beehive, and descend to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from June to Thanksgiving.
Distance: 7 kilometres return. Check trail conditions.
Duration: 3 hours
Information: (403) 522-3833
Web site: www.travelalberta.com
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Plain of Six Glaciers
The usual route to the Plain of Six Glaciers begins at the Chateau Lake Louise, follows the lakeshore and continues down the valley. This is a
12-kilometre hike, including the return trek, and gains approximately 365 metres. Plan on two hours each way.
The CPR completed the Plain of Six Glaciers in 1927 with help from Swiss guides Edward and Ernest Feuz, who led climbing trips into the
mountains. Solidly constructed of local stone and logs, the lodge has a kitchen on the main floor and a tea room upstairs.
On a hot summer day, the balcony is crammed with hikers, savouring their tea and scones plus views of Mounts Victoria and Lefroy and the
glaciers that serve as the spectacular Lake Louise backdrop.
Proprietor Joy Kimball bought the teahouse from the CPR in 1960. Not so long ago, Joy and neighbouring teahouse owner Cynthia Magee had to
haul supplies in on their backs. These days, staples are flown in by helicopter at the beginning of the season, then pack horses bring in fresh
supplies throughout the summer. The menu includes homemade soups, sandwiches, pies, scones and a rich chocolate cake, plus hot and cold drinks.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from
June to Thanksgiving.
Distance: 12 kilometres return. Check
trail conditions.
Duration: 4 hours
Information: (403) 522-3833
Web site: www.travelalberta.com
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Shadow Lake Lodge
The CPR built the original Shadow Lake cabin in 1928 as a rest stop between Storm
Mountain and today's Sunshine Village Ski Resort. Since the 1930s, Shadow
Lake Lodge has belonged to the Brewster family. Strictly speaking,
it isn't a teahouse, but Shadow Lake Lodge offers afternoon refreshment
to hikers during the summer. To reach the lodge, set out from the Red Earth Creek parking
lot, some 20 kilometres west of Banff. You can hike or mountain bike 11 kilometres up an old fire road, then continue along a
trail three kilometres through the pine and spruce forest to the lodge. The original cabin is
now the lounge, where overnight guests relax after dinner. Tea is served next door in the dining room/kitchen building, where hikers
can munch on cookies, squares, bread, cheese and crackers and dips.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Distance: 28 kilometres return
Duration: 8 hours
Information: 1-866-762-0114; (403) 762-0116
Web site: www.shadowlakelodge.com
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Twin Falls Chalet
Located near Field, B.C., in Yoho National Park, Twin Falls Chalet is nestled
in a deep valley and offers views of the falls cascading over
a sheer cliff. Departing the parking lot, you reach the chalet
by way of a 10-kilometre
hike, boasting fabulous waterfall views.
The two-storey chalet, constructed by the CPR between 1908 and 1923, started
out as a surveyor's cabin during the time the hiking trails were being built.
Made from local spruce, the chalet has a main-floor kitchen and
eating area with bedrooms on the second floor.
Fran Drummond has run the chalet for 42 years. The menu includes a full
selection of soups, sandwiches and desserts, which are served daily between July 12 and August 20 in 2004.
Hours: 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Distance: 20 kilometres return
Duration: 6 to 8 hours
Information (offseason): (403) 228-7079
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Lake O'Hara Lodge
Lake O'Hara Lodge is also located in Yoho National Park and is open late in the afternoon for gourmet snacks. Built in 1926 by the CPR,
Lake O'Hara Lodge is situated in one of the most beautiful areas of the Rockies. The region is so popular with hikers and climbers,
in fact, that the national park uses a reservation system and bus shuttle to limit the number of visitors and hence the impact on
the wildlife and environment. (Book well in advance.) The bus drops guests off at the lodge and nearby campgrounds, which means you can
save your energy for hiking the grand terrain. If you have only a day, the one-hour hike around the lake is suitable for all ages.
You could, however, easily spend a week hiking in the area, following a network of 80 kilometres of trails. Back at the lodge,
tuck into the Hiker's Tea, which includes home-baked cookies, loaves, linzer tortes, hot drinks and mango juice.
Lake O'Hara Bus Reservations: (250) 343-6433
Web site: www.lakeohara.com
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For all these excursions, you'll need sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots, warm clothing and rain gear. Bring some drinking water too. Always
check trail conditions, but most important, bring cash!
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Lemon poppy-seed cake served alongside a cup of Earl Grey tea, with a touch of cream, keeps Marion Harrison hiking Rocky Mountain trails.
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