Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House

Amazed by this gem in the mountains that has no electricity! The food is cooked with propane and fresh produce brought up by the staff every 5 days. Menu is mostly veg except a tuna sandwich and the chicken soup, and has a variety of gluten free options. Loved the hummus sandwich — fresh made hummus and bread!
They prefer cash but take credit card for a $ 2 fee.

The hike is fantastic, though not easy, but worth it for the views. The tea house is a nice bonus. Sure the food isn’t great but the thought that such a place exists is worth a visit. The server was super friendly. The food tastes better after working this hard. Remember it’s all about the experience!
August 2014

This tea house is the reward after a long (uphill!) hike around Lake Louise and toward the glacier. The location is beautiful, and it’s quite charming. I loved reading about how they run things (supplies are brought by helicopter, packed in by horse, or hiked in by the employees). There is no power, and everything is cooked on propane stoves. The employees live there 5 days out of the week and have to hike in and out. You can see their little cabin in the back. Who doesn’t love a great history like that! I had a slice of homemade bread with butter and jam, and hubby got the vegetable soup with a slice of bread. Food is just okay, but comforting after a hike. Although not a destination for the food (we also tried a slice of unremarkable apple pie) it’s great to find this place in the middle of nowhere when you are out hiking and you couldn’t ask for better ambiance!

First off the Tea House takes about 2 – 3 hours from the foot of Lake Louise. Needless to say it is an exciting hike and I recommend getting there before the crowd does as in start hiking at 8 am. Anyhow after the exciting hike and before the glacier lookout, you see the six glaciers tea house. The teahouse is in itself an institution and I believe it has been managed by the same family for generations. They have park bench seating as well as seating on the second floor overlooking the mountains. It was very peaceful. Anyhow, the service was top-​notch and the waitresses were knowledgeable and friendly. I went ahead with the waitress’s suggestion of ordering the chocolate pie along with tea. Speaking of tea, they had a good selection of teas. .. more than 10 kinds! It was a nice time just to chill out and relax while having the Canadian Rockies on the horizon. This was definitely a unique experience and would not mind hiking up to hang out at the Tea House. Other cool facts about the tea house is that their supplies are dropped via helicopter and some via horses going up the trails. Also, for those who are asking if they accept credit cards, they do, BUT they do it the old fashioned way with carbon copies. I paid in cash, which is more convenient. Although technically this is a tourist trap by its location, do not let that fool you because the service and the food is great!

Amazing. Everything about it was great. After a dismal experience trying to order at Lake Agnes Teahouse, this place was a breath of fresh air. Super friendly and very attentive staff, prompt service and excellent tea and biscuits. Also had chocolate cake which was pretty good, and coffee that was only so-​so but whatever, this is a teahouse and the tea was fantastic and we had an awesome time.

Beautiful hike made even more perfect by a cup of tea at the end of the trail — two of my favorite things combined into one awesome experience! Warning, unless you’re starting this hike before 10 or after 4 don’t expect to have the trails to yourself, this has got to be one of the most travelled trails in the Canadian Rockies, in fact I seem to recall reading an article recently stating that on a nice summer weekend day over 15 000 people hike one of the two Teahouse trails here at Lake Louise. The good news is, the crowds tend to significantly thin out once you get past the lake trail.
Don’t be fooled, you will work out to get up to the Teahouse, it’s around 5.5 km one way and has an elevation gain of 1100 feet or so. The reward? A beautiful view and a cup of Banff Tea Co. Tea. Good selection of sandwiches and snacks, just watch the squirrels if you’re eating — they’re not shy, I watched one jump up onto a table to steal a morsel of food from an occupied table while I was enjoying my cuppa.
This is one of those bucket list, tick the box kind of hikes that you have to do in the Canadian Rockies!

Quite a long spectacular hike for the day. The scenery and lighting changing by the minute. Saw several people riding horses to the tea house. Abundant viewing of wildlife, including grizzly bears, deer, and white mountain goats as well as rams. On reaching the Teahouse, I wish I had started the hike earlier, as the views in every direction were just spectacular!!!
The Friendly staff there was pleasant, but coffee and cookies at 45 $??!, maybe it’s a «view tax».;)

It’s always nice to complete a hike and have some food waiting for you at the top. This is the case of the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. The hike up isn’t too bad as the incline is gradual over 5 km or so. Even if the ingredients aren’t the freshest (for example, the tuna sandwich’s bread was quite dry) I’m pretty sure you’ll have built up a good appetite so anything will taste good by the time you get up there. I could imagine how awesome tea or hot chocolate would be on a cold day. Fortunately unfortunately it was a hot day out when I was there and we went for the lemonade instead, which was extremely refreshing. In comparison to the Lake Agnes Tea House, this one takes the cake. The tea house in Lake Agnes seemed to be poorly run, was way more busy because it’s a shorter hike, and more expensive. If you only had time for only one of the hikes, I would recommend the Plain of Six Glaciers as I enjoyed this tea house better. There’s also more to see on the hike in terms of variety of vegetation and an awesome view of the glaciers if you continue on to the lookout. Make sure you bring cash.

Nach einer schönen Wanderung gibt es nichts besseres als diese Berghütte. Sie ist im alten Stil gebaut und man wird hier gut bedient und kann seine müden Knoche ausstrecken.

An amazing place, we did not know what to expect and I actually had a case of pretty bad cold but the hike was absolutely gorgeous. We ended up watching an avalanche coming down from Victoria glacier, awe inspiring.
Tea House itself is really neat building built back in 1920s I believe. Owned by the family that bough it in 50s. Food and tea are great. Make sure to try their Apple pie, out of this world, especially after a hike!
One thing to note is that there is no place to refill water bottle, but if you want you can always get some extra tea and use that.

What an incredible place. It’s like something out of a book. We started on a brisk walk around lake louise and then somehow ended up on this epic hike that seemed to never end. We knew there was some tea house at the top, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I just expected it would be a restroom with a sign that there stood a tea house in 1880. To my incredulous surprise, it was an actual house! That served tea AND food! I was starving and tired and unhappy, so this was the best thing that could have happened short of someone coming with a helicopter to take me back home. The bread was amazing. The bean and noodle soup went down as the best soup of my life up to that moment and since. The tea was aromatic and hot. The tea biscuits! Well the tea biscuits were just that last little thing that made my life to that moment complete. The women who served us were most pleasant. Can you tell I enjoyed this place? The hike however treacherous it may seem is totally worth the destination. I even bought a tee shirt there.

I have been craving for a slice good chocolate cake for weeks now and finally that craving was satisfied yesterday. The only downside is that I found it in the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House which means I have to hike 2 hours up before I can have it again.
The tea house is a very welcoming sight after a 2-​hour hike. It’s a two-​level place where you can have tea, chips, soup, sandwich, salad or their popular chocolate cake or buy some souvenirs. It is also a good place for waiting for and watching avalanches. The servers are very welcoming which is extremely refreshing after that exhausting hike up. Even though it was packed when we got there the service was still pretty quick. Their food tasted very fresh especially the soup of the day (I think it was vegetable noodle).
Just note that the tea house only takes cash so be sure to bring at least 20 bucks per head — It’s a long walk back to the Château just to get cash. :)

Could you be more perfect Six Glaciers? I think not. Truly one of the most beautiful settings for an oasis on a long, long hike and that’s just one of the amazing traits. We (without actually knowing it) successfully completed the Highline Trail Hiking Challenge and went to both Lake Agnes and Plain of Six Glaciers. After a few hours on foot soaking up the sun and scenery, a chair was a welcome sight.
What was an even better sight was the menu. I wasn’t really feeling the sandwich vibe, but that bowl of quinoa sung to me. It was the absolute perfect lunch with the cutest wait staff and coziest table. The house itself feels like a cabin who begs you to curl up with a book sipping berry berry tea, pausing every once in a while to catch an avalanche. Yes, seriously, we saw an avalanche from the upper deck.

If you’re ambitious, this tea house is a welcomed stop on your way out to the glacier by Lake Louise. If you’re a might out of shape and wondering why in the world you’d make yourself hike up the longest incline ever… it’s a welcomed destination.
I was out in Lake Louise with some friends and bf to head on the hike around the lake and up to the tea house. We reached the flat end of the hike and my three friends decided that was enough for them. That left two of us to make it the rest of the way up.
It’s a long hike for sure, but we made it to the top. The tea house isn’t very big. It’s two levels with a small dining area up top and tea seater tables lining the wrap around deck. And a couple of outhouses if you’re in need of a washroom.
They offer sandwiches, soups, desserts and drinks. Not thinking we’d be having a bite when we got there, I didn’t think to bring cash up the mountain with me. No debit up here (I’m not sure about credit cards). To be on the safe side, bring about $ 20/​person cash with you.
There’s no electricity, everything is baked/​made on site using propane stoves. On that note, none of the sandwiches have meat, I don’t think there are any refrigerators either. The staff live up the mountain 5 days a week, large order supplies are helicoptered in once a year (like sugar and flour) and the rest is either brought up by horseback or carried in with staff members when they hike the same trail in that we did.
Also, the Tea House requests that you turn your cell phone off when you’re near the building. They’re doing their best to reduce their carbon footprint in the area and I guess having that many people congregated in one spot doesn’t help.
The hike itself I would put at a medium level hike. There were people of all ages huffing it to the top, but the second ²⁄₃ of it are pretty much all up hill. There are places to stop and take a rest, but make sure you’ve got a good pair of shoes on and bring a couple of water bottles with you. I passed a couple of people trying to haul a stroller up with them. I’d advise against that. It’s a rocky hike and no place for strollers, not to mention a couple of pretty narrow parts. And don’t forget to take a moment to look around here and there, the views are unbelievable!
Tip: When asking a fellow hiker how much farther to the tea house, double the amount of time they say. Going downhill is slightly faster than up after all. ;)

Getting here is half the fun! It was a glorious Fall day when I took the loop from Lake Louise to Lake Agnes (and the Tea House), and onwards to the Plain-​of-​Six Glaciers (and this Tea House) and back down. I’m also a fast hiker (even at this altitude) and was back from this 8.5 mile hike well before the suggested days journey.
The Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House is a two-​story stone building that was finished in 1927 and designed to serve as a pit stop between the Lake below and the masses of ice above. Joy Kimball, who at 80+ quickly cruises up the mountain, still helps out baking homemade chocolate cake, bread and biscuits up here, all without the benefit of electricity. She bought the tea house from the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1959 after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper.
About 20,000 pounds of tea house necessities drop from the sky, thanks to a helicopter, each spring and are then stuffed into a tiny shed. More ingredients make it up the mountain during the summer and fall courtesy of pack horses. Employees stay in little cabins steps away from the tea house for five days straight, then down the mountain for two. Fresh goods are backpacked in, and garbage out.
My hike was very enjoyable, drop dead gorgeous in many spots, and offered wonderful Tea House hospitality. The prices are a little higher, but considering what it takes to keep one of these seasonal places running, it’s still a great and delicious value for the money.
Don’t forget your layers (and sturdy shoes) as weather conditions and footing rapidly changed during my sojourn. And it’s so worth it to see the glaciers more up close and personal like this.

Great hike from Lake Louise! And so pleasant to have tea and cakes at the destination. It is very reasonably priced too. We loved the maple cream tea from Banff Tea Co so much that we bought some more once we returned to Banff.

The hike up to Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House starts off easy enough, working your away around the northern shore of Lake Louise. You then pass under some impressive cliffs and will often see climbers working their way up or down them. You then pass through a narrow and start gaining altitude, doing a few switchbacks, this is where it starts taking a bit more work and the air is thin, but if you’re willing to push yourself for an hour or two, the reward at the end is just incredible. This has to be one of the most stunning views you’ll ever experience.
The food at the tea house is simple, and don’t look for a bargain since everything is carried up there by foot and prepared by hand, but having said that, prices are all under $ 10 and you’re hard work will make you appreciate that pot of tea and slice of banana loaf all the more.
Definitely one of the nicest hikes I’ve ever taken in my life, go for the view, and recharge your batteries at the tea house.

We did the Plain of Six Glaciers Hike in August 2008. The «we» included my 8 year old and 12 year old. It took us about 3 times the time estimate to climb up, but once an older gentleman on his way down told the 8 year old there was hot chocolate at the top, adding that he had «warmed a lot of rocks on the way up» too, we had a reason to complete our trek. When we got to the top there was light snow. The TeaHouse has been run by the same family since the 1930’s or 1950’s. Supplies are hauled up by horse each week and propane is used for cooking. The tomato soup and thick homemade bread was great. The food is simple, but very welcome.

Wonderful rest spot when hiking from the Fairmont at Lake Louise to the Plain of Six Glaciers. It’s about a 3 mile hike from the hotel to the Tea House. We were visiting Banff in late September so the trail wasn’t super crowded with hikers as I’ve heard it can be during the summer. It’s a pretty steady climb to from Lake Louise to the Tea House but not extremely difficult, a moderate to intermediate level hike. Fabulous views of the lake as you climb the trail and look back; and of course, the amazing glaciers as you near the Tea House. The Tea House probably seats about 25 people and it was nearly at full capacity when we arrived, even with it being off season. The workers stay all summer to run the business and reside in quarters on the grounds near the tea house. Supplies are carried up the trail by the workers on foot or horseback. The tea house is two levels with stools/​tables upstairs and below. There are also benches near the tea house for resting or picnicking and to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Order your food and drinks upstairs, take your garbage back down the trail with you. A local favorite which is worth a try — the homemade chocolate cake with chocolate icing — delicious! Workers are friendly and laid back.