Mount Saint Piran Traverse

August 11, 2025

I had a rare day out with my hard-core buddy Gail Crowe-Swords. She is next level, and is usually my leader for skiing or mountaineering. She is injured right now, which means I got the call for an easy day hike. I was happy to oblige.

Hiking anywhere near Lake Louise has become such a hassle, that most locals just don’t bother. I know I rarely make the effort to get out here. The main obstacle is getting a spot on the shuttle. Parks Canada keeps a certain number of seats available for last-minute bookings. These few spots can be almost impossible to reserve, even if you press the button right at 8:00 am. So I was shocked when I snagged two spots. Lucky? Nah. This has been the rainiest July ever, I think most people have just plain given up.

As I wasn’t scaling any major peaks, Gail and I chose the 7:00 to 8:00 am bus. We parked at the Lake Louise Ski Resort, hopped on the waiting bus, and were dropped at the Lake Louise parking lot, less than 30 minutes later. All very civilized and low hassle. To be clear – I am in favour of a shuttle as most tourists just come to view the lakes and leave. Should there also be access for climbers doing big routes? Yes.

Who is this Saint Piran and why is the mountain named for him? He was a 5th century abbot from Cornwall, although rumour has it he floated over from Ireland with a millstone around his neck. The mountain was named in 1894 by Samuel E.S. Allen. He was inspired by Willoughby John Astley, who managed the Chateau Lake Louise, and hailed from Cornwall. A tenuous connection in my mind, but then Lake Louise is named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria… Personally, I prefer the original Stoney-Nakoda name of Ho-run-num-nay, or the Lake of Little Fishes.

Despite the throng of tourists, and the shuttle hassle, Mount St Piran is an oasis in an otherwise overrun park. We had amazing views down to Lake Agnes, and towered above the crowds on the Big Beehive. The best part??? We scraped off 98% of the people just by heading up to the Little Beehive, and had the entire St Piran trail to ourselves all day. Not another soul up here. Worth the effort.

Gear

Hiking boots, poles and regular day pack kit.

Overview

From the Lake Louise parking lot, follow the throngs of tourists to the lake shore. Turn right, and follow the paved path along the shoreline. Follow the signs to Mirror Lake and the Little Beehive. At Mirror Lake, scrape off 20% of the tourists, some coughing up a lung. Hike up a little ways, and take the Little Beehive turnoff to lose another 70% of the tourists. We hiked up to the Little Beehive lookout, and then backtracked to the St Piran turn off (unmarked). We followed a typical National Park switchback trail to the summit. To return, either retrace your steps, or continue to the other side, and take the decidedly un-Parks trail down to the far end of Lake Agnes. Return to Lake Louise on the established trail.

Totals – Downloadable Tracks on Gaia, Displayed on Strava

Date: August 11, 2025
Group:  Two (Alisen & Gail)
Distance: 13.8 km
Elevation:  969 m (3,198′)
Time:  5 hours 15 minutes (includes lunch and breaks)

Parking and Trail Head

I booked the Parks Canada Shuttle, and drove to the designated parking lot. This has changed over the years from the Temple overflow lot, to the Lake Louise Ski Resort. Check the location before you drive. The shuttle bus dropped us at the Lake Louise parking lot, right outside the big washroom.

We walked over to the Louise shoreline, and found one spot not occupied by people posing. I manged to get off a quick shot of Mount Victoria in all her alpen glory.

From there, we walked to the start of the trails on the right side of the lake. We took the first turn off to Mirror Lake, and started hiking uphill.

Main Trail

Once on the hiking trail, the crowds do thin out a bit. Most of the people are not hikers, but tourists trying to get to the Tea Houses. These trails are wide, and super easy with a mild elevation grade.

Mirror Lake was absolutely spectacular this morning. The water was completely calm, and I took way too many photos. Loved it. There’s a reason this place is so darn popular.

Little Beehive

Once past Mirror Lake, we hiked over to the Little Beehive. This is the unloved Ugly Duckling to the much more popular Big Beehive. Once on this side trail – wow. What a difference. Only a fraction of the people come up this way. We had great views, and a nice trail.

It’s not necessary to hike all the way up to the Little Beehive, but as I wanted to do the Piran Traverse, I didn’t want to miss out.

Time to the Little Beehive was 1 hour 15 minutes. Distance was 5 km with 491 m elevation gain.

Mount Saint Piran Trail

We hiked back down from the Little Beehive, keeping an eye out for the Piran turn off. We found it, with a nice sign pointing every which way but up 🙂 I totally get it. When dealing with upwards of 10,000 visitors per day (!!!), it’s essential to not encourage difficult trails.

Once on the Mount St Piran trail, it’s a relatively easy National Parks trail with lots of switchbacks and gradual elevation gain. After spending most of my summer on unofficial straight-up Kananaskis scrambles, and a week of mountaineering, these gradual switchbacks were delightful. Gail pulled her hamstring, and is in the middle of recovery. She did not need to re-injure herself.

Prior to the summit, we hiked up to a small col, and marveled at the views along highway 93 North. Absolutely stunning vistas of the massive glacier ice sheet. Gail and I ski around there all winter, so it’s nice to view the peaks and routes from this perspective.

Near the summit, the trail turned to large boulders. As these rocks stay put, it made for some fun rock hopping.

Mount Saint Piran Summit

The summit – like a lot of peaks in the area – was completely flat. There was the obligatory rock shelter. The views!!! Absolutely epic! 360 degrees of majestic peaks. So awe inspiring. There is absolutely no doubt why Lake Louise is the crown jewel of the Canadian Rockies. The views are endless and stunningly beautiful. The towering peaks and white glaciers. There is no finer mountain range in all the world. I am blessed to live close enough to enjoy it, and I really must make it a higher priority.

Time to summit was 2 hours and 40 minutes. Distance was 7.5 km and 970 m elevation gain.

Mount Saint Piran Return or Traverse

If you’ve thoroughly enjoyed your trek up to the summit of Mount St Piran and don’t want to ruin the excellent vibe, then return the way you came.

If you think – how bad can it be? Then continue in the opposite direction to hike the traverse. For scramblers like myself, this is no problem. For pure hikers, this will be difficult. I’ve read enough teeth gnashing accounts of this traverse to not downplay it. There is a faint trail in the upper boulders, that works for most of the way down. There are a few steep sections through the boulders. The rocks stay put though, so nice travel.

The real issue is the descent through the meadow. It’s just slightly off vertical – think steep, slick and no footholds. Yum! This lasts for longer than strictly necessary, but it does end in a beautiful meadow with a bubbling brook to make you forget all about the woes above.

We followed an excellent trail through the meadow beside the brook, all the way to the end of Lake Agnes. Here, we snagged a rock outcrop above the traversing crowds, and enjoyed our Second Lunch.

Full up with the amazing views of Lake Agnes, we joined the thundering crowds as we traversed around the lake. Holy… So many people. It’s not sustainable. What used to be a lovely area of the world now feels like a tourist trap. At the Tea House, we crossed the outflow, and took the far exit. This deposited us on the south side of Mirror Lake, which is a much less traveled route.

When we hiked back to Lake Louise, the crowds were probably at their height. We had to slither through the jammed-packed trails to get back to the shuttle.

Realizing it was only 1:00 pm, Gail and I decided to stretch out the day. Thought we should make the most of our one day in Louise and our hard-won shuttle pass. We hopped on the inter-lake shuttle to Moraine Lake. Mistake. Chaos. Pure chaos.

Moraine Lake is MUCH smaller than Lake Louise, and there’s not a lot of real estate around the lake for people to spread out. No matter. People crawled over fences and into cordoned off areas. On the Rock Pile, people ignored the wide set trail, and scrambled up the back side of the moraine. People stood on the rocks for 5 or so minutes to get their picture taken, ignoring everyone else just trying to get a picture of this iconic view. I actually asked someone to get down so the rest of us could take a shot without them in the middle of it.

After the tranquility of Mount St Piran, Moraine Lake lost its shine today. The last time I was here was during the pandemic. I brought my daughters and we shared the Rock Pile with three other families from Calgary. We joked about how this reminded us of when we were kids, and you could just wander on up to Lake Louise or Moraine Lake anytime.

Yup. Those days are definitely over. It makes me sad. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are suffering from over-tourism. The beauty and the majestic power has been reduced to a carnival-esque atmosphere of endless line-ups to take a photo, and then move on. The wonder. The joy. The silent contemplation of a world beyond your wildest dreams. Pondering the hows of this enchanting landscape. Gone.

Wrap Up

I hate to end this trip report on such a sour note. I truly LOVE Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. I had a wonderful day hiking Mount Saint Piran with my hard-core buddy Gail. Would I recommend this place to everyone coming here on vacation? Yes, you’d be insane to miss it. Is there an answer to over-tourism? I really do not have a solution.

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Alisen