Hidden Lake guided hike

Hidden Lake hike

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 10 km round trip
Elevation Gain: 270 m
Duration: 6.5 hours (8:00 am - 2:30 pm)

Is this hike right for you?

A mosaic unveiled!

This spectacular hike starts off with a shuttle ride that will trim the 18 km trail down to a family-friendly 10 km. Start on a wide track through mature forest, crossing several small creeks. Soon the forest opens to reveal high peaks all around, and we enter a basin filled with wildflowers and larch. The hike finishes at Hidden Lake, home to a conservation pilot project to recover threatened westslope cutthroat trout.

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Note:  In autumn, this hike may feature the bonus of golden larches. Seasonal larch colour change is weather dependent and dates vary from year to year.

Is this hike right for you?

Hidden Lake Hike is rated moderate in difficulty. The shuttle will bring you up a private access road to the start of the trail. A short hill at the start mellows to a wide trail on packed dirt for 3.3 km. The remaining 1.5 km of the trail narrows and climbs steadily towards the lake and may be muddy in wet weather. If you have any past injuries or surgeries or medical conditions, please inform the Hiking Guide before you begin the hike.

Please see our day hikes page for details on hike ratings and to compare other hikes in Banff National Park with similar difficulty.

We want you to enjoy your day! If you are unsure if this hike is right for you, please call us at 1-403-522-3833 or by emailing pc.lakelouiseinfo-infolakelouise.pc@canada.ca.

Schedule - 2024 Hidden Lake Guided Hikes

Hidden Lake guided hikes operate from July 13 to September 22, 2024.

Duration: 6.5 hours (8:00 am to 2:30 pm)

When travelling east from Vancouver, the time changes from the Pacific Time Zone to the Mountain Time Zone at Glacier National Park’s eastern boundary. All hike times are in Mountain Daylight Time, the same time zone as Calgary, Alberta and Golden, British Columbia.

Cost

Visit our fees page for pricing

All participants on the Hidden Lake guided hikes require a valid national park pass. Purchase your pass the day before your guided hike; the park gates and visitor centres are not open in the early morning, and our guides do not sell park passes.

Hike logistics

Meeting point

Meet at the Lake Louise ski hill parking lot, Banff National Park at 8:00 am (MDT). The hike ends at the same location.

Exit the Trans-Canada as for the Lake Louise Ski Resort. Continue towards the resort on Whitehorn Road and park in the main lot in front of the lodge.

This hike starts and ends with a 4 km shuttle ride up a radio-controlled, one-way dirt access road. There is a locked gate and members of the public are not allowed to drive on the road. The shuttle departs at 8:30 am and if you miss the shuttle there is no way for you to catch up; you will miss the hike. No refunds.

Route map

What to bring

A day of hiking in the Rockies requires preparation. Conditions can change rapidly in the mountains and higher elevations increase your exposure to the sun and stormy weather.  To have a safe and fun time outdoors you will need to bring:

• Warm layers of clothes (no cotton), rain jacket and rain pants, winter gloves, and a winter toque / hat
• Hearty lunch and multiple snacks
• Drinking water, at least 2 litres or ½ gallon per person
• Sturdy and worn in hiking boots and extra wool socks 
• Hiking poles (required for the Mount Stephen hike). Note: Your guide may have hiking poles for you to borrow for the day.
• Sturdy and supportive backpack with a waist belt
• Sunscreen, sunglasses, sun hat, insect repellent
• Toilet paper in a plastic bag for disposal, hand sanitizer
• Reading glasses, if you wear them
• Blister kit and personal medical supplies (just in case)
• Sorry, no pets please.
• Camera!