At Lake Louise, you and your family can opt for easy or exhilarating hikes on your own or you can go with guides. The 2.4-mile flat hike around the lake, great for all ages, proves easy for us to do on our own, but we were glad we had a guide to encourage us on the half-day, four-mile roundtrip trek up to Lake Agnes and the Tea House.

Not only did Mike, our naturalist guide, part of the Chateau Lake Louise Mountain Heritage Guide Program, inform us about the trail’s flora and fauna, he also got us through the steep, initial half-mile of our hike by keeping up a lively repartee. Among the fun facts we learned: a 600- to 800-pound grizzly munches 200,000 berries per day.

En route to the mountaintop Tea House, there are great views of pristine Mirror Lake nestled under cliffs and snow-clad peaks. The Tea House offers snacks and water (bring money), as well as bathrooms for its patrons.