Sentinel Pass & Eiffel Lake Hikes – Lake Louise, AB

Sentinel Pass and Eiffel Lake are moderately difficult trails that provide unbelievably easy access to the world-renowned Lake Louise high alpine backcountry. Typically, hikers will choose to do just one of these 10km trails as an out and back. However, if you are going to make the effort of getting an early parking spot, or taking a shuttle to Moraine Lake you may as well make the most of it and go for both. The trails converge about 2km up the switchbacks from Moraine Lake so tacking on the additional route adds minimal time and will definitely take your adventure to the next level. Both trails follow gorgeous routes through the high alpine passing by lakes, snow and surrounded by unbelievable peaks. Sentinel pass gets you higher into the alpine and exhibits fantastic views of Paradise and Larch Valley. Eiffel lake traverses across the high side of the valley overlooking the lake and the beautiful valley of the ten peaks.

Check out our Sentinel Pass & Eiffel Lake Video HERE

Remember the Backcountry Basics

• Carry your Survival Kit & Essentials 
• Let someone know where you’re going with a Trip Plan 
• Know how to avoid negative wildlife encounters 
• Practice Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness pristine
• Carry a Satellite Communicator like SPOT X 

The Breakdown

How to Get There

Sentinel Pass is very easily accessible, it’s less of a question of how to get there and more a question of when to get there. Moraine lake is notoriously busy, and the parking lot typically fills up before sunrise. We arrived at around quarter to six and the parking lot was half full. An alternative option, which Parks Canada recommends, is to park at the Lake Louise overflow. I’m very familiar with this lot and have slept there on multiple occasions. Shuttles begin at 9am and run until 6pm. So, if you are on vacation and want the most stress free and sleep friendly option, opt for the shuttle. Although it’s an early wake up call, I loved watching the sun rise over Moraine lake as we embarked on the trail. It also meant we were finished before noon and had a whole day to continue the adventure which was equally as awesome.

The Route

The hike is extremely well marked and begins a few hundred meters along the Moraine Lake, Lakeshore trail. There are many signs marking the beginning of the Larch Valley Trail. There is a large sign that warns you about Grizzly Bears and that you are required to travel in groups. It’s always a good idea to travel in groups in bear country, but don’t fret if you are solo, you are not going to get penalized, just ensure you have your bear spray, be prepared and make some noise.

The first portion of the Larch Valley trail is an extremely wide gravel pathway. It switchbacks along the mountainside in the trees and gains 240m over 1.5km. At no point do you get a solid birds-eye view of Moraine Lake, this is only possible from the Summit of Mt Temple. Fortunately, you can peek through the dense trees and see bits and pieces of the lake and glaciers as you are hiking up.

At around the 2km mark you will reach a confluence. This is where you will have the option of continuing up the Larch Valley trail to Sentinel Pass or to head to Eiffel Lake. I would recommend heading to Sentinel pass first since it requires more elevation gain and becomes more crowded in the afternoon. You will be welcomed into a beautiful alpine meadow, and due to forest fire smoke, this is where we experienced one hell of a beautiful red sunrise.

The trail continues past two picture perfect glacial ponds that reflect the surrounding mountains on their glassy waters. After the lakes, the Sentinel Pass portion of the trail begins and you will follow a steeper trail up the rocky face. There was only a bit of snow left on this section when we were hiking in July and was no problem to walk across. We were the second group of hikers up that day and we enjoyed a quiet snack at the top staring into the Larch Valley we just hiked up through.

After our short break we headed back towards the Eiffel Lake confluence and made our way up the Eiffel Lake trail. On our way down, the Sentinel Pass trail was starting to get busier and we passed about 10-15 groups before we turned off to the Eiffel Lake trail. To our amazement, we ended up having the Eiffel lake trail all to ourselves. The Eiffel lake trail gains nearly no elevation and traverses across the high alpine opening up to extraordinary views of the valley of the ten peaks. I really wanted a swim so when we arrived at the lake we scrambled down 50 metres towards it’s shoreline and enjoyed a blissful and private alpine swim.

Both of these hikes are extremely satisfying and it is hard to choose one over the other. If you’re looking for something with a little more elevation gain, go with Sentinel pass. For something a little easier on the knees and more family friendly, give Eiffel lake a go. Either way, both trails are killer and you’re going to love them. My only word of advice, get there early, or get there late so you can have the trail all to yourself.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments? 

Happy Hiking!