The Hike I Didn’t Finish

A failed hike, a pink sky, and the case for setting your alarm.

If you’ve spent any time looking at photos of Banff and Lake Louise on social media, you’ve probably seen the crowds: packed trails, busy viewpoints, and plenty of people hoping to capture the same beautiful scenery.

So when I set out before sunrise to hike to Fairview Lookout above Lake Louise, I didn’t expect to be alone. The trail even passed the shuttle parking lot. Surely there would be other people heading up the mountain.

There were not.

I had my iPhone flashlight, no headlamp, and no bear spray. A local guide had told me that making noise would help alert bears to my presence, and given how hard I was breathing at that altitude, I figured I had that part covered.

About halfway up, I realized that being alone in the dark wasn’t quite the peaceful mountain experience I’d envisioned. I turned around and headed back toward the lake. (Learn from me: bring a headlamp and bear spray, or better yet, a guide.)

My unsuccessful hike turned out to have a rather spectacular consolation prize. The sun was still a while from rising, so I found a spot on the shore and waited. Slowly, the peaks at the far end of the lake turned pink, and the clouds overhead caught the same color. The whole scene changed in a matter of minutes.

There’s a reason travelers set their alarms for places like Lake Louise and nearby Moraine Lake. Before the day begins, the light softens everything, and you might just have the shoreline to yourself.

On this trip, I made a point of getting up before dawn almost every morning to wander the hotels and their grounds before most guests were awake. Well, except for one fellow traveler. We rarely crossed paths during the day, but we apparently shared an alarm clock.

Lake Louise was undoubtedly the standout, but each property offered something different.

At Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, my first morning brought a subtle orange glow over the lodge, with the mountains just beginning to catch the light.

At Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, the lake was so still and clear that I could see the bottom beneath the mountains’ reflections. Along the shoreline, the damage from the 2024 wildfire was a quiet reminder of how dramatically this landscape has changed.

At Fairmont Banff Springs, the experience was different again. Wandering the “Castle in the Rockies” before the hotel came to life gave me a chance to appreciate its architecture and the many smaller spaces tucked throughout the property. Around seemingly every corner was somewhere to sit, read, or enjoy a quiet conversation. I even peeked into the famous Rundle Bar before it opened, complete with its hidden bookcase door. Outside, I discovered the hotel’s seasonal Secret Garden, a beautifully decorated archway overlooking the mountains. Hikers were already setting out for the trails.

I’m naturally an early riser, but on this trip, those mornings were intentional. I wanted time to explore without a schedule, watch the light change the landscape, and find the corners I might otherwise have missed. By breakfast, the hotels were filling with activity and another day in the Rockies was about to begin, but I’d already had an experience that felt entirely my own.

And while I never made it to that lookout above Lake Louise, I can’t say I regret how the morning turned out.

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