Usually this time of year we do our annual, fall sojorn to Whitefish , Montana with a group of friends but with new jobs and limited vacation time we opted for an alternative. The group was going to Las Vegas for a week to party but we opted instead for a quiet couples retreat over a few days. We had always wanted to stay at Emerald Lake Lodge and this seemed like a perfect time. Needing a quick break away from our busy jobs a short travel itinerary seemed like a great plan.
Emerald Lake is only about 3 hours away from the city, tucked away off the highway just past Field, BC it’s close but feels like a retreat far secluded from civilization. We left Friday morning bound for a 3-night, 4 day stay. During this off- season period the Lodge offers a great deal for 2 nights and you get Sunday night free, that makes a little longer stay more affordable. On the way we stopped in Canmore for lunch and arrived at The Lodge’s overnight parking area at about 3pm where we called for the shuttle. It was a bit of a wait, 25 minutes before it arrived to shuttle us up to the lodge and the couple before us had waited a little longer. We expected a bit prompter service to start our stay. I had purposely brought tip money expecting to have some help with our bags, but I didn’t have to spend a dime, there was no help! The couple before us had a ton of luggage with two small kids, strollers, crib, luggage… we had luggage, food, vino and weren’t travelling lightly as we planned to live it up for the weekend. We were dropped off and left to fend for ourselves, dragging our luggage like Everest Shurpas down and up a hill to the very last cabin #33 about 1km from the main lodge. We weren’t exactly impressed with the lack of service but this is a rustic retreat, not to the level of service you’d expect at The Rim Rock, Banff Springs or The Chateau Lake Louise down the road but it didn’t put a damper on our stay. We had a lovely long weekend, just don’t come with luxury expectations.
Emerald Lake Lodge began as the jewel and first property the O’Connors purchased in 1979 from Parcs Canada with their portfolio quickly growing to encompass the now Canadian Resorts of the Rocky Mountains. It is rustic elegance forcing you to completely disconnect from the world. There are no TV’s, no WIFI in the rooms but each has a woodburning fireplace and balcony with views of the magnificent outdoors. We managed to get a room overlooking the lake as the last cabin on the path that enters onto the lakeside loop, a popular 2 ½ hr. hike around the lake. The resort has a great formal dining room, casual lounge and restaurant with the Cilantro café down by the bridge for an afternoon coffee or casual fare. It also has a nice hottub with views of the lake to enjoy a dip and watch the snowflakes falling in the winter.
We left Friday morning in beautiful 15’ weather but it quickly changed as we entered the foothills with the wind picking up, then torrential rain with the temperature plummeting to 3 degrees. We checked in and soon the snow began to fall with a dusting that turned the whole landscape into a beautiful winter wonderland. We decided to hunker down in our room with the fireplace roaring while enjoying a sumptuous charcuterie platter we had purchased back home from the Italian store with a great bottle of merlot brought back from our summer trip in the Naramata Wine Bench.
The next morning, we took our time starting the day with an in-room coffee, splash of Baileys and amazing chocolate croissants also brought from the Italian store. By noon we were ready to venture out into the glistening winterscape created overnight by a hoarfrost and few inches of snow. The scenery took our breath away as we headed out for a beautiful, easy hike around the lake from our back door.
Returning from a fulfilling hike it was time to hit the hot tub and soak a few tired muscles before dinner. We had reservations at the Mount Burgess Dining Room and enjoyed a really good dinner with lakeside views until the mountain scenery disappeared under a blanket of darkness. It was a perfect day, topped off with a perfect dinner. Strolling back to our room we ended the evening with a night cap back home by the fireplace and a competitive game of ‘pay me’ where I whopped Janet one more time.
Sunday we enjoyed their buffet breakfast in the dining room, good value for $23 each. I never thought to come up here for a day trip but it would be awesome to come up on a Saturday or Sunday, start the day with their delectable buffet, a hike around the lake, maybe a canoe paddle in the summer and then home with a coffee from Cilantros. A spectacular day in the Rockies which we’ll plan to do again in the summer. There is much to do around here with Lake Louise minutes away or a short trip to Golden or Banff with skiing, hiking, paddling and all the great outdoors has to offer but we subscribed to doing nothing! Just enjoying the spectacular surroundings while recharging our depleted batteries.
Our last day we made a pit stop to Lake Louise for a quick look at the Lake after grabbing breakfast sandwiches and coffees at Logans, a great café in the hamlet. We had plans to walk around the Chateau but they’ve closed it to hotel and restaurant quests only. I guess with the throng of tourists they’ve had to limit visitors so that was a bit disappointing, but we didn’t have a lot of time anyways. Onward home with the memories of a lovely weekend in the mountains, recharged and centered from the peace the mountains bring.
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