Our Journey to the Canadian Rockies was inspired by a single photo. There are many different places to stay in the area and we researched most of them when planning our trip. We knew we wanted to see Moraine Lake so we started looking at the lodge there and ended up staying at the following locations.
Paradise Lodge and Bungalows
Paradise Lodge – Lake Louise – Alberta, Canada
Located in the mountains above the town of Lake Louise. Our room had a separate bedroom, kitchen, dining, living room and balcony. The lodge is down the road from the famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the actual lake. Lake Louise is centrally located in the Canadian Rockies. North of Banff and South of Jasper. Easy to get around for exploring.
Storm Mountain Lodge
Originally we wanted to stay at Emerald Lake Lodge because it looked amazing, but it was a little pricey so we ended up booking our last two nights at Storm Mountain Lodge. The lodge is located right off the main highway around Castle Junction. From the website it looks rustic and cozy.
So the story is that our first day we went to Emerald Lake and was in awe of the beauty. From first glance we regretted not booking our last two night here but agreed we would keep our plans as is. That was until the day came that we were to check into Storm Mountain Lodge. When we drove up to it we both were like “is this it”? There was not a single person around – we weren’t sure if it was even open. It it located on a hill directly on the highway. It did provide a great view of the mountains across the highway but it was just a strange location. After a few minutes sitting in the parking lot, I looked at Jim and said “I don’t want to stay here”. So we decided to drive into Banff to figure out what to do.
Over lunch (and cell phone service) we called Emerald Lake Lodge to see if they had any available rooms. We were in luck.. they had room. So we cancelled our reservation at Storm Mountain Lodge and had an amazing stay at Emerald Lake Lodge.
In fairness to the lodge, we were so blown away by the beauty of Emerald Lake we may not have given this place a chance it deserves. It does have very positive reviews on Trip Advisor. However, for us, at that moment in time, it just didn’t feel right.
Emerald Lake Lodge
Emerald Lake
The reason we didn’t book our stay here from the beginning was the price and no TV (this was back in 2008 before ipads). However after visiting the lodge a few days prior the uniqueness of the location made us come back and stay.
The lodge is small but if you are lucky enough to get a room facing the lake (which we did the second night) the views are nothing like I’ve ever seen. The rooms are nice but could have used some updating though it didn’t matter for a chance to sit out on the balcony with the view of the emerald green lake.
We would go back and stay in a heartbeat. Photos – Emerald Lake Lodge
Additional Information
There are so many places to stay in these areas. Here is some additional details about the area.
- Lake Louise – smaller town, can be crowded in the main shopping strip. If you can stay up in the mountain area – there are a number of places to stay on the road where Paradise Bungalows was located.
- Banff – larger tourist town. Very crowded. Great to visit, but if you are looking for quiet mountain seclusion I would not stay here.
- Jasper – Jasper National Park is located north of Banff and Lake Louise. The area looks amazing. Though we did not make it on this trip, it’s on our list to visit.
I’m sure there are many beautiful places to explore and stay. If you are inspired to see photos from the area you can visit my photo galleries of our Canadian Rocky Journey.
Photos – Yoho National Park Photos – Banff National Park
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