Cathedral Mountain Lodge?
 

We have reservations (late August) for one of the new cabins at Cathedral Mountain Lodge in Yoho National Park. We have never been to the area and are not sure about where to stay. We have the opportunity to stay at the Post Hotel in a suite but the rate is over twice the rate we have at Cathedral Mountain and I am wondering if it is worth the difference. We are looking for nice accommodations, log cabin style, with cozy atmosphere and good service. Has anyone stayed at Cathedral Mountain Lodge? Any opinions?

Karen, <BR> <BR>if you are looking for a cozy log cabin with lots of atmosphere & great service, Cathedral Mtn will suit you just fine. We stayed there a weekend last summer, and the location is peaceful & beautiful. Its nicely situated between Emerald Lake, and Takkakaw Falls - both of which are spectacular. Post Hotel is amazing too, but at twice the price, Cathedral Mtn. will not disappoint. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip - Yoho doesn't get nearly enough praise! <BR> <BR>Tim

Thanks for the info on Cathedral Mountain Lodge! I have seen it but only from the road. Yep, Yoho has some lovely sights, particularly if you walk some. The Iceline Trail is spectacular on a clear day. Also, check out the Burgess Shale Learning Center. I don't know how much progress has been made in the last year, but great things are planned for the Center. Ask at the Visitor Center just off of the Trans Canada. If you are not familiar with the Burgess Shale, it is a rare fossil bed that was discovered a few years ago high on the mountain side. It has some very rare fossils. So much so that it has been designated as a World Heritage Site.

Glad I could help some, Bob. Especially to be able to help a valued member of this forum such as yourself! <BR> <BR>We had planned on doing the Iceline Trail, but the weather turned wet on us very quickly. We were fortunate enough to have lived in the area for a couple years & got to see and do a lot in the Canadian Rockies, but there's still lots for us to see yet. We are planning another trip out there in the next couple years, and we'll have to check out the Burgess Shale center - sounds very interesting. <BR> <BR>The Cathedral Mountain Lodge has a variety of cabin types, but the newer ones are a bit better in my opinion. The newer ones are roomy with a nice log bed, fireplace, pullout couch, table & chairs, and they also have larger ones with lofts & ceiling fans. The food in their restaurant is *very* good, too. <BR> <BR>I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this spot to anyone. <BR> <BR>Enjoy, <BR>Tim

I think this exchange has pointed out that there are always some aspect of a vacation destination that someone has not experienced, regardless of the number of visits. Despite the fact that <BR>I have been to Yoho 7 times, I have never been inside the facilities at Cathedral Mountain Lodge. So the information was most welcome and I will file it away for future reference. <BR>I am not sure when we will be back, but I would like to go after substantial progress has been made on the Burgess Shale Learning Center. It was very much a work in progress last year. The landlady at the apartment where we stayed had just taken a job with the Learning Center, and she invited us down for a tour. She showed us the architect's drawings and even allowed me to hold a couple of the fossils in my own hands. They were still in the rock matrix, so the only thing in danger of being broken was my foot, if I dropped one. To those of you considering visiting Yoho, even if you do not take to the trails, Takakkaw Falls is spectacular!! If you ascend to the Iceline from Whiskey Jack Youth Hostile, you get a cross-valley view of the falls. If you go up high enough, you are actually above the brink of the falls and you can see the Daly Glacier, which is the source of the water that goes over the falls. The Iceline can be a beautiful hike, but it can also be unpleasent in bad weather. In the summer of 1997, I got caught in a sleet storm on the exposed part. No problem because I had my equipment with me. <BR>But one party of hikers, who were with some tour group, got caught by the same storm. I had noticed on the way up that they looked unfit and unprepared. I never saw them again, because they turned south toward Yoho Lake while I turned north toward the Emerald Glacier. So I am not sure how they did. But being caught at the higher elevations in a sleet storm is no laughing matter for the ill equipped. I wish I could recall the name of the tour company that had permitted these people to be placed at risk, because I would advise people to avoid that particularly outfit. <BR>No experienced guide should ever allow members of a hiking group to become exposed to bad weather without adequate clothing. It is one thing to have available rain pants, parka with hood, and Polarfleece garments when the weather turns bad; it is quite another thing to be caught in that type of weather with nothing more than a sweater. <BR>(I must admit that was an odd gaggle of hikers. One woman was hiking in a long skirt; one character with a big hunting knife stuck down in his boots was clad macho style in a sleeveless T-shirt and a huge hat; and others in the group had on about what you would wear to the grocery store in the summer in St. Louis. Not exactly the sort of clothing you need for that kind of exposure! <BR>

We spent 5 days at Cathedral Mountain Lodge last summer. The log cabins were wonderful - we stayed in one of the newer ones - all pine inside, fireplace, etc. And the restaurant was fantastic!!! Hiking nearby is excellent - The Twin Falls hike is just minutes away, as is the bus pick-up spot for the Lake O'Hara area.