RLUCIDO

Has anyone stayed at the Paintbox Lodge in Canmore. What is Canmore like? What town in this area (Banff, Lake Louise, Canmore, Jasper, etc) would be most appealing to folks like us. We like hiking and enjoying the great outdoors with the ability to have a nice dinner with nice wine at the end of a day. I'd say we enjoy "rustic" as long as it is sophisticated/semi luxurious "rustic".? Yes an oxymoron, but can't quite figure out how to describe. Any other recs for lodging in the area that might be good for us?

thanks in advance!

Judy_in_Calgary

Hello RLUCIDO,

I'm not familiar with Paintbox Lodge. However, it is in the town of Canmore (population 10,000).

I think a property that may come closer to describing what you like is Baker Creek Chalets, which is in the forest, a 10-minute drive from Lake Louise village.

Banff has a permanent population of 7,500, but it has MANY times that number of visitors. It is VERY busy. But you can set yourself apart from most of the hustle and bustle if you stay in a property like Buffalo Mountain Lodge, which is at the edge of the town. BML has in the neighbourhood of 100 rooms, decorated in an upscale log cabin stye.

Emerald Lake Lodge, which is in Yoho National Park, to the west of Lake Louise, definitely would fit the description of what you like. However, it's more expensive than Paintbox Lodge. If Paintbox Lodge is indicative of your price range, then Emerald Lake will be outside of it.

Jasper is a charming, laid back town. It's bigger than the village of Lake Louise but smaller and less bustling than Banff. It has a number of cabin / chalet style properties on the outskirts of the town or a short distance from the town. They include Alpine Village, Beckers' Chalets, Pine Bungalows, etc. I've never stayed in any of them, and I don't know if they'd qualify as sophisticated / semi luxurious. Jasper's most expensive property, the Jasper Park Lodge, is lovely, but again it may be outside of the budget range that you're considering.

Mount Engadine Lodge is in the wilderness in the general vicinity of Canmore. It has received very complimentary reviews here. However, I don't know if it's sophisticated / semi luxurious enough for your taste.

Whether or not you should visit both the Canmore / Banff / Lake Louise corridor AND Jasper depends on how much time you have. If you have 5 nights, I would split your time 3-2 between the Banff and Jasper areas. If you have less time than that, I would suggest staying in only one place. Of course it would be nice to spend a week or two in the area if time permits.

The Canadian Rockies get very booked up in July and August. If you're looking to come to the area this summer, it will be a challenge to find vacancies.

Hope this helps.

Chico

When are you planning on visiting? We have reservations at The Paintbox Lodge in Canmore in August. They have been very helpful and I have heard that it is a beautiful Lodge. If you do choose to stay there before August, please let me know what you think. Thanks!

RLUCIDO

Thanks to you both. We are looking to visit in September.

I will check out all of the suggestions and any other info anyone thinks of in reply to my queries will be appreciated.

Thanks again.

Stottie

Dear RLUCIDO et al,
Can you tell me how you got on at the Paintbox? We are due to stay there in a few weeks time.
Many thanks in advance!

mominburbs

You can read reviews about Paintbox Lodge on www.tripadvisor.com. I leaving for the area tomorrow and we are staying at the Bear and Bison in Canmore. It sounds great to me. Good luck!