A Natural Wonder
by Emilia Beth Mink

There are few places in the world where you can soak your toes in an alpine river, check out fantastic waterfalls, hike to ancient glaciers, trek up 10,000-foot mountains or commune with nature on an up-close-and-personal basis.

But all those things and more are available to visitors to the Cathedral Mountain Lodge at Field, Canada, in the Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains area of British Columbia.
The lodge is located only a stone's throw away from the glacier-fed Kicking Horse River, a sparkling crystal-clear waterway only a few hundred yards from the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1).

Yoho National Park is truly an outdoor paradise, offering hundreds of hiking trails, waterfalls, rivers and lakes that would satisfy the whims of even the most discriminating nature lover.

Cathedral Mountain Lodge has underdone major renovations in 2005 and now offers a new dining area (with river and mountain views), hospitality area and bar. There is a patio dining area and patrons can even take their chairs right to the river's edge and sit on a sandy shore under the sun or stars. The restaurant was named one of the best restaurants in Canada for five straight years by the national restaurant guide "Where to Eat in Canada."

Accommodations include 31 luxury log cabins (all with wood burning or gas fireplaces, some with lofts), in a pine-clustered area adjacent to a forest. There is plenty of parking and easy access to all the cabins. All come with generous decks

The cabins are equipped with all the modern necessities, but no TVs, radios or phones. This is in concert with the idea that visitors to Cathedral Mountain Lodge and Yoho National Park are there for all the natural attractions, not manmade ones.

The cabins are highlighted by mining-related decor items (such as lamps), relating to the fact the lodge site was once a major ore mining camp.

The cabin floors are beautifully polished pine and guests are encouraged to remove their shoes at the door (it would be a good idea for guests to bring along some easy-to-put-on slippers to place at their doorways).

Hiking opportunities are abundant as 10,000-foot peaks and icefields are everywhere to be found near the Cathedral Mountain Lodge. One of the most scenic hikes is the Takakkaw Falls (second highest falls in Canada), just a couple of miles from Cathedral Mountain Lodge. Visitors can drive right up to the foot of the trail and view the majestic falls from the parking area of take a hike of anywhere from one hours to all-day. Other popular hiking trips near Cathedral Mountain Lodge include Twn Falls, the Emerald Lake lakeshore hike, Paget Lookout and Sherbrooke Lake trail, Hoodoo Creek trail (offering many unique rock formation views), Yoho Lake trail (connecting to the Emerald Lake trail) and Wapta Falls trail. Alpine meadows and towering trees are punctuated by beautiful natural mountain flora and wide assortment of birdlife along all the trails.

Hikers sometimes encounter a variety of wildlife along many of the trails (moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, cougars, coyotes, wolves, ...even, though rarely, black or grizzly bears). Hikers are encouraged to get a full park service briefing before setting out on extended hikes.
There are several glaciers located within a few miles of Cathedral Mountain and visitors can actually hike to several of them (you can even stand or walk on some).

Several lakes in the area, particularly Moraine Lake, have beautiful blue-green coloration. This is caused by the continual shifting and grinding of stone by the glaciers, resulting in a silt-like stone washdown to the rivers and lakes. This tiny siltation (called glacial flour) is suspended in the water, causing a blue-green reflection. Even several of the rivers, including Kicking Horse River, often show this beautiful blue-green reflection.

Boats, bikes and fishing rental equipment is available at many locations in the area, with flyfishing a favorite pastime along the Kicking Horse River for many during the summer months. Several top-rated golf courses and whitewater rafting areas are located less than an hour from the lodge.

Cathedral Mountain Lodge (elevation 1,243 feet) is also located only a few miles from the unique Spiral Tunnels railway pass. The mountains are so steep and crowded in the area of the Great Divide that engineers came up with the unique concept of having the railway loop around through a series of mountain tunnels on its way down the mountainside. Visitors from Highway 1 can see the trains meandering through the tunnels, sometimes creating an impression the trains are traveling two ways at once.
Also within a few miles of Cathedral Mountain Lodge is the beautiful twin lake area of Moraine Lake and Lake Louise in beautiful Banff National Park. Shopping villages, including Field, are only a few minutes from the lodge.
Nancy Stibbard, owner of Cathedral Mountain Lodge, has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovating the property in the last four years, with the new lodge completed in the fall of 2005. "This is one of the quietest, most peaceful and most beautiful places in the world," said Stibbard, "and we plan to make it one of the greatest lodging facilities in the country." Stibbard owns several other tourist facilities in Canada, including the famed Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver.

Cathedral Mountain Lodge is located less than one hour west of the town of Banff and about three hours west of Calgary.

Cathedral Mountain Lodge is not open during the winter months (operating in 2005 from May 15 through Oct. 10). For information or rates contact the lodge at 866-619-6442 or visit the lodge Internet web site at www.cathedralmountain.com.

This story was published on 12 Dec 2005.

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