The Lodge at Bow Lake — Hotel in Alberta

An Unforgettable Stay at Bow Lake – Truly Exceptional!

The Lodge Bow Lake is an incredibly special place located right on the shores of stunning, crystal-clear Bow Lake, with breathtaking views in every direction.

The rooms are newly renovated, spacious, tastefully decorated, and equipped with everything you could possibly need. The beds are extremely comfortable, and nothing is missing. It truly feels like a home away from home.

The culinary experience is a real highlight: Breakfast starts at 8:00 am with cereals, fresh berries, and warm porridge. Then a delicious, freshly prepared hot breakfast is served from the kitchen. Afterwards, guests can prepare a packed lunch for the day’s hike – with a wide variety of cookies, muffins, fruits, nuts, and fresh vegetables. Dinner starts at 6:30 pm, served in multiple courses, with everyone dining together. Every dish is refined, unique, and absolutely delicious.

The kitchen is very child-friendly and accommodating – they adjust meals individually and without complication. Allergies, such as lactose intolerance, are handled with care, and guests receive beautiful, tasty alternatives without any compromise.

For hikers, the location is perfect: there are numerous breathtaking trails starting right at the lake. A special highlight: two beavers appear each evening around 9 pm, swimming right in front of the lodge – a magical wildlife experience.

One useful tip: bring a pair of indoor slippers or house shoes, as hiking boots are left at the front reception to keep the rooms clean and cozy.

But what truly sets The Lodge Bow Lake apart is its exceptional team. Every staff member greets you with genuine warmth and a heartfelt smile. You can feel that this isn’t just a team – it’s a family, and each guest is welcomed as part of it.

We also experienced a challenging situation: our rental car was damaged by a vehicle from the national park. The lodge staff didn’t leave us on our own – quite the opposite: The owner himself removed the broken glass from the car by hand. Nicola, the kind and capable manager, coordinated everything with the rental company. Thanks to her and the support of other guests, we were still able to join our planned tour that day, even without a car. And most remarkably, the lodge offered us the additional night free of charge – a gesture of generosity and hospitality we’ve never experienced anywhere else.

This place isn’t just a hotel – it’s a rare and beautiful experience we’ll never forget. We would return in a heartbeat and highly recommend it to everyone.

Thank you to Nicola and the entire team – you make this place...

Unfortunately, our experience staying here was very disappointing. The location is, of course, exceptional, and the staff are very friendly (I particularly loved the effort Bruce made to refer to guests by their names), but one can't help but feel that the lodge is something of a construction zone, or at least very much a work in progress. ||On our first night we discovered mice in the room. Just when we'd managed to usher them out and get back to bed, we heard the scamper of yet more little paws and got up to discover that more had somehow found their way inside, despite our having stuffed a towel underneath the door. Given where the lodge is located, this feels in part like it just comes with the territory, and we laughed it off the next morning with another couple at breakfast. ||That day, we returned from a hike at around 3 pm to find two of the staff on a mobile platform and painting immediately outside of our window. It was a hot day, and we wanted to open the window, but unfortunately this prevented that. When the staff moved to the floor above ours, we cracked the window open, but the smell of the paint led us to close it again and head downstairs to the bar.||It wasn't mice that proved troublesome on our second night, however, but the arrival of a food delivery truck shortly after 5 in the morning. Given the noise, it sounded as though the truck was parked almost directly under our window, engine running the whole time, the clanging and chatter downstairs filling our room. This disturbance I cannot chalk up to the location, and when you're paying as much as you are to stay in a place like this, you expect to be able to sleep better than you would have at a campground. Unfortunately, the campground would have been much better. As it was, we slept only a few short hours and felt quite groggy the whole next day. ||The rest of our 10-day trip through the Canadian Rockies was wonderful, and we stayed at a couple of excellent B&Bs and campsites, the total for all of them less than our 2-night stay here. In the end, that's what was so upsetting. Spending $900 per night on an accommodation is a real splurge for us, but given the other reviews and the incredible location, we thought we'd treat ourselves. Given our experience, I really...

Unfortunately, our experience staying here was very disappointing. The location is, of course, exceptional, and the staff are very friendly (I particularly loved the effort Bruce made to refer to guests by their names), but one can't help but feel that the lodge is something of a construction zone, or at least very much a work in progress.

On our first night we discovered mice in the room. Just when we'd managed to usher them out and get back to bed, we heard the scamper of yet more little paws and got up to discover that more had somehow found their way inside, despite our having stuffed a towel underneath the door. Given where the lodge is located, this feels in part like it just comes with the territory, and we laughed it off the next morning with another couple at breakfast.

That day, we returned from a hike at around 3 pm to find two of the staff on a mobile platform and painting immediately outside of our window. It was a hot day, and we wanted to open the window, but unfortunately this prevented that. When the staff moved to the floor above ours, we cracked the window open, but the smell of the paint led us to close it again and head downstairs to the bar.

It wasn't mice that proved troublesome on our second night, however, but the arrival of a food delivery truck shortly after 5 in the morning. Given the noise, it sounded as though the truck was parked almost directly under our window, engine running the whole time, the clanging and chatter downstairs filling our room. This disturbance I cannot chalk up to the location, and when you're paying as much as you are to stay in a place like this, you expect to be able to sleep better than you would have at a campground. Unfortunately, the campground would have been much better. As it was, we slept only a few short hours and felt quite groggy the whole next day.

The rest of our 10-day trip through the Canadian Rockies was wonderful, and we stayed at a couple of excellent B&Bs and campsites, the total for all of them less than our 2-night stay here. In the end, that's what was so upsetting. Spending $900 per night on an accommodation is a real splurge for us, but given the other reviews and the incredible location, we thought we'd treat ourselves. Given our experience, I really...