Winter Family Adventure in the Canadian Rockies

A winter visit to Mount Engadine Lodge grants vast adventure opportunities, delicious meals, afternoon tea, and a chance to revel in Canada’s snowy wonderland from the comfort of your room or just outside on the trails. Talk about an epic winter family trip! The thought of a lodge-based stay may sit below a ski trip or a sunny escape on your ideal winter vacation list, but we think you need to add a lodge-based stay to your bucket list. Read on to learn about our first-hand experience at Mount Engadine Lodge.

What is a vacation at Mount Engadine Lodge like?
The more nitty-gritty details on Mount Engadine Lodge
How was the food?
What activities can you do?
Overall

What is a vacation at Mount Engadine Lodge like?

Let us paint a pretty picture: it’s morning, snow sweeps the landscape, but you’re inside Mount Engadine Lodge, cozied up by a crackling fireplace and letting your body ease into the day with a cup of coffee, before a delicious breakfast and planning your day. After breakfast, you bundle up and head outside for a snowshoe or a cross-country ski in a setting flanked by a spectacular part of the Canadian Rockies.

Take your packed lunch with you, provided by the lodge, only to return to afternoon tea, a magic concoction that eliminates any shivers felt moments ago. After your tea, settle in front of the fire for board games with your family. Or curl up with a great book and enjoy the fire and the wonderful views.

At 7 pm a 3-course dinner is served, followed by coffee and tea. Afterwards, get back to your board games, continue your book or head out to stargaze before slipping into your pajamas and crawling into bed, eager to repeat the same day tomorrow.

This scenario is just a glimpse of our experience at Mount Engadine Lodge! Would we do it again? 100%, yes.

Reading a book in Mt Engadine Lodge

The more nitty-gritty details on Mount Engadine Lodge

Located off the gravel Smith-Dorrien Highway in Kananaskis, roughly 40 minutes from Canmore, Mount Engadine Lodge sits in a meadow while peaks, such as Tent Ridge, Mount Birdwood, and Commonwealth Peak provide a spectacular backdrop. You might think that the highway location results in constant traffic hums, but the lodge is set back from the road, which is hardly used in winter, so you won’t have to worry about vehicles disrupting your quiet getaway.

Mount Engadine Lodge has a selection of glamping tents, cabins, and rooms in the main lodge. We stayed in the Moose Suite in the main lodge, which included a queen bed, cot, and a pull-out couch for sleeping. We also had a private bathroom, WiFi, gas fireplace, and a patio unveiling stunning views.

Stunning views from the terrace

How was the food?

Our all-inclusive stay granted us the chance to indulge in some tasty meals! Since we have kids, one who is celiac, we had challenging food needs, and the staff did a great job!

We arrived in time for afternoon tea, served from 3 pm to 5 pm. This is a delightful snack of charcuterie and baked treats, including apple strudel, a family favourite.

We adults enjoyed the lip-smacking, mouth-watering hoisin duck at dinner, while the kids had spaghetti—they loved it! The employees went out of their way to tailor meals to the celiac in our family.

Come morning time, a great pot of coffee was waiting for us, as was a fruit bowl. After that, we had a choice between eggs, bacon, croissant or fluffy waffles for breakfast. Both were delightful!

The lodge then provided a packed lunch, ideal for our snowshoeing adventure post-breakfast. Lunch was a sandwich with our choice of fixings. We were able to pick our sandwiches up right after breakfast.

Every meal left us smacking our lips with the memorable taste lingering for some time afterward.

Hearty breakfast served at Mt Engadine Lodge

What activities can you do?

It can be tough to keep “I’m bored” groans to a minimum when exploring with your family. Thankfully, our stay at Mount Engadine Lodge went moan-free, thanks to the activities both inside and outside.

Inside, you’ll find dozens of board games for family fun and two fireplaces to sit around, get cozy, and curl up and read while soaking up the incredible views.

However, we spent a lot of time outdoors on snowshoe adventures! We loved exploring the meadow just outside the lodge.

Another unforgettable snowshoe trip is the Rummel Lake Snowshoe Trail. You can get there directly from the lodge after crossing the highway. Or, drive a few minutes to Rummel Ridge, where unreal vistas await. Chester Lake, Hogarth Lakes, and Burstall Lakes are some other fantastic snowshoe trails worth driving to.

Cross-country skiers will enjoy the backcountry adventure into the nearby Mount Shark xc ski area, which has a variety of great trails to choose from.

We may have been there in winter, but summer and autumn offer incredible explorations. Take a look at some nearby hikes and scrambles:

• Tent Ridge Horseshoe Hike
• Rummel Lake Hike
• Rummel Pass Hike
• Smutwood Peak Scramble
• Chester Lake Hike
• Burstall Pass Hike
• Headwall Lakes Hike
• Buller Pass Hike

Also, if you’re setting off for Assiniboine, the Mount Engadine Lodge makes for the ideal location the night before or after your trip.

Kids love exploring the valley behind the Mt Engadine Lodge!

Overall

Everything about our winter family adventure to Mount Engadine Lodge exceeded our expectations! First, the service was phenomenal, especially considering how easily (and successfully) they catered meals for the kids. At the same time, the amenities elevated our stay's coziness and rustic bliss. Finally, the location leads to many hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails. Plus, if you don't want to stay in the lodge, you could always choose to glamp or enjoy a secluded cabin experience. We suggest booking at least 3-5 nights for the ultimate natural reset!

If you can't land a spot at Mount Engadine, peruse our article on the top 10 lodges in the Canadian Rockies for some other fantastic winter getaway options.

Disclosure: This review was created in partnership with Mount Engadine Lodge.