If you’re enjoying the scenery, you’ll miss the turnoff completely.
The destination is Storm Mountain Lodge, and the turn onto its gravel roadway is at the top of the first significant hill as you are driving west on Highway 93. About five hours southwest of Edmonton, the lodge is worth the trip.
My wife and I find ourselves here for our anniversary after plans to go to Berlin fall apart. Global events spiked the price of jet fuel, and therefore plane tickets. We argued for the merits of options closer to home — Vancouver, Montreal — until eventually my wife said, “Hey, what’s the name of those cabins we always drive by just off the Trans-Canada?” Within a few minutes, we had started planning.
Storm Mountain Lodge is perched on a rocky cliff overlooking a turn in the road, protected from the elements by thick conifer trees. The long gravel incline to the lodge and the view afforded by the cliff give the place an air of a fortification.
We pull up near the tiny log-and-stone cabin we’ve reserved. A dirt path encroached by vegetation leads to the front porch. Two wooden chairs are perfect for enjoying a mug of something warm as the sun sets in the evening or rises to bring the world back to life the following day.
The lodge was founded in 1922 as a stopover for travellers driving the newly opened Banff-Windermere Highway, as Highway 93 is also known. It’s located at the highway’s highest point, Vermillion Pass, at an elevation of 1,708 metres.
There are log and pine cabins for two people and family cabins that can sleep four. Each has a rustic aesthetic, complete with a stone fireplace, and plenty of chopped wood for stoking a blaze as the evening chill creeps closer.
Full bathrooms include a claw-foot tub, perfect for soothing your muscles after a day on the trails. Electric lights are the extent of modern amenities. With a view like the one out the front door you hardly need anything else to look at.
In the lodge, a fire roars behind the wrought iron grate, patterned with animals and trees. Mounted heads of animals passively observe from the walls, including a massive bison that looks on travellers from its station above the fireplace.
Given the cooler weather, it seemed appropriate to order a Smoked Old Fashioned. My wife ordered the Mead-jito, a cooler-weather spin on the mojito that uses mead from Fallentimber Meadery. The lodge promotes sitting and savouring your drink and the surroundings. Provided reading material includes photo books of the Rockies and an authentic 1920s travel guide to the area. It’s easy to disconnect, as there’s no Wi-Fi and cell connection is spotty.
The dining room takes up an entire side of the lodge, with every table offering views of the mountains. The meat and cheese board we ordered could have been a whole meal on its own. Bison, duck, elk and salmon combine with gouda, chevre, brie and fresh berries to create tastes none alone could manage. We pick the board apart for a long time before ordering mains.
There’s no arguing the relative merits of our choice entrees, as they both prove correct. I order the braised Alberta beef short ribs with sauce braisage, horseradish crème fraîche, rhubarb and cranberry chutney. Sweet, savoury and umami all at once, the proportions are perfect, nothing overpowering anything else. My wife chooses the duck: roasted breast and leg confit drenched in cherry-red wine sauce served with poached apples and vegetables. The bite she gives me from her plate is delicious. Next time, perhaps.
Storm Mountain Lodge
Banff National Park | Highway 93 South, Alberta | stormmountainlodge.com
