Visiting Emerald Lake Lodge During the Christmas break has become somewhat of a tradition for my husband and I. We love to visit in the summer as avid paddlers and lovers of a convenient moderate hike but visiting in the winter gives you a sense of rest and solitude that you can only get in certain corners of the world. Ideally, I would recommend staying for at least 3 nights to get the most out of your time in the area.
The resort is in an area where there is no cellphone service. I’m starting with that point because it will either make or break your stay if you’re not prepared. And the only place that you can get wifi is in the lodge. It forces a person to unplug and transports you back to a simpler time. My husband and I found ourselves enjoying fires in the room’s wood burning fire place, stopping for early morning breakfast at the lodge and heading out to the trails with our snowshoes. Grab a snack, a beer and edit your content or read a book back at the lodge infront of a crackling fire again and life is good.
There are several moderate trails that you can enjoy without leaving the road that the lodge lives on, and they can be travelled with snowshoes or cross-country skis. Start with the Emerald Lake Loop and enjoy the snow covered alpine and the quiet frozen lake. We like to complete the full loop including the peaceful pond. If you’re stopping and enjoying the scenery this will take a good chunk of the day. We did this trail on snow shoes but there were others cutting across the lake on skis and enjoying the same views for the most part, but I do think the shoes gave us a little bit more versatility.
On your second day, walk across the bridge toward the visitors daytime parking lot. Head in the direction of the access road and on the right hand side you’ll see the sign for Hamilton Falls. This is another gorgeous, moderate alpine trail but you’re going to find a little bit of elevation on this one. You’ll feel it with your snowshoes on but you will be rewarded with the opportunity to walk right up to the frozen falls. You can end your hike here or you can continue on a little further on the Hamilton Lake Trail past the falls. We did this and it added some more elevation but we found some of the best winter views we’ve ever snowshoed to by just venturing a little further. Check out the all trails reviews before heading out and take in these life changing views.
You can stretch out your vacation and take it easy finishing your day with Hamilton Falls but we chose to jump in our truck after and stop at the Natural Bridge on the way to field to grab some veggie friendly food. The Natural Bridge is more of a visitor stop than a hike but like anything, we like to get a little closer (conditions pending) and explore the area for gorgeous views a little more than the average “tourist”. If you’re a photography lover or just a dedicated view seeker, leave some time to enjoy this spot on your trip. Option to cross country ski from the resort to the view point as there are trails that follow the roadway but this is certainly a challenging cross country route so being prepared is key.
We can’t stay away from this destination and I believe Yoho National Park is one of the most gorgeous spots in the Rocky Mountains. Checking it out in the winter allows you to take advantage of the breathtaking scenery without the crowds that are there in the summer. The amount of snow that falls in that particular spot makes it a true winter wonderland and a forever favourite of ours. I’ve linked the All Trails and Hotel above for more details and pricing. Happy travelling!
