The chalets are in the shadow of Castle Mountain, one of the most distinctive peaks in the Canadian Rockies. I love the location midway between Banff and Lake Louise. The cabins are very nice and comfortable, and well maintained. They're easy to get to, and there is lots of wildlife in the area.

Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks.

This was our second stay at Castle Mountain Chalets - the first was in 1998 as a couple. On this most recent stay we brought our 11 year old twins with us. If you're traveling as a couple, the one bedroom deluxe cabin is great. For a family of four, not so much. The second bed is a pullout couch in the living room. It was uncomfortable, but you can't expect much comfort from a sleeper sofa. The problem is that there is a skylight in the living room, and due to the northern latitude, the sun stays out quite late in the summer. It's hard to sleep in a perfectly bright room, and there's no way to cover the skylight. If you've got more than two people in your group, stay in the two bedroom cabin. The light wouldn't be a problem in the winter, though.

The other drawback is the train noise - other people have talked about it in their reviews, but we stayed there anyway because we didn't remember it being bad on our first trip. I don't know if the train horns are just louder now than they used to be, or if it was something else, but whatever the reason, the noise was a LOT worse than it was on our first trip. We did stay in a cabin that was closer to the tracks this time, but I don't think that could make too much of a difference - all the cabins are fairly close. Maybe some cabins have better insulation than others. We typically were woken up multiple times per night by trains.

I like the chalets, but due to the trains and the fairly high prices, we probably won't stay here again.

We have stayed here two years in a row while crossing the country and have found it to be a true treasure. Nestled in the majestic Banff mountains, the air and scenery relax us like no where else and we love the trains, fantastic log cabins and great trails. We take our dogs with us and they love the huge bathroom with tile floors to sleep on to keep them cool. The trains were startling at first but we quickly get used to them and they add to the feeling of being somewhere special. The delux cabin we stay in has a fireplace in the living room, French doors through to a bedroom with a very comfortable bed, a huge bathroom with a whirlpool tub, a kitchen and wonderful porch. Bring your own food as there is nothing close in terms of shopping or resturants.

My cabin was huge. Someone could live there permanently and be very comfortable. The bathroom alone is the size of most hotel rooms. It had a great big great shower and a jacuzzi. The full size kitchen had many more utensils, pots & pans, etc. than most rentals. Like a permanent residence, this place was fully furnished with everything you could possibly need. It had a big porch facing the wilderness in the back so you felt you were alone in the woods.
The only negative is the unfortunate train tracks very close by. Trains ran by regularly with their horns blasting even in the middle of the night. Buy ear plugs & go there anyway. It is worth it.

Location is good as it is between Lake Louise and Banff on the Bow Valley Parkway and close to several places worth visiting e.g. Johnston's Canyon. Accommodation was satisfactory but the regular trains and the fact that they sound their whistles as they go past (day and night) made is not such a restful place. I live by a train line in the UK and could easily cope with the sound of the trains as they go past (which takes a while as they are quite long) but the shrill whistle in the early hours of the morning was very disturbing..... It was only when i checked out after a 3 day stay that I saw that they had ear plugs in a bowl at reception :-(