“We want to stay in a cabin in the Canadian Rockies,” you say. Well, cabins abound amongst the Canadian Rockies. Find them aplenty from Alberta's southern-most tip in Waterton National park, with many in and around Banff and Jasper, to the northern region running through the 60th parallel that bisects Alberta's Wood Buffalo park. Those well travelled about the Canadian Rockies soon learn that the Canadian Rocky Mountains are more than just a range of prehistoric geography only found in Alberta. The geography of the Canadian Rockies is shared with British Columbia, well out to Canada's Pacific coastline, and extends far north into Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories. So, still want that cabin? You have a large selection and geographical area from which to choose.
But what is meant by a cabin, exactly? For all intents and purposes, a cabin is a detached building which is for your exclusive use (unless noted otherwise); it is not part of a larger building which could be occupied by strangers or staff. Unlike a home rental, which is not allowed within the mountain national parks, there are usually several cabins on the same site, or a hotel may also offer a few cabins in addition to their usual rooms. In general, cabins have outlying locations, since prime locations are too valuable to use for cabins, and come in a wide price range.
A cabin can be made out of logs, or may have rustic wooden siding or clapboards on the outside. It might be called a cottage, a chalet, or a bungalow. (Editor's note: A chalet is often used to describe a multi-level cabin, while bungalow is always a one level building.) It might be heated with a furnace, by a wood stove, or sometimes it's not heated at all. It could be a huge & luxurious log building that is a regular stop-over for visiting royalty, or it could be very small and even possibly mouse-infested. It may or may not have cooking facilities. It may or may not be in or near a town or other settled area. A few cabins do not have indoor plumbing. In fact, it is a very good idea to look carefully at a property’s own website in order to have a good idea of where they are located and exactly what features are available before you book. Oh, and always ensure you check the TripAdvisor reviews of course!The following list was compiled using some information from TA reviews, while others are direct from the properties’ own websites. Only cabins which are accessible by road are listed, not backcountry cabins.
This is a wiki of sorts, which means that any TA member may edit it. If you need to correct an error in the links or would like to add a property, click the edit button.
Banff National Park & Area
Banff Townsite
Banff Beaver Cabins – cottages
Banff Log Cabin B&B - log cabin
Douglas Fir Resort & Chalets – A-frame chalets
Holiday Lodge Bed and Breakfast and Cabins - cottages
HI Banff Alpine Centre - log cabins
Juniper Hotel & Bistro - chalets (chalets are advertised as wheelchair accessible)
Tunnel Mountain Resort - cabin
Castle Junction area
Castle Junction is the intersection of Hwy 1 (Trans-Canada Hwy) and Hwy 93S to Windermere and Radium. It's roughly halfway between Banff and Lake Louise.
Castle Mountain Chalets – bungalows and log cabins
Johnston Canyon Resort – cabins and chalets
Storm Mountain Lodge & Cabins – log cabins
Lake Louise
Baker Creek Chalets – log cabins
Paradise Lodge and Bungalows – bungalows
Canmore area (east of Banff park gates)
Banff Gate Mountain Resort - chalets
Rundle Ridge Chalets - cottages
Field, BC (in Yoho National Park)
Burgess Lookout Guest Cabin - chalet
Cathedral Mountain Lodge – log cabins
Stephen Creek Guest Cabin – log cabin
Golden, BC and area
Located roughly an hour west of Lake Louise on the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1).
Blaeberry Mountain Lodge - cabins
Cedar House Restaurant and Chalets - cabin
Chancellor Peak Chalets - log chalets
Farview Bed and Breakfast - cabin
Glenogle Mountain Lodge and Spa - cabins
Hillside Lodge and Chalets - chalets
Kicking Horse Kabins - log chalet
Quantum Leaps Lodge - cottages
Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, BC
Assiniboine Lodge - log cabins, accessible only by helicopter, hiking, or cross-country skiing
Radium Hot Springs, BC area
Cross River Wilderness Centre - cabins
Nipika Mountain Resort - log cabins
Jasper National Park
Alpine Village - Jasper – log cabins
Bear Hill Lodge – cottages, log cabins
Becker’s Roaring River Chalets – log chalets (some chalets have 2 or 4 accommodation units per chalet, i.e. duplex or fourplex)
Coast Pyramid Lake Resort – founders cabins
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – luxury signature log cabins
Jasper House Bungalows – log cabins; one stand-alone cedar log cabin, the remaining cedar log cabins have 2 or 4 units per cabin (duplex or fourplex)
Miette Hot Springs Resort - bungalows
Patricia Lake Bungalows – cottages, log cabin
Pine Bungalows Cabins - cabins
Pocahontas Cabins – cottages, log cabins
Tekarra Lodge - bungalows, some with 2 units per chalet, i.e. duplex
Hinton (1 hour east of Jasper) & area
Gingerbread Cabin - log cabin near east boundary of Jasper National Park
Hinton/Jasper KOA (campground) - one-room Kamping Kabins, Kamping Lodges, and Studio Lodges
Old Entrance Cabins & Tipis (NW of Hinton) - cabins
Rocky Mountain Escape Cabins – log cabins (NW of Hinton)
Kananaskis Country (SW of Banff)
Rafter Six Ranch – log cabins, chalets (pointed arch style)
Bragg Creek
Kruger’s Guest House & B&B - log chalet
Nordegg area
Nordegg is located about 75 minutes east of the junction of Highway 93N (Icefields Parkway) and Highway 11 (David Thompson Highway)
David Thompson Resort - camping cabins
Tudor Country Cottages - cottages
Sundre area
Sundre is about 90 minutes NW of Calgary
Bearberry Cabins - log cabins, A-frame chalet
Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton area
Rocky Ridge Country Lodge Mountain View - cottage
Mountain View Country Inn and Retreat Centre - A-frame chalet
Lundbreck area
Sierra West Cabins & Ranch Vacations - log cabins