Rustic Buffalo Mountain Lodge
A Banff Dream

By George and Ninette Medovoy

Marilyn Monroe is reported to have observed: "When they said Canada, I thought it would be up in the mountains somewhere."

Well, from up here at Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, Alberta, Canada, it really is up in the mountains – the Canadian Rocky Mountains to be exact.

All the images you see in the postcards really do come true here – the scenes of snow-capped mountains, pristine rivers and lakes, and dreamy chateau-like hotels built by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to link up the regions of this vast country called Canada.

In the 1930s, in fact, a new breed of commercial artists introduced travelers to the charms of traveling in western Canada. William Cornelius Van Horne, the visionary tycoon of the Canadian Pacific, launched the Canadian Rockies tourist industry in 1886, one year after the rail line was completed.

"If we can't export the scenery," he said, "we'll import the tourists."
The lure of the Canadian Rockies is still as pervasive today as it was back in the late 19th century.

You can fly into the sparkling prairie city of Calgary and then rent a car for the hour-and-a-half ride down the modern Trans-Canada Highway to Banff National Park, which, with its 2,700 pristine square miles, is Canada's oldest national park and part of the largest national park system in the world.

When you come to the Canadian Rockies, you'll find the Buffalo Mountain Lodge a superbly rustic, cozy place with all the modern conveniences. The lodge is located on a nine-acre hillside in the park itself, just above the little town of Banff, which offers boutique shops and small restaurants in a setting often compared to Aspen, Colorado.

Verandas look out on Cascade Mountain and the slopes of Tunnel Mountain, which early visitors called "Sleeping Buffalo." There is a sweeping view of Bow Valley, with the meandering Bow River and the Banff Springs Hotel Golf Course. And from your veranda, don't be surprised if you catch elk grazing on the grass.

The main building of the lodge, designed with high, open-beam ceilings and a large field-stone fireplace, houses the lobby lounge (with a distinctive buffalo head), a dining room, meeting rooms and a spa.

The lodge has 85 townhouse units, most of which include a fireplace and a balcony. Some have kitchenettes. The inn's kitchen features a richly varied dinner menu, including specialties like Rocky Mountain Rainbow Trout, Seared Salmon, Mushroom Crusted Venison Loin, Breast of Pheasant and superb Alberta Beef Tenderloin.

What's more, there's a good selection of Canadian wines from British Columbia's Okanagan grape growing region, just across the border to the west.

We also found breakfasts to be a sheer delight, including (my favorite) fluffy pancakes served with real Canadian maple syrup.
If you can pull yourself away from the restful ambiance of the lodge, Banff National Park is filled with many wonderful activities for your days and evenings.

And the management of the lodge is always ready with helpful suggestions about what to see and do.

Here's a sampling:
Sulphur Hot Springs Spa
Situated on the slopes of Sulphur Mountain, the spa consists of an indoor steam room, a hot mineral plunge and an outdoor pool, all fed by natural hot springs first discovered by railroad workers in the 1880s.

Try the hot plunge pool and the steam room, followed by aromatherapy, which consists of essential oils derived from California plants. Following the aromatherapy session, your attendant will wrap you in flannel sheets and blankets on custom beds and allow you to relax to soothing music. The whole process takes about an hour, but you'll feel ageless by the end of the
session.

Horseback Riding
We liked horseback riding into the mountains around Banff with "Holiday on Horseback," riding to a place called Cave and Basin, where the sulphur hot springs were discovered.

My guide Charlene Price, a young woman better known as "Charlie," couldn't say enough good things about her job.
"Yeah, she told our group, "I have the perfect job: I get paid to ride my horse all day." And Charlie reminded novice riders not to fear the four-legged animals they were sitting on: "It's okay," she said, "horses don't eat people."

Then she added good naturedly: "After you've ridden all day and your bum is sore, you can go up to the hot springs and have a soak and everything feels a whole lot better."

Sulphur Mountain Gondola Ride
For an unsurpassed pamnoramic view of the Banff area, take the Sulphur Mountain Gondola Ride. Once at the summit (5,194 feet up), you'll feel like you're no top of the world as you look out at the valley from the observatron deck.

Johnston Canyon Hike
Our favorite side trip was to Johnston Canyon, a 40-minute car ride from the lodge down the scenic Bow Valley Highway, which is bordered by pines and snow-capped mountains – and frequented by many bicyclists.

Get to the lower or upper falls by a catwalk above a canyon, where the power of water has been eroding the limestone for at least 8,000 years.

Chateau Lake Louise
The Chateau is the CPR's best-known hotel, located in the story book setting of Lake Louise, about a 45-minute drive from the lodge.

A real treat at the chateau was to hear William Neil Gow, all dressed up in his Swiss mountaineer's outfit, playing his 14-and-a-half-foot-long alp horn in front of the chateau.

The Town of Banff
The funky little town of Banff is mostly one main street with lots of little shops and restaurants. There's also a convenient Safeway store, where you can stock up on provisions for your kitchenette back at the lodge if you like.

A good rendezvous point is the corner of Banff and Woolf Streets, at the Cascade Plaza. But don't be surprised if elk are sharing the sidewalks with you!

IF YOU GO...
The Buffalo Mountain Lodge is located on Tunnel Mountain Road, about an hour and a half from Calgary International Airport.

Buffalo Mountain Lodge
P.O. Box 1326
Banff, Alberta T0L 0C0 Canada
Phone: 800-661-1367.

Skiing is 20 minutes away at Mt. Norquay and is expected to last through April. Air Canada has convenient service to Calgary from many gateways.

Information: Phone: 800-776-3000.