Canada’s Grand Railway Hotels

When I was young my father took our family on an epic road trip up to Alberta Canada. Even at a young age I was blown away by the natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies as well as the magnificent hotels we kept seeing along the way. When I got married I couldn’t wait to do this trip with Lindsay (even thought about honeymooning there) and in late summer 2007 we got our chance. It was on this trip that I learned that all of these amazing hotels I saw as a boy were known as the Grand Railway Hotels of Canada. Lindsay and I entered Canada through Glacier National Park and the first Hotel we saw is the beautiful Prince of Whales lodge in Waterton National Park. This beautiful old building is red with white window trimmings and a green roof. The architecture is beautiful and it actually looks like an historic old European hotel. It sits right on a bluff overlooking Lake Waterton and the surrounding peaks. It is honestly one of the prettiest hotel settings in the world. We chilled in the lobby for awhile and walked the grounds in front of the hotel to take pictures of the surrounding lake and mountains. We then continued our road trip and within a couple of days found ourselves in the beautiful mountain town of Banff. High up on a hill overlooking the town is the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel. This massive structure also looks like something from Europe with large spires, stone façade, etc. We walked around the lobby and surrounding gardens and also took time to chill on one of the magnificent large decks that overlooked the valley below. By the end of the day we were walking around the spectacular Chateau Lake Louis. This inspiring structure is white with a green roof and it sits on the bank of the Lake Louis which has turquoise blue waters and is fed by a large glacier on the far end of the lake. The scenery around this hotel is world class and to this day I cannot think of a more picturesque location. We spent hours walking along the path next to the lake with Sundance and sitting and enjoying the beautiful area around us. The Grand Railway Hotels of Canada our some of the most beautiful and inspiring structure in the world and should not be missed. We can’t wait until we can go again and actually stay in one. :)