KANANASKIS – Opportunities to stay in the Spray Valley of Kananaskis Country at Mount Engadine Lodge will increase this spring with comfort camping after a development proposal was approved in February.
Alberta Parks and the Kananaskis Improvement District approved an application by Castleavery Hospitality Ventures, which took ownership of the backcountry lodge in 2015, to develop five custom camping cabins.
General manager Simon Harvie said just like the current lodge and cabins guests can book, the new accommodation would offer a unique wilderness experience.
“Keeping in line with the unique wilderness experience, from our rooms to our cabins, we saw this as another unique way to offer glamping or camping tents, but still with the luxuries and amenities of a full room that we currently have,” Harvie said. “People really like Mount Engadine Lodge and the opportunity to really be within the wilderness and have that unique experience.
“It is outside with nature, yet still has the comforts they expect in a hotel or the main lodge and, like our rooms and cabins, the camping tents include all meals.”
The backcountry lodge, and three sets of cabins, are accessible from Canmore or Calgary, on Highway 40 or Smith-Dorrien Road.
Located at an elevation of 6,000 feet, it is close to many hikes and outdoor recreational experiences in both summer and winter, such as Chester Lake and Burstall Pass.
Simon said the tents are an immersive experience and everything is available for guests from the moment they wake up.
“We have started taking reservations,” he said. “June 1 will be the launch date, and there is already a waiting list.
“We tried to limit the impact on the environment, being that we are in a provincial park. It is an environmentally friendly development; we are trying to keep everything as simple as possible.”
The comfort camping cabins are comprised of a wooden base, with porch area. They would be 4.8 by 6 metres in size and made of canvas with a lockable door. Each tent includes a full bathroom, king size bed and two twin beds accessible in a loft area by ladder.
Castleavery president and chief operating officer Gair Fryers said the company applied for an expansion of its leasehold with Alberta Parks in order to accommodate the new use.
Although the lodge and cabins only comprises 15 per cent of the leasehold, Fryers said to create the added accommodation on those lands would have required a much more intensive development, clear cutting of forest and grading.
The approved site sits near the lodge along the access road and he said there would be minimal tree removal to build the camping tents.
“The reason we chose this sliver of additional land was because it allowed us to use our existing road, as opposed to having to cut down trees at the back end of the lease,” he said. “We are working closely with Alberta Parks and the Kananaskis Improvement District to have the least amount of impact on the land.”
Fryers said as much work as possible would be done offsite, and he expects work to begin this spring, with the first one or two tents up by mid-May.
The added guest capacity brings Engadine close to an occupancy of 45 people, with maximum occupancy of its dining room at 55. All meals are included for guests ofthe lodge.
“This likely will be the extent of development we would do on this property,” he added.
