This winter I had the awesome opportunity to head to Shadow Lake Lodge in Banff National Park. This year the Alpine Club Of Canada who run the Shadow Lake Lodge, changed the way the Lodge operated, turning it into more of a traditional hut they operate. This means, bringing your own food and sleeping bag but it also means a more reasonable price which allowed me to head out there to spend a night!
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How To Get To Shadow Lake Lodge
The most common way to get to Shadow Lake Lodge in winter is via the Red Earth Creek trail. It’s 14km to the lodge and has 440m of elevation gain. Most commonly the trail is used by cross country skiers accessing the Lodge, however as of 2025, Parks Canada are no longer track setting the trail. This can make for a long and tough cross country ski, suited more for intermediate to advanced skiers. The trail is packed down due to the snowmobiles being used to service the Lodge and so we hiked in and it was easy going, in fact it took us less time to get in than some skiers!
In Winter it is also possible to snowshoe or fat bike the Red Earth Creek trail to Shadow Lake Lodge. Just beware of how you use the trail, deep footprints and holes left behind can make the ski even more treacherous! If people have made obvious ski tracks, stay clear of them if you are skiing.
Note that the Red Earth Creek trail crosses a number of avalanche paths, these are clearly signed, however you should check the avalanche conditions before you head out and plan accordingly.
There are two other access routes to Shadow Lake Lodge, the first is from Vista Lake via Gibbon Pass, we hiked out this way in the summer and it’s a stunning trail! Although the grind from Shadow Lake Lodge to Gibbon Pass is steep! A great option for summer hiking but you may find yourself having a long hard day breaking trail in winter since very few people access the Lodge this way.
In Summer you can also access Shadow Lake Lodge from Ball Pass Junction. We hiked in to Ball Pass Junction and on to Shadow Lake from Egypt Lake having started at Sunshine Village. You can also get to Ball Pass Junction by starting at the Floe Lake trailhead and coming in over Ball Pass itself. Either of these would be huge winter objectives which would require winter travel knowledge.
Staying At Shadow Lake Lodge
When you arrive at Shadow Lake Lodge, be sure to check in first. The check in cabin is directly beside the washroom cabin and is clearly signed. Upon checking in, you are told where your cabin is, how to get to it and the code for the washroom! The check in cabin also doubles as a small store where you can get snacks and drinks if you want, take cash, although it does say they also accept credit cards.
There are a number of different styles of sleeping cabin, however they are all private, unlike a typical ACC mountain hut. We were booked into a standard cabin, which has two double beds in it, plus a set of drawers and a small table and two chairs. There are also queen cabins which sleep up to four in two queen beds and king cabins which sleep two in one king bed. Finally they recently created a family cabin, which sleeps up to five people.
All the sleeping cabins have lights and heating inside. They feature a small deck outside which has a small table and chairs to sit and enjoy the view! They ask that you don’t wear shoes inside, so bring some slippers to wear around the cabins. There are sheets on the bed and pillows, you need to bring a sleeping bag and a pillowcase for the pillow. Please leave the huts in a better condition than when you found them. The custodian onsite already has a lot to do.
There are two other communal cabins at Shadow Lake Lodge, the CPR cabin which was so warm and cozy! It has a wood burning fireplace in it as well as comfortable chairs and sofas to relax in. There are games to play or bring a book to curl up with.
The other communal cabin has a commercial grade kitchen in it and a dining area with a variety of table sizes so you can choose to socialise, or not! The kitchen is equipped with everything you could possibly need and we had no issues finding dishes, pots and pans to use. There is an oven, a six burner stove and a flat top as well as running hot and cold water for washing dishes. All you need to do is bring your food and you are set.
Shadow Lake Lodge doesn’t have running water in the sleeping cabins, instead you use the washroom building. The ladies had two toilet cubicles, with drop toilets, two sinks and even a shower. Bring your own towel if you want to use it but soap and shampoo are available in the shower. The washroom is heated and such a treat to use in winter compared to a lot of other drop toilets in the cold season.
This place is the perfect spot to unwind, relax and disconnect. I really wish we had booked two nights, so we could have had a whole day to relax. We headed out to Shadow Lake before we left. They allowed us to stow our bags in the CPR cabin after checkout so we headed to the lake when the temperatures had risen a little.
Booking Shadow Lake Lodge
You can book Shadow Lake Lodge online via their own website, bookings are already open for summer and prices start at $250 for a standard cabin per night.
History Of Shadow Lake Lodge
The legacy of Shadow Lake Lodge started back in 1929, when the Canadian Pacific Railway built a small, modest log cabin for backcountry users, it was later sold to the Brewster family in 1938. The family went through the process of expanding and renovating and it eventually became the size it currently is, while still being home to the original cabin which started it all. In 2019 the Alpine Club Of Canada took ownership of Shadow Lake Lodge and continues to operate it now.
What You Might Need
Once you’ve booked your spot at Shadow Lake Lodge, they provide you with a packing list, you can also find it on their website. Here are a few key things you’ll definitely want to take.
Sleeping bag – We took our minus nine rated down sleeping bags and they were so warm and toasty!
Pillowcase – To make use of the provided pillows, you just need to take your own pillowcase!
Towel – Make sure you have a packable towel if you want to make use of the shower!
Indoor Shoes – Don’t get cold feet walking around the wooden floors in the communal cooking cabin, pack some indoor shoes, I used my North Face thermoball traction mules. Not the lightest but so comfortable!
