Unlike the castle like structures that you usually associate with Fairmont locations, Jasper Park Lodge was designed to be truly unique.

In 1915, it started as a tent city, which was 10 luxury tents set up on the shores of Lac Beauvert. The cost to stay in these was 25 cents per night.

In 1921, the Canadian Nation Railways took over the tent city. Between 1922 to 1923 the tents started being replaced by cabins and the main building, where guest would check in, was built.  As part of the expansion, the par 71 Stanley Thompson golf course was added to the hotel. In the 1940s and 1950s most of the original cabins had been replaced with modern cedar cabins.

In 1952, the main building burnt down, due to an electrical fire, and all that remained was the double-sided fireplace. A year later, the hotel was rebuilt and included the original double-sided fireplace. The main building only has 18 rooms, but when you include all the cabins, there is a total of 446 rooms spread across the 700 acres, plus the golf course.

In the 1960s and 1970s they added the outdoor heated swimming pool, tennis courts, a golf club house, and additional suites located on the shores of Lac Beauvert. The addition of the pool moved the entrance of the building to the other side of the lobby.

Jasper Park Lodge was only open during the summer. It wasn’t until 1988 when they were able to be open year-round. All the cabins have been getting renovations over the last few years, which will continue for most of 2017.

At most other Fairmont locations, you will see people coming and going through the front doors, and lots of activity. At Jasper Park Lodge, you only need to go to the main building for check-in, if you want to dine in one of the restaurants, use the pool or spa, check out the retail shops, or just check out the architecture of the main building. You can spend most of your time relaxing and enjoying the outdoors from the door of your cabin; deer, elk, and caribou wander just meters away.

The main building has all sorts of amazing detail and artwork. There are totem poles in the lobby and a tall ceiling with glass panels to let natural light in during the day, as well as windows along the side facing Lac Beuvert. There are restaurants on the main and lower levels. Also on the lower level is access to the pool and hot tub, shops, a yoga studio (which is open three days a week), and two different unsupervised kid’s rooms – one for younger kids and one for teens. On the rooftop of the building, they have about 150,000 honeybees, which supply the honey used for beer and other items available in the restaurant.

There are your standard Jasper Suites, some of which have fireplaces or wood burning stoves, and these cabins are located around the main building. Then there are eight luxury signature cabins, each one a standalone building. Several of these are bigger than a lot of people’s homes and have some history behind them too. Most of these cabins are designed for larger families, weddings, business retreats, or celebrity getaways.

The one we stayed in was the Stanley Thompson Cabin. It was built from the foundation up just recently. It is a large building, 3080 square feet/286 square meters, with four bedrooms, a shared common area with a stone fireplace, full kitchen, dining and living room area. There are three decks around the building with the main deck, accessed from the living/dining area, set up for entertaining. Two of the bedrooms have king size beds with a large bathtub, and the other two bedrooms have two double beds and spacious showers. It is located right beside the Stanley Thompson Golf Course.

The view from the cabin is amazing. During our stay, we saw animals just hanging about the cabin. It is a short walk from the main building, but it is worth it to enjoy the surroundings. You can arrange for food to be brought to the cabin or you can make something yourself. Since you are not in a typical hotel, there are no ice machines around; the staff are happy to stop by and drop off bags of ice as you need them. The bedrooms are quiet: you don’t hear people in the room beside you unless their bedroom door is left open.

There are three Whistler Cabins which have two bedrooms: one with a king bed and the other with two double beds. These cabins have three full bathrooms, kitchenette and living room with a pullout sofa. The cabins are located with a perfect view of Lac Beauvert.

For those who want to get away from everyone or on a honeymoon, there is the Athabasca Cottage, which is located close to the Athabasca River. It has a king size bed and a jacuzzi ensuite.

Originally the residence for the gardener, but converted to a cabin, there is the Gardener’s Cottage. It also has four bedrooms: three bedrooms with queen beds on the main level; and one bedroom with two twin beds on the lower level. There is a games room, full kitchen, dining and two living rooms. There are four full bathrooms too.

Milligan Manor is the largest of the standalone cabins, at 7075 square feet/657 square meters. It has eight bedrooms, each with their own private entrance, as well as an entrance to the inside common area with living and dining room. There is no kitchen, but there is a separate entrance for private catering.

The Outlook Cabin, which is also known as the Royal Retreat, was rebuilt in 2000 after the original building burnt down. It was rebuilt as close as possible to look like the original building. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stayed there in 1939, Princess Margaret in 1980, and Prince Philip in 2005. There is a set of the queen’s china in the cabin too. The cabin has six bedrooms: four of them with one king bed; and the other two with two double beds. Each has a full bathroom. There is a full kitchen, dining room living room and veranda. If you don’t feel like cooking or don’t have personal chefs traveling with you, there is a separate entrance for catering too.

For Hollywood royalty, there is the Point Cabin, where Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum stayed. It is the most private and picturesque of any of the cabins. There are five bedrooms, with three of them having one king bed, and two with two twin beds. There is a kitchen, dining room, living room and veranda. This cabin is meant to be haunted. At some point in its history, a bride fell down its steps in her wedding dress and died. Since then the story is that sometimes smoke comes out of the chimney when no one is staying there, and other strange things have been reported during some people’s stay.

Finally there is the Viewpoint Cabin with three bedrooms: two with one king bed; and one with two twin beds. There is a kitchen, dining room, living room, games room and veranda.

Jasper Park Lodge provides residences on-site for employees to live in. In 1927 the Lodge built its own building for laundry and dry cleaning, but it was big enough that they also service some of the other hotels and businesses in the town. Jasper Park Lodge is the only hotel part of the Fairmont chain that still has wood burning fireplaces.

Since Jasper remains cool year-round, most of the cabins do not have air conditioning. They do have screen doors to allow the cool air drift in when it is a little hotter than normal. The lake is usually is no warmer than 4 degrees, so you can attempt to swim, but it is very cold. The lake water is crystal clear –you can see the bottom of the lake. If you are lucky, you will see the fish swimming by too.

Jasper Park Lodge is designed to be a getaway to enjoy the sites and calm that Jasper offers. You spent the time to travel by road or VIA rail to get to Jasper, you should be able to enjoy it without the hustle and bustle. The place is beautiful and should be enjoyed.

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Contributor Steve Polyak |

Locale Jasper |

Topic Accommodation and Lodging | Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (JPL) | Travel |

Photo Gallery Jasper |Travel |