I was recommended to visit Island Lake Lodge this summer by a good friend from my recent trip to CMH Lodge. At the time I honestly didn't think I would have time with my busy summer schedule. My boyfriend was visiting from New Zealand and I had a full schedule of hikes planned for us, but lucky for us we found a few spare days to make it out to this lodge. I am so glad we had time because it may have been one of my favorite getaways from summer memories.
I have a family cabin in Moyie, BC so we were out visiting my parents when the idea dawned on me to check this lodge out. Fernie is only a couple hours from most places. As much as I love roughing it in the back country or out of the car a nice lodge can be a good break every now and again. So we booked in for one night.
“Turns out when we got the tour and saw the beauty of the lake we had to stay an additional night. There are so many hiking trails from the lodge so we wanted a chance to explore a few.”
Turns out when we got the tour and saw the beauty of the lake we had to stay an additional night. There are so many hiking trails from the lodge so we wanted a chance to explore a few. Fernie has a micro climate, which means it is a particularly more wet valley than most, this means that they have an ideal habitat for cedar trees. They have some of the oldest cedar trees in this area and they are massive!
The trees were a fabulous sight to see but we also were surprised at the life in and around the lake. Squirrels, fish, ground squirrels, tiny frogs, minnows, woodpeckers, deer and even the occasional moose are common around the lake. Bears can be spotted but the lodge has never had any issues with them.
I finally was able to have a big bubble bath that evening as well, which is a big luxury when life is on the road. Dinner and breakfast was also delicious to go with the stunning view from the balcony.
We headed up the mountain the next day to find ourselves among some of the largest huckleberry bushes I have ever seen. Huckleberries often grow different areas every year so it was a treat to find some and we spent a few hours filling up a 10L bag. We eventually kept hiking and found ourselves a stunning view with minimal effort.
Leaving this place was a bit sad but necessary due to the pile of hikes we had on our way. The lodge also has winter cat skiing and is open year round, which maybe will be my next trip. I can't wait to visit this place again, it was real treat with some excellent memories!
