If this isn’t your first time in Banff… How about Kananaskis? Kananaskis Mountain Lodge (aka Kananaskis AC Hotel/Marriott affiliate) has a fantastic, secluded trail course.

Hello.

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If this isn’t your first time in Banff… … … How about Kananaskis?

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For those living in Calgary, it may not be much fun because it’s too close, but if you’re departing from Edmonton, it’s close, so I think it’s quite an advantage. (If you’re coming from Vancouver, isn’t it a little weird because it’s further away than Banff?)

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It is an area located at the beginning of the Rocky Mountains, 30 km before Canmore and 70 km before Banff, so it is very accessible. I’m familiar with Kananaski as I’ve been to Nakiska Ski Resort many times, but it was my first time staying at a hotel and enjoying the area.

But what is this!!!!!

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I completely fell in love with this place, so I highly recommend it!!! I’m writing a review in a hurry to give it to you.

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Kananaskis!!! There are several advantages of this area .

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1 ) There are so many different easy trail courses.

2) The recommended hotel is located high up on the mountain, so you can see a much better view than Banff or Canmore, which can be enjoyed from the lower part.

3) It is not crowded with cars or people.

4) Although it is quiet, there are plenty of things to enjoy. The children’s pool facilities look surprisingly good.

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First , let me introduce the hotel that I fell in love with .

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It is part of the Autograph Collection family of Marriott brands.

The official name is this place.

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The hotel is located quite high, so if you compare the low mountain nearby, it is about the same height as the summit?? It’s located quite high up. It is located in a very ideal location, giving the feeling of being comfortably hugged by a rocky mountain.

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<Source: Marriott website>

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Oh~~ The lobby looks really nice too.

That fireplace even in mid-July! Is this a true story? Although it is summer, it feels quite chilly because it is in the mountains. A fireplace was a must. What can I do ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

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Shall we go to the room now?

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I received a loft-style suite divided into two floors. (I was upgraded to the Marriott Titanium tier^^) Later, when I compared it with the website photo, it looked very bling-bling in the website photo, but in reality, it felt a bit old.

There is a fireplace in the room too^^ Yes!! This is deep in the Rocky Mountains. lol

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The living room and dining area were separated, and there was a refrigerator and other things well-equipped under the stairs.

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This is a bedroom in the loft on the second floor.

The bedding and bed were in very good condition. Praise~~~

Because it is a loft, the ceiling is high and light comes in from the roof, giving you the feeling of sleeping in a lodge!!!! I feel like I’m on a trip!!!!

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Bathrooms and toilets are located on the first and second floors, so families with children can also use them comfortably.

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This is the second floor bathroom

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This is the bathroom on the first floor

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Now that we have unpacked our bags, shall we take a look around?

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Kananaski Village features the AC Hotel, two private ownership condos, and a village center arranged in a circular shape. The buildings are arranged in a circle around the square shown in the photo below. This is the view from the hotel towards the condo.

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That rocky mountain is a truly famous mountain.

It towers right in front of your eyes, and it’s so cool.

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This is what the hotel looks like from the condo across the street.

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Inside the village, there is a cute walking trail like this.

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This is the village center (2 shops/1 post office) inside the village.

You can think of it as a mini-me version of Whistler Village^^

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Now that we’ve had a quick look around the hotel, let’s take a look at the facilities inside.

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There is also a kids club, which is better than not having one.

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Surely they can’t accept 75 people at the same time? No way!!!!!!

The small swimming pool called the water park was quite nice.

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This is a real photo.

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This is a photo taken from the Marriott website.

Oh~~~ It’s small but cute.

For a hotel swimming pool I’ve seen in Canada, it’s quite large. It should be called a water park.

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This is also a photo on the website, and there are indoor/outdoor hot tubs as well.

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This is my favorite part of the hotel.

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When you go out from the hotel towards the village center, a fire side has been created like this.

You can use it as much as you like from 6-10 p.m.

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There’s a lot of wood piled up, so it’s a place where you can light a fire to your heart’s content. I love it so much^^

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Roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and eat… … … ..

If I had known a place like this would exist, I would have prepared the ingredients for s’mores… … ..

If I had known there would be a place like this, I would have prepared sweet potatoes… … … .. I was really disappointed. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

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Oh~~~~ Since it is a resort hotel, a coin laundry machine is also available.

Oh~~~~ I love it so much.

Beverages on the bending machine are $3.50 (500 milliliters)

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The hotel is larger than expected, so there are plenty of places to sit.

Every nook and cranny was done very well.

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Take a look at the photos created using the cartoon app you enjoyed in the past. Haha (Ah!! What is this stream of consciousness ^^)

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The morning dawned.

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The hotel has a total of 3 restaurants and 1 cafe.

For breakfast, I ate at an Italian restaurant called Forte.

I really didn’t have any expectations about the restaurant, but surprisingly it was very, very good. What is this~~~ In this mountain~~~

<Source: Marriott website>

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Oh~~~ It’s delicious. Delicious!!! Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

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Melt the butter and sprinkle a lot of maple syrup.

Pancakes made by someone else that were so delicious it made me cry!!!! ^^

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Why did you just eat this?

Everything omelet made with all the ingredients you don’t have! lol

French fries so hot and crispy that they will bite the roof of your mouth!!. I’ve found better French fries in the mountains than my favorite Kosukko French fries. ^^

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There is a cafe next to the FORTE restaurant.

The cafe also sells souvenirs like this.

Souvenirs with logos plastered on them and sold at a high price!!!

I really wanted to buy it, but it was hard to press the button. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

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Now that we’ve had enough breakfast, it’s time to go hiking around the hotel.

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The hotel here is located in a pretty high and famous place.

This view is just a few steps away from the hotel!! It unfolds.

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It doesn’t look that high in the picture, but it’s actually a very high cliff.

When I look at the river stretching out below, my legs start shaking… .. It’s like walking on a skywalk… .. It’s so high up that you can feel the creeps.

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Why are you doing this? I want to… .. They made a really nice walking trail next to the cliff.

This is live action.

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This is a photo from the Marriott website.

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If you follow the trail, you will come across 5 view points.

It’s really cool, isn’t it?

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You can see the five view points, walk the promenade, and then return to the village where the hotel is located.

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You can start a full-fledged hike like this.

I think the hiking trail in this area is Ivan-Thomas Provincial Park(?).

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The courses here have their own characteristics.

Many of the trails in the mountains are well maintained for riding bicycles (fat tire biking) .

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We also made the two sides very wide and created a hiking course perfect for enjoying all kinds of winter sports .

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There is also a dog sled, and it is very well made and suitable for snowshoeing, cross-country riding, etc.

<Source: Marriott website>

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Then, is there only a well-maintained hiking course like that????

There are literally hundreds of courses that are perfect for backcountry camping .

I was really jealous of young people who enjoyed backcountry camping.

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There are many trails centered around the hotel that allow you to enjoy a variety of courses ranging from 1 hour to 5 hours.

There are very good map signs at every intersection, so there is no risk of getting lost.

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The water flowing from the melted Rocky Mountain glaciers is so fast that it seems perfect for rafting. ^^ The sound of water + birdsong is truly amazing.

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After returning from the 3-hour hiking course, it is time to check out from the hotel.

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The place I could see from the room I stayed in! These are the hot tubs at Nordic Spa.

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This is a photo from the hotel website.

This is an outdoor view of the spa with 5 hot tubs and a private sauna.

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Why was the introduction here so detailed?

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It’s not like I’ve been to Banff once or twice, so I just go to the places I go to every time and think, should I actually do some hiking? When I think about it, I don’t really know where a beginner should go. So, I did a lot of Googling and found that there were so many people and cars parked on the side of the road, it was like going hiking on a weekend in Korea. It wasn’t the hiking in the Rockies I wanted. However, I can’t go on the professional course because I don’t even have proper hiking shoes.

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The easy course, which is quite famous in Canmore, was also overcrowded with people, so I was a bit disappointed.

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However, there was no specific course that anyone recommended.

So I recommend it^^

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Here in Kananaski, it is quiet.

Depending on which course you take, you can walk at different times.

The easy courses are continuous, so even beginners won’t find it difficult.

Still, the scenery is so beautiful.

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No need to stay

Are you coming from nearby Calgary?

Let me briefly explain the recommended course when going on a day trip from Edmonton .

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1) Park at the Kananaski Village public parking lot.

2) After completing the hiking course for about 3 hours

3) Enjoy a delicious meal at the picnic area near the hotel (and use clean hotel restrooms)

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4) I made and ate s’mores at the fire side of the hotel and returned home after a pleasant meal.

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They sell everything, including bowl noodles, at the hotel canteen or the kiosk inside the village center, so even if you go empty-handed without any preparation, you can buy everything as long as you have the money~~~ The advantage is that you can leave without worrying ^^

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I personally liked it very much as it was a more unique and distinct area than hotels in Banff or Canmore.

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Just in case

I’m ending this long post in the hope that it helps at least one person.

It’s always fun to talk about travel^^

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※ This is my article published on ‘Mom Stock’, a Canadian mom café.

[Source] If this is not your first time in Banff… How about Kananaskis? Kananaskis Mountain Lodge (aka Kananaskis AC Hotel/Marriott affiliate), which has an excellent secluded fantasy trail course | Written by Wonderful Miki

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