Isolated lodge offers cozy retreat in the Rockies

updated 3:25 p.m. ET Jan. 3, 2007

WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, Alberta - My dilemma: Should I trudge through shin-deep snow to the side door at the Kilmorey Lodge library? Or should I use the front door, shooing away the doe and her fawn that have taken shelter there from the falling snow?

I opt for the library door. The deer, after all, are one reason we chose this isolated lodge in the almost-deserted village of Waterton Lakes in the Canadian Rockies. This is their home; we are merely visitors.

In summer, Waterton Lakes National Park is a popular mountain destination for Canadian vacationers, smaller and less crowded than the better known Banff and Jasper national parks to the north. It also receives thousands of visitors who come north across the U.S. border as part of their visit to Glacier National Park, which abuts it.

Together, they form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But in winter, Glacier is essentially shut down. Its hotels and restaurants are closed and boarded up, its high mountain roads buried by deep, drifting snow. The border crossing that is the summer shortcut from the U.S. to Waterton is barricaded until summer.

Waterton Lakes, at the core of the Canadian park, comes close to doing the same. The grocery store and the gas station are boarded up; so are the fudge shop, the espresso bar and the ice cream parlor. The summer population of more than 2,000 shrinks to perhaps 100, many of them park staff. And even many residents in nearby Montana assume Waterton has joined Glacier in winter slumber.

But on the shore of Waterton's Emerald Bay, a snug century-old lodge remains open, a beacon of warmth offering cozy rooms and an award-winning restaurant year around for those willing to make the offseason trek.

IF YOU GO ... KILMOREY LODGE Located in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada; Web site or 403-859-2334; The lodge contains 23 guest rooms, two of which are wheelchair-accessible. Winter rates range from $85-$168, the latter for a two-room family suite; summer rates are higher. In winter, the only food service in the village is at the Kilmorey, where dinner entrees in the dining room range from $15-$34. A more casual menu is available in the inn's pub. Getting there: Waterton Lakes National Park is located in the southwest corner of Alberta. From Calgary, Alberta, drive south on Highway 2 to Cardston, then southwest on Highway 5 to Waterton. From Great Falls, Mont., drive north on Interstate 15 and cross the U.S.-Canada border at Sweetgrass. Seven miles north of the border, turn west on Secondary Highway 501 and follow it to Cardston, then follow Highway 5. WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK Web site Source: The Associated Press

We are here this weekend because the Kilmorey Lodge tops our list of places where we most want to be snowed in. Our cross-country skis are strapped on the car, and our snowshoes are in the trunk. We seek a blend of adventure and solitude, but also a comfortable bed, a warm fire, and gourmet meals served by cheerful and attentive staff. Kilmorey offers it all.

Adventure isn't far away. Waterton plows a road eight miles up from the village into the high country of the Rockies. From there the remaining two miles of unplowed road lead cross-country skiers or snowshoers to Cameron Lake, nestled in a cirque at 5,450 feet, hard against the Continental Divide.

It is one of the easiest and safest ways for winter visitors to view the high backcountry of the Canadian Rockies in winter. Later in the season, when the ice is thicker and safer, Cameron Lake itself becomes a thoroughfare for skiers. And all around are forest and mountains, inviting explorers on snowshoes.

Back down in the townsite is Cameron Falls, a spectacular waterfall on the edge of town that in winter is an easy destination for skiers who want an adventure a bit short of true wilderness.

Deer are common here, and they often bed down in the shelter of trees near the Kilmorey. A small herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep also frequents the townsite. Lucky visitors may even catch a glimpse of a mountain lion, searching for winter prey. This also is serious grizzly bear country, but they are hibernating this time of year and pose no threat.

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