Despite a grand lobby dotted with the disembodied heads of wild animals, the Athabasca’s rooms (some without private bathroom) are fairly plain, functional and some a bit cramped. But the downtown location is fantastic. Try to get a room higher up in the building, if the din of the hotel bar – the Atha-B is likely to disturb. This large,...

A wide range of home-made bagels come with a broad selection of fillings here, making it a great quick breakfast or lunch stop. Most filled bagels cost around $5–8. The coffee’s rather watery though, so you might give that a miss. A second branch of this business lies up at the resort – half-way up the Mighty Moose lift –...

Wild bar from the 1890s that looks likes it’s straight off the set of a Western and isn’t much more refined inside. The honky-tonk atmosphere, pool tables and regular live music keeps the locals coming. Also does basic bar food, with daily specials offered.

Castle Mountain‘s the least known Canadian Rockies resort, and probably because there’s no mountain town near by, but there’s a lot of great terrain here and remarkably few people to compete with for fresh snow – of which it gets about as much as any other Rockies resort. The only real snags are its remoteness and that its the winds...

Cheerful family-oriented place with inexpensive diner food that’s particularly great for full breakfasts (most around $12).

Hip and airy basement bar with several laid-back sofas and a pool table, below the Fiddle River restaurant. The Downstream’s particularly great for imaginative sandwiches; with ingredients like marinated tofu, smoked meat and sauerkraut (priced $12–19 including salad, fries or soup); burgers; and snacks like pierogi and yam fries, as well as mean steaks.

The rambling Fairmont Hot Springs Resort spills over the Columbia River’s broad flood plain with golf courses, and climbs into its craggy snow-capped backdrop with a little ski resort. It’s a reasonably luxurious place, though the prices of its cheapest rooms aren’t extravagant, and its glut of amenities include several restaurants and so make it a fantastic base for a...

Sports bar with plentiful screens and a down-home feel. The bar food is well above average, with the fish and chips particularly good ($12). Like most Fernie bars, live music is a regular part of the programme. Also offers accommodation by the month.

This collection of luxury log cabins on the attractive shores of Lac Beauvert might remind of a summer camp, but at least it blends in well with its surroundings, unlike the region’s other flagship hotels: Chateau Lake Louise and the Banff Springs Hotel. Inside, the cabins are flamboyantly furnished and include grandiose stone fireplaces. Room rates often drop by a...

Step out of the Golden Eagle Gondola – the resort’s main lift – and it’s hard not to stop and gape at the remarkable pristine slopes that stretch ahead in a lofty wonderland of clouds and peaks. But what’s below just as seductive to skiiers and boarders looking for backcountry-style adventure, since the ski area encompasses many untamed open bowls,...

The large parking lot, restaurant (Apr–Oct 8am–8pm) and souvenir shop at the start of the easy hike into Maligne Canyon should immediately set your expectations. This is clearly a significant local attraction, but often very busy too. Certainly, this 50m-deep canyon is one of the Rockies’ most spectacular, partly because, in places, it’s so narrow that you could almost jump...

Comfortable, though pretty nondescript hotel with large, clean rooms all gathered around an indoor atrium, the location of the pool and hot tub. Also here is a restaurant, liquor store, and the Pub Bar and Grill, which is one of Fernie’s busiest nightlife spots – despite its isolated location away from both the resort and downtown. Good pub food: try...