I’m a big fan of Christmas movies—Hallmark Christmas movies in particular—but really any Christmas movie will do (see my 2018 blog post on Christmas movies you can watch on TELUS Optik).
For me, the cheesier the Christmas movie, the better!
Happy, wholesome movie endings are what I prefer and all holiday flicks guarantee that.
The joke about Christmas movies of course, is that the plots are pretty formulaic and predictable, right down to the locations—including one of my favourite, fool-proof Christmas movie locations: the cute Christmas cabin hotel in the woods!
If you’ve ever wanted to stay at a hotel that feels like it’s straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, I’m here to tell you about Baker Creek Mountain Resort, located along the forested Bow Valley Parkway in beautiful Banff National Park between Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta.
If you’re looking for a secluded, quaint cabin getaway, surrounded by forest and mountain, and during the stunning, snowy winter season, consider Baker Creek!
Disclosure: I was hosted at the resort this winter (I’ve also stayed previously before), and wanted to share a few things I love about the place in this post.
If you’d like 10% off your booking at Baker Creek, use code LINDORK.
(I don’t get anything from it—just the satisfaction that you saved a little bit using my code lol).
Baker Creek Mountain Resort: Like Staying In A Real Life Hallmark Christmas Movie
Where is Baker Creek Mountain Resort
Baker Creek Mountain Resort is nestled along the forested Bow Valley Parkway in beautiful Banff National Park just 15 minutes drive from Lake Louise and 45 minutes drive from Banff, Alberta.
Baker Creek Chalets originated in the late 1940s as an overnight stop on the way to and from Lake Louise, at the confluence of the creek and Bow River, along what used to be the the original TransCanada Highway (and is now known as the scenic Bow Valley Parkway).
Now more than 70 years since it started, Baker Creek (now a Mountain Resort), is comprised of 16 cozy suites and 19 standalone log cabins. The resort is fully pet friendly (max two pets in a room).
On my most recent visit (March 2022), I stayed in Baker Creek’s beautiful two bedroom loft cabin with ladder—renovated, with a luxury wet bar and library wall, 20-foot vaulted ceiling, steps away from fire pits and the river, a wood burning stove, perfect view of the mountain, and upstairs twin beds with main floor queen bedroom. Super spacious, very cozy and cute.
On a previous visit a few years ago, I stayed in one of their jacuzzi lodge suites and admittedly, spent almost my entire stay in the jacuzzi with a book. Both visits were perfect.
Note: You need a Park Pass to stay at Baker Creek (or anywhere in Banff National Park).
What can you do at Baker Creek Mountain Resort
There’s a lot of on-site activities you can do at Baker Creek. They’ve got a fitness facility, steam room and sauna (plus depending on your room—the jacuzzi tub!). Find fire pits or use the small but adorable skating rink on site. There is year-round cycling (including free fat bike rentals for guests), groomed cross country ski trails (from Baker Creek to Castle lookout), and free snowshoe rentals for guests plus several snowshoe trails that leave right from the property too.
Everything feels like it moves at a bit slower a pace at Baker Creek—and it’s quite nice.
Of course everyone’s getaways are going to look a bit different depending on what you’re wanting to do, but Baker Creek is a great base camp for so many outdoor mountain activities—or cozying up inside your cabin.
Where can you eat at Baker Creek Mountain Resort
Typically Baker Creek has a restaurant on-site called the Baker Creek Bistro.
During our visit in March 2022, the bistro was closed for renovations, so for breakfast and lunch we ended up getting grab and go items from their cafe / gift shop. For dinner, we drove to nearby Lake Louise (only 15 minutes away) where there are numerous dining options, or depending on how you plan your getaway, a jaunt to Banff would give you even more dining options!
All cabins and some lodge suites have kitchenettes so it’s also quite common for guests to bring their own food for their stay. And there are communal BBQs you can use to grill your meals too.
Ideally during your future visit, the restaurant will have reopened following its renos!
I did get to dine at Baker Creek Bistro during my previous stay a few years ago and the food and service was exceptional. At the time I was freelance writing advertorials on different dining options for the Rocky Mountain Outlook!
I pulled old photos from that meal and my piece about Baker Creek for this blog post—you can read the full piece here, and find the food excerpt below (I’m hungry re-reading this!!):
In the colder months, start your Baker Creek Bistro experience sipping the Spiced Apple Pie Fireball Whiskey cider through a cinnamon stick. Perfect. In warmer months, the bistro’s Sweet Creek Lemonade is a best seller, featuring Grey Goose Vodka mixed with lemonade and soda topped with Chambord raspberry liqueur.
You won’t find a typical bun for your meal here, instead, Chef Rogers serves a delightful buttermilk and cornmeal biscuit with poppy seeds. Flakey and delicious, you’ll find yourself asking for seconds and thirds of these comforting biscuits.
Crisp Panko Feta Cakes are a popular starter. These lemon oregano seasoned feta cakes are flash fried and finished in the oven, then served over a bed of cucumbers and tomatoes.
Another popular dish and while categorized as a small plate, certainly portions big enough to be considered a main, is the Baker Creek Bistro’s Roasted Vegetable Napoleon. Napoleon dishes consist of layers—traditionally dessert puff pastry layers but in this case, layers and layers of stacked, perfectly roasted vegetables including zucchini, red and yellow peppers, squash and a portobello mushroom, drizzled with a red beet vinaigrette and balsamic glaze, topped with a basil-peanut pesto and turmeric oil. This is a wonderful dish, bright, beautifully presented and full of flavour, with broad appeal as it’s gluten-free, vegetarian and dairy-free/vegan.
You won’t go wrong with any of the main dish offerings, from an AAA Beef Tenderloin to a Grilled Pork Loin Chop or a Chicken Peanut Curry, but I can personally vouch for the Wild Vancouver Island Pacific Salmon, which comes with a maple-grain mustard vinaigrette spread that gives the tender salmon a flavourful kick.
– from Bites & Bevies, Rocky Mountain Outlook April 2019
What can you do around Baker Creek Mountain Resort
Not only is Baker Creek so conveniently located near so many scenic spots and adventure activities in Banff National Park, just an hour drive away is Yoho National Park (in B.C.), which offers even more destinations and activity opportunities for those staying near Lake Louise.
During our getaway, we met friends for adventures at Wapta Falls (B.C.) and Johnston Canyon (AB—very close to Baker Creek). I’ve also done a day trip adventure to Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake (B.C.), which is really close to Baker Creek as well.
Read my related Travel Guides for adventure in the area:
Also along the Bow Valley Parkway is the famous Morant’s Curve, where you’ve likely seen the iconic photos of the train making its way through the Rocky Mountains. Photographers will sit around here for hours waiting for that perfect shot, which may be something you do! Or—you could luck out during your hike, bike, or drive through the area and catch the train coming through! My adventure pal Great Grams of Gary has visited the viewpoint but unfortunately, no train was passing through. They intentionally do not release the train schedule for various reasons (like train robberies could still be a thing lol).
Other Things To Know Before You Go to Baker Creek Mountain Resort
The biggest thing to now about Baker Creek Mountain Resort is that sections of the Bow Valley Parkway do not have any cell signal/service, and some locations on the resort may also be without service.
For many, this is not an issue lol. For me, someone who lives, works and plays on her phone, I am always hyper aware of what the WiFi and/or cell service will be at places I go lol. When I originally stayed here back in 2019, the entire resort had next to no cell service and unreliable WiFi too. They still don’t have cell service at the resort, or phones or TVs in the rooms, (they even have a pay phone on site! lol), but their WiFi signal is actually pretty decent in 2022 (probably because most people there aren’t using the WiFi, or are out and about doing adventures lol).
You can actually intentionally book a super cell service-less stay (think ‘Digital Detox,’ they call it the ‘Lights Out’ package), if you want a totally secluded, out-of-office feeling for your getaway.
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I know you’ll have an amazing getaway if you stay at Baker Creek—I certainly did! It certainly feels extra magical during winter, and I imagine—even more festive during the holiday season. If you want to feel like you’re in a real life Christmas movie, this is a pretty perfect venue for it.
And although my trip was set during winter (adding to the very Hallmark Christmas movie feel lol), Baker Creek is an awesome, beautiful spot to stay year-round too.
- Remember if you’d like 10% off your booking at Baker Creek, use code LINDORK.
- And if you like, take advantage of 10% off at Breathe Outdoors (Alberta’s outdoor adventure store) too! Use code LINDORK by April 11, 2022 (#BreatheOutdoors_Partner).
(Again, I don’t get anything from these code uses—just the satisfaction you saved a little bit lol).
Thanks for hosting us, Baker Creek Mountain Resort! It was a magical stay and I can’t wait to get my Christmas movie “The Christmas Cabin” into production. 🤣
Disclaimer: I was hosted at Baker Creek Mountain Resort. This does not impact the opinions stated in this post. I love exploring Alberta—particularly the Banff/Lake Louise area, and I absolutely loved my experience at Baker Creek. I know you would too!
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