Staying at Emerald Lake Lodge was a total bucket list stay for us, and we had the opportunity to visit in July 2022. We loved our time there and would definitely recommend it to others, but there were some things that took us by surprise. Heading there soon and want to know what to expect? Considering booking a few nights for an upcoming trip? Read on for 10 things to know about staying at Emerald Lake Lodge in Yoho National Park based on our experience.

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10 things to know about staying at Emerald Lake Lodge in Yoho National Park

1. You’re paying for the view, not the room.

If you’re more of a budget traveler and frequent camper like us, you’ll find the prices to be pretty high at Emerald Lake Lodge. But despite the 5-star prices, we arrived to what I’d call a 2-star room. The room and balcony were very worn and dated, and our key even got stuck in our super old door knob and we had to call maintenance. There’s no A/C, and the fan looked like it was from the 70s at best. But when you see that bright turquoise lake, you’ll remember why you’re there and paying those prices. You truly are paying for the view and the experience, not the room itself. And trust us when we say the view doesn’t disappoint!

2. Emerald Lake Lodge is actually pretty casual.

Again, because of the prices, we were expecting the lodge and restaurant to be on the fancier side. It was actually quite casual, which we liked! We never felt underdressed or out of place, which was perfect for the hiking-based trip we were there for.

3. You have to dine at Cilantro Café!

Cilantro Café is located just across the bridge from where you enter the property, and it’s set right on the water. For some reason, it has more limited hours and better prices than the main restaurant, despite having an exponentially better location. Do yourself a favor and check the hours prior to your trip and be sure to enjoy a meal or two there! And even if you don’t stay at the lodge overnight, it’s worth having a quick meal at Cilantro Café.

It’s also worth noting that you are not technically permitted to bring any outside food onto the property. That said, we saw people boarding the shuttle with multiple bags of snacks and food and no one said anything. We tucked a few snacks discreetly in our bag, but otherwise respected this rule and enjoyed food at their restaurants or out on our hikes.

4. Walk the Emerald Lake Loop trail early in the day.

We highly recommend walking the 3-mile Emerald Lake Loop trail in the early morning while the water is still and you can enjoy stunning reflections across the water. It’s completely flat and an easy walk leaving directly from the lodge. If you wait until later in the day, the lake will be buzzing with tons of daytime visitors, kayakers, etc. and it just doesn’t have the same serenity as the morning.

5. Enjoy the peaceful evenings at Emerald Lake Lodge.

This is a big perk of staying overnight at Emerald Lake Lodge! Fight the urge to crawl into bed and instead go out for a walk by the lake. Spend some time stargazing and enjoying the peace and quiet after the daytime visitors have all left. 

6. Slow down and soak in the experience.

If you’re at all like us, you may tend to cram a ton of adventure into your vacations, especially when you’re surrounded by such incredible natural beauty to explore. Once we arrived at the lodge, we quickly realized we needed to scale back our itinerary to simply enjoy our surroundings. Take a lesson from us: give yourself some time to soak in the experience and slow down a little bit! Walk the grounds, dine at Cilantro Café, have a fire in the firepit overlooking the lake, etc. Pro tip: you can buy a drink at the bar and take it anywhere on the grounds to enjoy!

7. Disconnect from the outside world.

Don’t come to Emerald Lake Lodge if you’re trying to take work calls or generally stay connected to the outside world. There is no Wi-Fi in the rooms, only in the main lodge. There’s also no cell service on the property, and no TVs in the rooms. Bring a book if you get bored easily!

8. Don’t expect to wash your stinky hiking clothes at Emerald Lake Lodge.

There is no laundry service or self-serve laundry on-site. Hold onto those dirty hiking clothes a little longer!

9. Brace for the mosquitoes.

Mosquito mania!!! There were so many mosquitoes this entire trip and certainly at Emerald Lake Lodge as well. If you head out in the evenings, we recommend wearing long pants, socks/shoes, and bug spray. Even when we grabbed drinks inside the lodge, the mosquitoes were devouring our feet and ankles since we were in sandals and they had the doors open to the outside.

10. Account for the required shuttle service when staying at Emerald Lake Lodge.

Overnight guests park in a separate parking area to keep the closest lot available for daytime visitors. They have 24-hour shuttle service that runs between the overnight lot and the lodge, which actually all seemed to run pretty smooth. It’s good to keep this in mind when making plans — you will have to wait a little bit, but it was never more than 10’ish minutes.

Also keep in mind that you will have to carry your bags a little ways from the lodge (where you check in) to your room. For us, this included going down and up stairs. I’m sure you could probably get assistance if you asked, but we can’t say for sure since we didn’t inquire.

We hope this post is helpful as you’re planning for a stay at Emerald Lake Lodge. It’s really a unique and magical experience — you certainly won’t regret booking an upcoming visit!