This old girl is set in about the most beautiful spot on earth. All by itself on Bow Lake, the location is stunning. The lodge itself is a historic red roofed 3 story building that is full of charm and interesting furnishings/decor. Don't expect the rooms to be anything to rave about. The walls are thin, the bathrooms a bit dated, but all is clean. You will find mostly fellow hikers inhabit this lodge. Despite the flaws, we loved it. The staff was friendly and helpful. We awoke to the first snowfall of the fall and the place was beautiful. We found the food in the restaurant to be pretty good. Be sure and sign up for dinner...the closest restaurant is MANY miles away.

The minute we walked in the door of Num-Ti-Jah we knew we were in a special place. First impressions are lasting and we were swept away by what we saw and experienced. The beautiful nostalgic architecture, a friendly fire in the hearth and very pleasant staff who offered to carry our large case up the stairs. But we Aussies think we are tough and had not considered that we were about 6,500 feet higher than what we were acclimatised to. By the time we got to the top of the stairs we were puffing like a 400m runner at a track meet. We recovered and found our room to be spacious, well appointed, comfortable and with an excellent outlook. Being at Num-Ti-Jah is like going back to the early 1900's in outback Canada, but with a truly great service delivery. Meals were of a very high standard and priced similarily to capital city restaurants, but when you consider that at Num-Ti-Jah they have to billet their staff, provide their own power and heating etc, this is very understandable. We give thanks to the pioneer, Jimmy Simpson and his family who built and established Num-Ti-Jah whilst living in a humble cabin adjacent to the main lodge. All in all we had a great stay, highlighted by sitting in the truly magnificent main room, snuggly watching early fall snow outside the window. All staff were very passionate about Num-Ti-Jah and its heritage. Would we go back? Yes,as we Aussie's would say "At the Drop of a Hat". Loved the place and people.`

This is a great old lodge in a grand mountain setting on Bow Lake, where we stayed in early September. My husband & I were warmly greeted to this historical lodge, where we had a large room that overlooked the lake and a marvellous view of the mountains. The room was rather plain & dated, the bathroom had worn fixtures and a tap that kept running continuously, not just a drip. The eiderdown was great. The reception & common areas are in keeping with such a rustic lodge with attractive historical mounted heads of various mountain animals. Guests have access to lovely lounge areas & free coffee, tea & tisanes at all hours, and a great map table with detailed topographical maps to study. The dining room is attractive, with friendly & attentive staff. They could dress a little less frumpily though. We enjoyed the most delicious & well prepared wild mushroom & asparagus risotto that evening. Delicious warm croissants were part of the simple continental breakfast. A hike for a couple of hours along the lake & forest was very enjoyable. When we asked to take a glass of wine outside to sit & watch the sunset, we were told that the National Parks rules would not allow them to provide this...a bit Victorian, we think. Num-Ti-Jah also has a very large gift shop with great clothes, native arts & an extensive book collection on nature & the history of the Rockies. This is a grand rustic mountain lodge in a grand setting!

It's a tough call. The setting on Bow Lake is amazing. We took an early morning hike to the falls and it was one of the highlights of our trip. The common spaces in the lodge are charmingly quirky. We had mixed results at dinner. My beef was great, but my partner's salmon was tasteless. The room, alas, really needs some upgrades. This is not a cookie cutter hotel. The layout of the rooms are odd, and the bathrooms are pretty low rent. (Painted particle board walls? Really?) You come away wishing they would spend just a little money improving the lighting and fixtures in the rooms.
All that said, I’m glad we stayed there. Outside of the Fairmont hotels, Banff doesn’t have a ton of places that have the historic authenticity that this place has. It’s the real deal. Do I wish that it pandered a bit more to modern tastes? Sure. But this place was established when it took 2 days by horse to arrive from Lake Louise. It was never a luxury hotel and it sure ain’t one now. But the old gals got a lot of character and you don’t find that everywhere.