Review: Napika Mountain Resort

[schurchill39]

I just got back from 4 days out at the beautiful Napika Mountain Resort and wanted to give beyonders a little heads up about this gem hidden down an active logging road in highway 93. It was 3 hours from my house in the SE to the resort so not far at all.

Its called a "mountain resort" but don't expect any sort of 5 star fully pampered get away. Instead they have ~10 cabins you can rent. Although they have full electricity and running water the first thing you'll notice is that there is no cell coverage and no TVs. There is a gas stove, a wood fire place with all the wood you could ever want and a BBQ for you to cook on. They supply all the cutlery and dishes that you need, the only thing you have to bring is your own food. They claim to be completely off the grid so all the electricity is powered by a generator, or solar panels. The cabins have lights but they also supply you with tons of little tea candles to set an ambiance and relax

This was exactly the get away the missus and I needed. I could turn off my phones and just hang out, BBQ and go for hikes. They are pet friendly and have two big dogs hanging out. If you cross country ski there are miles and miles of tracks, there is also countless kms of hiking trails to go and explore. The resort is just up from the Kootney river so that was great to go and walk by. Snowshoes and cross country skis can be rented for pretty cheap, and they have a few tobogganing hills with sleds there for the kids. We didn't have a chance to take in the wood fired steam room or hot tub (creepy old dude in too small of shorts put the kibosh on that) but it looked awesome.

Whats even better is the people who run it are so laid back and friendly. Everything was booked online and when we showed up they just pointed us in the direction of our cabin, gave us a quick run down of what was what and let us go on our way. Same with the check out; asked us how our stay was, had a quick chat and left. Its also only ~40km from Radium which was super useful for when we realized that we forgot a few groceries.

My only "beef" is that it is off an active logging road so if you're driving in there during the week a few of those blind corners can be a little sketchy with the logging trucks coming at you. But the resort is only 14km down Settlers road off of the 93 so its pretty quick.

We will definitely be going back in the summer to see how it transforms with the season. As soon as the missus uploads some of the pictures we took I'll share them. If you need to get away from the hustle and bustle of Calgary, or just want to take the kids out to enjoy the mountains but don't have access to a cabin you should definitely check out Napika. I honestly don't have enough good things to say about this place.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Which unit did you stay in?: http://www.nipika.com/nipika-log-cabins

[ExtraSlow]

There is also some great camping out that way. Never stayed at Nipika, but drive past it a few times a year.

[schurchill39]

We stayed in the Mitchell Cabin which was the closest to the road. It was still super quiet and actually worked out pretty good because you can't drive down to the cabins so you have to unload your vehicle with a pull cart. It was better walking 30 feet than down to the last one.

The Bill Yearling looked pretty cool and has some awesome history behind it. The girlfriend claims you can rent it but it seemed like an interpretive center to me...