The Lamphouse Hotel Canmore is among a new breed of hip Canadian mountain motels.
When you’re staying in a destination as beautiful as the Canadian Rockies, sometimes you just need a place to sleep between your outdoor adventures. And if you’re exploring Banff National Park, the Lamphouse Hotel Canmore can be a budget-friendly base for your Rocky Mountain travels.
Here’s the scoop:
The Lamphouse Hotel, Canmore, Alberta
Like The Dorothy in the town of Banff, or the Stoke Motel in Revelstoke, the Lamphouse is part of the trend to create hip, moderately-priced lodgings from basic mountain motels across Western Canada.
The Lamphouse is located in the town of Canmore, a twenty-minute drive from the Banff National Park entrance gate. The ROAM Transit system runs regular buses between Canmore and Banff, and you can even cycle between the two communities on the paved Rocky Mountain Legacy Trail.
Canmore can feel a little less hectic than Banff, especially in the peak summer season, and the town has enough cafés, restaurants, and scenic hiking routes to be a destination in its own right.
One of the room blocks at the Lamphouse Hotel Canmore
Guest Rooms and Amenities at Lamphouse
Operated by Basecamp Resorts, which runs a number of hotels, motels, and lodges across Western Canada, the Lamphouse has two room blocks — one standard two-story motel building and a second structure where the guest rooms are on the second and third floors, with parking underneath.
Standard guest rooms have one king or two queen beds, with white bedding and leather headboards against a rustic pine wall.
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Rooms have air-conditioning and updated bathrooms. The complimentary Wi-Fi works fine, although it may not be blazingly fast.
Other room amenities include 55-inch TVs, mini-fridges, one-cup coffeemakers, tea kettles, and “martini stations,” equipped with glasses and cocktail shakers.
Parking is free, with one space allocated to each room.
The mountains are at your doorstep from the Lamphouse Hotel Canmore
While most of the rooms at the Lamphouse overlook the parking lot, the hotel itself sits in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies, which you can see all around as soon as you step outside.
Along the river in Canmore
What’s Nearby?
The Lamphouse doesn’t provide any food service, but you’re within walking distance of plenty of the town’s eateries. Nearby, Eclipse Coffee Roasters is a good choice for your morning cup, the Uprising Craft Bake Shop makes a variety of delicious pastries, and long-time favorite Communitea Café serves bowls, toasts, sandwiches, and yes, a number of different teas, from morning till early evening. The Lamphouse is also around the corner from Tavern 1883, a local hangout for burgers, bar snacks, and beer.
For an easy scenic walk in town, follow the waterside Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk, which has beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Other popular hiking trails include the Three Sisters Pathway that takes you beneath Canmore’s iconic trio of peaks, or the route that leads up to the turquoise-hued Grassi Lakes.
And with the Lamphouse as a base for your Rocky Mountain travels, you’re only a short distance from the countless adventures that the Canadian Rockies have to offer.
Lamphouse Canmore Hotel Rates
Double room rates at the Lamphouse Hotel Canmore can start as low as CAD$119 per night in the off-season, although in the busy summer and early fall months, rates typically begin around CAD$279/night. Check the official website here. You can also check Booking.com to see if you can find a better rate.
Hotel review by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Photos © Carolyn B. Heller. Travel Alberta and Tourism Canmore Kananaskis provided support for my Canadian Rockies research trip.
