In western Canada, snow-capped mountains, turquoise ice of massive glaciers, pine-fringed lakes and verdant valleys of the Canadian Rockies create an awesome panorama. Still it’s all the things you can do here to reconnect with nature and at the end of the day, the luxuries of a superb hotel and spa that give you the time and opportunity to savor what you’ve done and seen…that’s what brings it all alive.

The Banff Springs Hotel
Arriving in Banff we pulled into the courtyard of the 770-room Banff Springs Hotel, a great gray granite structure with steeply pitched green roofs, gables topped by finials of gold, turret-like wings, and arched passageways. Modeled after a Scottish Baronial Castle, it was built in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to provide its passengers with an oasis of opulence.

Called "Castle in the Rockies" grand features include king-sized fireplaces, massive chandeliers, a marvelous full service spa, and enough shops and restaurants to hold you hostage inside the hotel. Still, with all the things to do just outside…golf, tennis, trail rides, hiking, biking, skiing, white water rafting, canoeing, fishing, rock climbing, mountaineering…it’s hard to stay put.

Golf at Banff Springs
On the picturesque 27-hole golf course which winds along the valley at the base of the mountains and along the Bow River, wildlife often call the shots: elk are at times as plentiful as geese. I had been on the property less than 15 minutes when I spotted a bull elk with enormous antlers cross a stream and step onto the 14^th fairway.

Jasper Park Lodge
You may be stomping around outside in your wool socks and hiking boots, but when it comes time to eat or hit the sack, you’ll find nothing rough about Jasper Park accommodations. It began as an eight-bungalow wilderness retreat at the turn of the century.

Today Jasper Park Lodge has grown: more cottages, more facilities, a wonderful main lodge with enormous lounges, shopping arcade, swimming pool, golf clubhouse, and outdoor jacuzzi. Restaurants range from elegant Edith Cavell Dining Room serving gourmet cuisine to the Tent City Sports Pub.

Golf at Jasper Park
 Tees on the Stanley Thompson-designed golf course, which meanders around the shores of Lac Beauvert, are oriented to mountain peeks and some holes require driving over water.