Parks Canada has approved a proposal from the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) to convert the Cameron Lake Cabin in Waterton Lakes National Park to overnight winter accommodation. The cabin will be renovated to accommodate up to six guests and will operate between December 1 and April 30 every year. Necessary renovations will be completed this summer so that the cabin will be operational starting this winter.
The ACC proposal advances objectives in the 2010 Waterton Lakes National Park Management Plan, which states that the Cameron Valley will be the focal point of visitor use during the winter months. The management plan calls for enhanced and expanded recreational opportunities, including renewed backcountry overnight opportunities.
Parks Canada consulted with stakeholders and partners to seek feedback on this proposal. The vast majority of respondents expressed strong support. As this area is where the majority of visitors recreate in winter, the small number of people staying at the cabin will not affect those who currently enjoy skiing and snowshoeing there. Use of the cabin will be limited to the months of December to April.
The Cameron Lake Cabin is in a clearing about 35 metres from the Akamina Parkway, near Cameron Lake. Approximately 2 kilometres from the Little Prairie trailhead, it is easily accessible by snowshoe or ski for people of all ages.
In addition to providing opportunities for winter lovers of all skill sets to enjoy the natural setting of the Cameron Lake area, the cabin will also provide an excellent base for experienced backcountry enthusiasts to access the exceptional skiing opportunities in the southwestern corner of Waterton Lakes National Park and in the immediately adjacent Akamina Kishinena Provincial Park in British Columbia.
Although it is not a designated historic building, the Cameron Lake Cabin is the oldest surviving backcountry cabin in the park. Originally built as a Warden cabin in 1929, the cabin has been boarded up for the last two decades as it no longer serves an operational purpose. The cabin was constructed with locally-sourced spruce logs. Its design is unique within the national parks, with a hipped roof, central chimney placement and three-part casement window arrangement on the two sidewalls. The cabin rests on a concrete foundation and is divided into two rooms.
Changes to the cabin will largely be to its interior, and the outside will continue to look like a historic cabin. The ACC will add a fully functioning kitchen and eating area in the existing interior. An outhouse with a septic holding tank will be installed adjacent to the cabin. Volunteer custodians from the ACC Southern Alberta Section, based in Lethbridge, will provide ongoing maintenance. Funding for the renovations will be fully provided by the ACC.
The ACC anticipates approximately 400 person-nights per operating season with a 100% occupancy during the weekends and 50% occupancy during weekdays. The hut will be equipped with similar amenities to other huts operated by the ACC, with high-quality foam sleeping pads, cooking and eating utensils, stoves, tables and benches.
Overnight accommodation fees will be in the range of $25 to $36 per person per night with children receiving a 50% discount. The cabin will be booked through the ACC reservations system. Visitors do not have to be members of the ACC to book the cabin, but they will be required to obtain the necessary Parks Canada backcountry pass.
The Alpine Club of Canada was founded in 1906 and is a not-for-profit, charitable amateur athletic association with approximately 10,000 members throughout Canada and around the world. Its mandate is to promote alpine experiences, knowledge and culture; responsible access; and excellence in mountain skills and leadership.
The ACC has the largest network of backcountry accommodation facilities in North America, operating and maintaining mountain huts for over 75 years. It currently operates 24 huts throughout the mountain national parks and the backcountry of the Canadian Rockies and Selkirk Mountains. The ACC has gained a widely respected reputation for the consistently high quality of its hut system.
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