Twin Falls Chalet in Yoho National Park - Western Canada
Twin Falls
Chalet in Yoho National Park - Canada
Twin Falls Chalet is a privately operated backcountry lodge,
located at the head of the Yoho Valley in Yoho National
Park, in Western Canada. It is only accessible by foot and
can accommodate up to 14 overnight guests who hike in from
various hiking trails in the area. Afternoon tea and freshly
made bakeries are also served, for a fee, to day hikers who
stop in for a rest. Twin Falls Chalet has the rustic warmth
and comfort reminiscent of Canadian heritage.
Accommodations Rates
The two-storey main lodge houses the dining area and living
room on the first floor. There are 4 sleeping rooms on the
second floor. The two front rooms offer a view of Twin Falls
and can each accommodate 4 persons, in single two-level bunk
beds. The two back rooms can each accommodate 3 persons.
All rooms are equipped with blankets, sheets and Black’s
Icelandic sleeping bags, towels, soap and wash basins.
Battery powered night lamps and flashlights are supplied.
There is no running water and the outhouse is located
approximately 50 meters from the main lodge. Rates are
$250.00 Canadian dollars per person per day.
History of Twin Falls Chalet
Twin Falls Chalet is a privately operated backcountry lodge,
which has been operated by Fran Drummond since 1962; she has
owned the operating rights since 1968. The lower building
was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1908. The
construction of the two-storey main lodge was completed by
the CPR in 1923 and first opened for business the following
year as a Tea House.
The Tea House was operated by the CPR on a leasehold basis
through the 1920s, '30s and '40s. In 1953 it was closed, as
the rail tourism business declined in favor of
automobile-borne tourism. In 1954 the Tea House and other
CPR properties were sold to Brewster and Ford Mountain
Lodges Ltd., who reopened the Tea House in 1959.
In 1969, when the National Parks services started closing
down and tearing down backcountry shelters and warden
cabins, they proposed the demolition of the Tea House,
citing poor repair and the absence of utilities. This
prompted Fran Drummond to start a long but victorious battle
with the Canadian Government. Now, Twin Falls Chalet is a
national historical site known as “Twin Falls Tea House
National Historic Site of Canada”; dedicating plaques were
installed by Parks Canada at the site in 2006.
Most of the hiking trails in the area were constructed by
the CPR and it’s Swiss Guides in the early 1900’s. As well,
many of the mountains, lakes and streams bear the name of
CPR officials: Marpole Lake1, Mount Kerr2, Lake Duchesnay3.
In 1906, the Alpine Club of Canada named two mountains in
the area the “President”and the “Vice-President”. CPR can
also take some credit for the founding of Yoho Park. In
1901, then Secretary of the CPR Charles Drinkwater suggested
that the Yoho Valley be made a national park to expand the
recently created Mt. Stephen Park Reserve. By 1911, fourteen
of the twenty park’s hiking trail had been built by the CPR,
including the Yoho Valley Trail in 1901, leading to Twin
Falls.
Yoho National Park was originally established in 1886, first
comprised of 10 square miles in the area of the Burgess
Shale; it was enlarged several times and now totals over 500
square miles. The Park lies entirely within the Province of
British Columbia; the Continental Divide and Banff National
Park form its eastern boundary.
From Twin Falls Chalet and its surroundings, visitors can
admire the double cascading effect of Twin Falls. Twin Falls
Creek is forced in two by a large block, and then shot over
a massive cathedral Limestone cliff, plunging almost 600
feet before cascading down a narrow gorge. There are
recorded accounts of trail workers employed by the CPR using
dynamite in 1924 in an (unsuccessful) attempt to make the
two falls equal in volume. The south fall is usually of
lower volume because of a sharp bend in the creek above the
falls where debris impede the flow.