Lodge INFORMATION
DELICIOUS FOOD
Home cooked meals are served in the main lodge. Dinner is at 6:30pm and includes salads, meat and vegetable dishes along with delicious desserts. Breakfast is served in the main lodge at 8:00am and includes eggs, breakfast meats and fresh baked bread. Bagged lunches are provided after breakfast for hikers to take with them on the trail.
Please note that our facility is not licensed to serve alcohol, however, you are welcome to bring your own personal beverages.
ACCOMMODATION
This backcountry facility includes a main lodge and 7 individual cabins. The lodge can accommodate up to 18 guests. Each cabin is equipped with a wash basin, propane heating and propane lighting. Comforters, pillows and fresh linen are all provided.
LODGE HISTORY
SHOVEL PASS LODGE
SHOVEL PASS LODGE
The original hiking trail into Maligne Lake was built in 1911 from Wabasso Lake and over Shovel Pass. A tent camp was established along the trail that year, about 3 km west of our present location. In 1921, a permanent camp was relocated higher up the valley below the alpine basin, making Shovel Pass Lodge Jasper National Park's oldest backcountry lodge. Originally operated as one of Fred Brewster's Rocky Mountain Camps, the facilities included a cookhouse and several tent frames for guest accommodation. This camp was one of the stops on a round trip horse excursion from Jasper to Maligne Lake. Rebuilt in 1991, the facilities now include 7 guest cabins and a main log chalet with dining room and kitchen.
SHOVEL PASS LODGE
SHOVEL PASS LODGE
SHOVEL PASS LODGE
The only way to reach our backcountry lodge is is by hiking the Skyline Trail or Wabasso Trail. There is no road access to the Shovel Pass Lodge.
The lodge is located 20.3 Km (12.6 miles) from the Maligne Lake trailhead on the Skyline Trail, just below Big Shovel Pass, near Curator Lake campsite. Follow the direction for OUTFITTER CAMP to find us.
The second part of the Skyline hiking route from our lodge to Signal Mountain trailhead is 25.4 Km (15.8 m). The entire Skyline Trail crosses 3 passes (7000-8000ft elevation). Another way to reach our lodge is by using the Wabasso pack trail. That route is the one we use with our horses. It is shorter and less scenic but can let you access Shovel Pass Lodge and then hike part of the Skyline Trail without doing the long route over the Notch. The distance from highway 97 to the lodge is 16 Km (10 miles).
Packhorses, the only way to bring supplies to the lodge
Shovel Pass Lodge relies on packhorses to transport supplies to and from the lodge. A packhorse is a horse used to carry goods on its back, typically secured in boxes or panniers. These horses are useful for navigating rugged landscapes where roads are not accessible. On average, a horse can carry up to 30% of its body weight. However, due to the steep climb along the Wabasso Pack Trail to the camp, these horse’s load is limited to around 150 pounds. The weight must be distributed evenly on both sides to ensure balance and safety.
Twice a week, all the necessary supplies and food for the lodge are packed into boxes, with each pack box weighing between 60 and 70 pounds. The horses take about four hours to reach the lodge, ascending over 3,000 feet of challenging terrain. The weight and size of every ingredient used in our menu is selected with horse transportation in mind.
Horses play a crucial role in operating Shovel Pass Lodge, you can thank them for carefully carrying more than 200 dozen fresh eggs every summer.