Island Lake Lodge has officially opened for the summer, and staff are excited to announce a variety of new activities and dinner items waiting to be discovered.
June 9 is the earliest Island Lake Lodge has ever opened, compared to last year’s launch on June 12.
Brand new lunch, dinner and cocktail menus are ready to be tested.
“Those are always one of my most exciting moments, because you get to see what the chefs have come up with,” said Island Lake Lodge Director of Sales and Marketing, Mike McPhee.
“We have a really creative culinary team,” he added.
Many popular items will stay on the menu, including the bison short ribs.
“We’d have a revolt of locals if we took those off the menu,” said McPhee.
Monday night date night will also return, a $79 evening for two that features two entrees, a couple of glasses of bubbly and a dessert to share.
Wine tasting Wednesdays will remain, which includes a five course tasting menu paired with five wines for $99.
Island lake Lodge is offering a spa special for the summer. When you book two treatments you get 15 per cent off of both.
In addition to the 100km of trails surrounding the lodge, the staff at Island Lake are currently constructing another alpine trail, which they have not yet named. A public contest will be held later on in the summer to name the new trail.
The new trail will be a four kilometre alpine extension of the Spineback trail.
Right now the lodge is focused on repairing their trails from the winter, including removing trees and sprucing up their bridges. The Lazy Lizard trail is also undergoing some work.
“We pride ourselves on how well maintained our trail system is,” said McPhee.
According to McPhee, the most popular trails are the Spineback trail and Heiko’s trail, which finishes back at the lodge.
McPhee was excited to announce a new feature to their hikes; five iconic photo spots. Last year, the lodge had picked 12 of their most popular spots, according to posts on social media. This year, they have added five more to the list, each with their own unique hashtag. Monthly prizes are up for grabs for those who tag themselves in these spots. These contests will be underway until October 8. Prizes include some limited edition “Let’s Ride” mountain biking posters made by Mike Hepher at Clawhammer Press.
Island Lake Lodge is continuing to offer their signature beer made by Fernie Brewing Company, aptly named ‘Take A Hike’.
The sold-out Untamed Kootenay’s Culinary event is happening for the first time this coming weekend, and McPhee hopes to make this an annual event.
Although the lodge is often booked for large events such as weddings, they remain open for dinner on Fridays and lunch and dinner on Sundays. The Bear Lodge will be open until 8 p.m. in July and August. McPhee encourages the public to always call and make a reservation before coming for dinner.
Find out more information about upcoming events, pricing, and rooms at Islandlakecatskiing.com.