Buffalo Mountain Lodge is located in the Canadian Rockies resort area of Banff in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is a luxury property with roots that date back to the days when the Canadian Pacific Railway was opening hotels and lodges across the nation.
In 1902 the Canadian Pacific Railway opened Emerald Lake Chalet, which fronted Emerald Lake in the Canadian Rockies. It was a seasonal property that was suffering from neglect.
Pat and Connie O'Conner purchased the Emerald Lake Chalet in 1979, and after extensive renovations opened the property in 1986 as the first phase of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts. In 1985, the O'Conners added the Deer Lodge at Lake Louise, and in 1987 the last of the trio, Buffalo Mountain Lodge on Tunnel Mountain was added.
Describing their vision of culinary offerings as Rocky Mountain Cuisine, in 1995 they found themselves ahead of the rest of Alberta in offering local, seasonal foods. Bison, elk and caribou meat are offered along with woodland mushrooms, local berries and vegetables.
Though the Buffalo Mountain Lodge serves wild game, the O'Conners wanted to assure a certain level of quality that can only be gained by farm raising game animals. The family ranch southwest of Calgary was converted from a cattle ranch to a game ranch, which not only supplies the resort restaurants but ships product through various Alberta distributors.
Buffalo Mountain Lodge lies on the slopes of what First Nations people call the "sleeping buffalo." What we know as Tunnel Mountain is part of Canada's first National Park, Banff, which was created in 1885.
Since the O'Conners could not compete with the natural beauty of Banff, the lodge complements its surroundings with a high open ceiling and post-and-beam construction. The extensive use of glass makes sure guests can enjoy the mountain views even while relaxing inside the lodge.
