‘Walk into a piece of Canadian history’: New plans for boarded-up historic lodge in B.C.

A boarded-up backcountry lodge in Yoho National Park that once attracted guests from around the world is now expected to open for tourism once again.

A remote mountain lodge in British Columbia’s Yoho National Park that once attracted guests from around the world is expected to reopen for tourism as early as 2027.

Twin Falls Chalet has been vacant since 2019, when Parks Canada chose not to renew its agreement with Fran Drummond, who had been operating the site as a tea house for nearly 60 years.

But now the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC), a non-profit organization that has been working to promote mountaineering for more than a century, is preparing to host guests there in a different way.

“Self-guided, self-catered, no custodian, no staff site,” said Michael Geertsema, ACC facilities administration manager.

“Twin Falls is a beautiful little spot, and the building is a nice structure. Absolutely excited to be a part of its future.”

The new goal is to offer the site as a hut, similar to several others managed by the club.

Guests would have to bring their own food and bedding but would be provided a stocked kitchen, foam mattresses and an outhouse.

“You need to collect your water and treat it to make sure you can drink it, you prepare your own food and everyone helps clean and take care of the facility,” said Geertsema.

The ACC also plans to install solar power, a system to dispose of cooking and cleaning water and a lounge area with space to commemorate the history of the building.

“Visitors (will) have the opportunity to not only experience the wildness—the nature—but at the same time walk into a piece of Canadian history, which is pretty unique, and that is the type of experience we know a lot of visitors really cherish,” said François Masse, Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay superintendent.

A nine-kilometre hike from Takakkaw Falls leads you to the national historic site, nestled among the trees and overlooking the dual waterfalls that give the building its name.

Canadian Pacific Railway built Twin Falls Lodge starting in 1908 and in the 1920s opened it as a tea house.

“It was built for clients of CP Rail that were going for hikes or horseback rides in the backcountry of Yoho National Park,” said Masse.

“They would have tea and pastries, and the vast majority would hike out that same day, but it was possible to (stay overnight).”

The federal government owns the site but offers long-term agreements to business operators in exchange for a cut of the profits.

Drummond first signed an agreement in 1962 and had been cooking meals and hosting overnight guests, with no electricity or plumbing, for 57 years when Parks Canada decided not to renew her agreement for another term.

The decision sparked controversy, as Drummond was revered for her passion and dedication to the site and its guests.

At the time, Drummond said Parks Canada wanted a higher percentage of the profits, but that she didn’t even take a salary herself and couldn’t afford to pay them more.

Documents obtained through the federal Access to Information Act show correspondence between Parks Canada and Drummond outlining delays in fulfilling licence terms starting in 2015.

“The licence of occupation expired in 2014. We really worked with her. We wanted to allow her to have a fair opportunity to prepare her businesses,” said Masse.

“She’s a very important part of the history of the park and the tea house. Many strong memories with visitors, and she did that for a number of years until we got to a point where she was no longer able to continue and meet the requirements of the licence of operation, and that’s when we had to seek another operator.”

In 2021, Parks Canada requested proposals from other potential operators.

The government received several applications, and the winner was the ACC.

The club assessed the site but then surrendered the licence after realizing the expense of operating a tea house in the remote heritage site would not be sustainable for the number of tourists expected to visit the lodge.

“The hiking distance from the parking lot is three times as far as to Lake Agnes,” said Geertsema, referring to a popular tea house near Lake Louise, adding far fewer people do the Twin Falls hike.

“The current foot traffic is about 50 people a day, which does not provide enough opportunity for traffic to generate enough revenue to operate (as a tea house).”

In 2023, Parks Canada once again requested proposals for someone to run the site as a tea house, but nobody applied.

“No bids last time was a strong signal the model that was being put out was not workable,” said Masse.

So, Parks made the request more flexible and began searching again in the fall of 2025.

Three bidders applied, and the ACC won again.

The ACC already operates two other national historic sites with this model in Yoho National Park—Parker Hut at Lake O’Hara and Stanley Mitchell Hut near Twin Falls.

The ACC says the proximity of these huts would offer an experience unique to the area.

“In the summer, it’s going to create our first hut-to-hut traverse experience we can offer our guests,” said Geertsema.

He said hikers will be able to start from the Takakkaw Falls parking lot and hike to Twin Falls Hut, then take Whaleback Trail to Stanley Mitchell Hut, then Iceland Trail to Little Yoho Valley Hut.

In the winter, it would provide relief for cross-country skiers on the Bow-Yoho Traverse by offering an option to avoid the avalanche-prone Isolated Col route.

“It creates options for winter traverses that also offer a lot of safety,” said Geertsema.

The ACC expects the work needed to prepare the site as a hut will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with both the club and federal government covering some costs.

“There are complexities. Anyone who has done construction with any heritage building knows the challenges with that,” said Geertsema.

“At the end of the day, what we want is to protect national historic sites for this generation and future generations,” said Masse.

Rates for people to stay at Twin Falls Hut are expected to be about $70 a night.

“We’re hoping we’re open for Aug. 1, 2027. Fingers crossed,” said Geertsema.

Parks Canada has already done work to prepare the site, including spending approximately $120,000 to replace the roof of the historic lodge in 2021, and in the summer of 2025, trail crews removed a non-historic shed that was no longer structurally safe.