*notcot in travel , 18:20

The Prairie Creek Inn - Aspen Tree House- 02.21.15

tcpi0.jpg This post is part of our special NOTCOT Alberta Great Escape series thanks to our friends at Travel Alberta. In Part I, we roadtripped up from LA for a fall adventure. In Part II, we are experiencing all that Alberta Winter has to offer! Follow the series to see what inspires us along the way!

Everyone needs a relaxing, magical getaway - the type that forces you to stop, relax, and just revel in the beauty around you and the company you’re with. We just found that at The Prairie Creek Inn in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, which is about 3 hours east from Banff and Jasper. Even spending a mere 20 hours there, Shawn and i feel rejuvenated to continue on our epic Alberta adventure! This luxury B&B is actually a group of cottages spread throughout their large property (there’s even a creek running through!), so you feel more like you’re staying in a private cabin in the woods… only with a delicious restaurant, wonderful hosts, and all the amenities you could need (firewood, snacks, movies, and more.)

We had the chance to stay in the Aspen Tree House - just up the hill from the main lodge, and it truly is magical… from the moment you walk up to it in the clearing between the trees, to waking up in the morning and pulling back the curtains to expose the windows on two sides of the cabin that make you feel like you’re right in the woods. How anyone can watch the tv in the corner over the fire place between the two HUGE windows when snow is falling, is beyond me. The tree house interior is that perfect balance between comfortably homey, and spaciously modern. Even with just a few hours there, we had to make use of the fire pit (i’ve never done a fire in the snow!) It was fantastic to chop some wood and curl up by the fire after dinner as the snow fell around us. Take a peek into the Prairie Creek Inn Aspen Tree House on the next page…

To arrive at The Prairie Creek Inn, you pass through the town of Rocky Mountain House, and past some farms before you encounter their wood sign which leads you down a long tree lined driveway to the main lodge. tcpi1.jpg

From the lodge you head up a little hill to a clearing where you can park in front of the Aspen Tree House! It’s exactly how i’d imagine a log cabin in winter to look… tcpi3.jpg

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There is a big plush bed, reclining chairs, and TV/Fireplace in the corner, but the real treat is the view! The two walls that are more window than wall show off the woods that surround the cabin. tcpi5.jpg

Spacious bathroom - lovely detail with the blinds that can open from top or bottom. tcpi6.jpg

Fun details with the retro ski photos framed with ski’s and the wooden deer head… tcpi7.jpg

… continuing the antler theme to hold the robes. tcpi8.jpg

And looking out from the porch/front door you see the fire pit (and parking) - it looks as if there’s no one around you! tcpi9.jpg

Along the side of the cabin you can shop wood for the fire pit. Their pathway lights looked so cute glowing in the snow - like little mushrooms with icicles dripping from them. After dinner, we couldn’t resist trying out the fire pit, so we chopped up some smaller pieces of wood and got a fire going! tcpi10.jpg

Magical, right? tcpi11.jpg

Cheers! We had a beer and a chat out at the fire as snow fell around us. You could hear coyotes off in the distance, but otherwise it was just the crackle of the fire. tcpi12.jpg

I love this picture, but Shawn looks so lonely! Almost tempted to photoshop myself back into that seat… tcpi13.jpg

This is the view waking up in the morning! It was hard to get work done when i kept finding myself staring out at the snow falling. Though, when we opened the door and headed to breakfast there were rabbit and big dog like tracks on the deck and pathway - i wonder how i missed them? tcpi14.jpg

When i was finally able to pull myself away from the view, and get shawn out of bed - we headed to the restaurant for breakfast. You have to try their apple/zucchini/carrot muffins - SO good, that i ate it before i managed to take a picture for you. The main course was this delicious fritatta! tcpi17.jpg

Filled up with breakfast, it was time to brush the snow from the car and get back on our way. tcpi15.jpg

Then back down the treelined driveway out of the relaxing little oasis of The Prairie Creek Inntcpi16.jpg … but hopefully we’ll be back one day sooner than later! Perhaps then we’ll have time to explore the creek or go snowshoeing around the property…

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1 Notes

Hi! We stayed in the Spruce treehouse recently which backs up against the Aspen - it’s basically a mirror of the Aspen with slightly different décor. What a beautiful place - cozy, luxurious, quiet and private. I loved your pictures; they bring back such fond memories of our own stay (only we didn’t have beer by the fire - it was wine! ). I can’t wait to go back….

----- Sherri Fox & Brian Payne 28.04.15 12:51


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