im not talking about resort, but I really love lighting lake around there at manning park, bc.is so beautiful and also I think there is a campground there as well. driving from downtown Vancouver takes less than 2 hours, 215Km away from downtown.more info at: http://us.wow.com/wiki/Lightning_Lake?s_chn=138&s_pt=aolsem&v_t=aolsem.
Manning Park was our last stop on a tour of the bigger (national) parks in BC and Alberta. Though a provincial park, it has all the amenities of its big brothers, minus the busloads of tourists. We had a great stay at the Lightning Lake Campground - a fire ban (too hot and dry) prevented us from having our very last campfire, but we enjoyed our stay there altogether. The Lightning Lake Loop hike offers some great views of the lake. Our last afternoon there was spent with a lazy lie down near the lake. You should bring enough food though - the Resort shop only has some basics and the closest shop is in Hope (45' drive).
This review is about the park rather than the 'resort' hotel which we didn't visit. Having popped in to the Visitor Centre en route thru Princeton we were recommended a fab picnic spot -if the sky was clear we should turn right from the Resort and drive up for incredible views- if not, go left and down to the lakes. Unfortunately it was misty and damp so we turned left but it was still an idyllic spot with loads of places to picnic and a place to rent kayaks in season. We didn't have time for a walk but it'd definitely be on our list if we ever make a return trip to this part of the world.
The ski passes at this resort have gotten way to expensive. For a half day pass (12:00 to 3:30) it cost me $110 for 2 adults and one child. We got 3 crappy runs in and the chairlift broke down. I was stuck up there for 45 minutes, hanging 60 feet up in the air and my Son says look at those cracks in the metal hanger suspending us. By the time I got off the chairlift I was so stiff we left.Complained to the office and they said it was only broke down for 15 minutes, yeah that was hanging motionless then it was another 30 minutes moving at a snails pace. They had no intention of refunding us and the workers were well coached in how to handle that.I have been to this mountain quite a few times and this was probably my last. They need to do some upgrades to justify the cost.
Found a deal on Groupon for a cabin for eight. However everyone cancelled, so I decided to make the trip with my finace anyway. I had never been there, but saw pictures that were very beautiful. My orginal date was for the previous weekend, but because of an unforseen incident, I was not able to make it, which would have made me forfiet my coupon. The staff at the lodge was wonderful and very accomodating and allowed me to change the date, so I can attend the funeral. The cabin inself was okay. There was one room with a double bed, that neither of us could sleep on because the foam was much too hard. The pull out couch in the living room was too springy, so we slept in the second room that had 4 single beds. It was a good thing that everyone cancelled or it would have been a sleepless night. There was not enough stuff in the cabin to accomodate eight, like towels, dishes..etc. If you arrive in the winter where the weather is cold, like what we had, at -25 ensure you bring some extras, including an extentsion cord so you can plug in your vehicle. The pool was nice including the hot tub. It is $1 for lockers. We did not eat in the restaurant since we had a full kitchen. We did however go for some pool and beer at the pub. There is a nice little store as well, that does sell a little beer if you want it. The staff was very friendly and the caretaker named Billy was very helpful when we needed it. Great place to ski, toboggan and snowshoe. There is a lake a few kms down the road, that you can rent kayaks or canoes, but was frozen over when we were there. Will be back in the summer to see the difference.
What a wonderful place to stop when you are travelling. We were there on Sunday and it was fun to be able to walk the dog and explore around the lodge.It was nice to have the gift shop to look into and the restaurant to stop and have some lunch.
Manning Park is nicely location for a road stop to go to the bathroom or get a drink in the lodge. There is no obligation to go into the lodge as the bathrooms are outside. As well there is plenty of parking spots and picnic tables to eat at.Fun to watch the birds and wild life that live in the area while you are eating.
I had been in communication for well over a month with a customer service rep from the resort who helped me plan a three night, four day snow shoe trip in the park. She informed me that I only needed a Provincial Back Country Pass for each of the three nights that I spent in the park. I purchased three passes. On the second day when I stopped into the resort to ask for directions I was informed by the assistant manager that I was "not allowed" to camp in his park, because of the potential for environmental damage caused by setting up my tent on top of six feet of snow. He did not believe that my back country passes were authentic, and stated that his staffer had misinformed me about the requirements to winter camp in his park. He informed me that the Provincial Back Country Passes are, "very misleading" and "not worth the paper they are written on". If I wanted to spend the final two nights of my trip in his park, I would have to spend more money on new passes. This would allow me to camp in their parking lot. In other words, it was nothing more than a cash grab. What a joke! Needless to say, I ended up spending the next two hours driving home in a snow storm. My written complaint to the new owners of the park has never been answered. I did eventually receive a rather condescending, unhelpful email from the general manager for the resort who said that he would investigate my concerns, but I've not heard back from him since. The email address provided to me by the assistant manager for the Provincial Government Representative responsible for E.C. Manning Provincial Park, turned out to be bogus! What a total waste of time and money. I've since cancelled my vacation plans for this summer in the park. Use caution when dealing with this resort. In my opinion, staff are clearly making the rules up as they go.
A tiny resort when i was there 40 years ago. Powder every day. Great fun. Lovely hotel. Oh need more characters. The drive from Hope was easy and safe.
We were able to grab the last RV lot at Lightning Lake which is part of the Manning Park Resort. The lot was spacious and we enjoyed our own campfire as well as an educational show in the little amphitheatre nearby. Also the lake is in walking distance and offers swimming and canoeing possibilities.