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A braided creek running through a boulder field below snow-streaked peaks, two hikers on the gravel bars for scale

BC Interior · Backcountry Lodges

Mistaya Lodge

5.0 · 42 TripAdvisor reviews ↗

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From the Journal

Two lodges above the treeline

I've flown into both Purcell and Mistaya with a drone case in one hand and skis in the other. Fifteen helicopter minutes from Golden, a full world away from it; here's how BC's heli-access backcountry lodges work, and how to choose between meadow and glacier.

Words, photography & film by Ben Taft ·

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About Mistaya Lodge

Mistaya sits in the Wildcat Creek basin at about 2,040 metres, on ground bounded by Banff and Yoho, and has been running since 1988. The helicopter from Golden is the only way in, and it flies on fixed changeover days, Mondays and Fridays in summer, Sundays through mid-winter, so trips are sold as whole blocks of three, four, six or seven days rather than nights. Six guest rooms take fourteen people, with a sauna and a large deck. Winter is guided ski touring and snowshoeing on glaciated alpine above treeline and spaced glades below it; summer is alpine hiking, scrambling and mountaineering, graded for all levels. Rates are published in full for both seasons and include the flight, all meals and guiding. Solo guests take a single room at a $200 nightly supplement.

The essentials

Rate band
$$, $500–1,000 per person / night
Season
late December to late April for ski touring, and early July to mid-September for alpine hiking
Sleeps
14 guests
Region
BC Interior, British Columbia
Access
Helicopter
Typical per person
$3,940

Helicopter from Golden, BC on fixed changeover days, Mondays and Fridays in summer, Sundays in mid-winter, flown by Alpine Helicopters. Included in the package rate.

Amenities

  • All inclusive
  • Chef prepared meals
  • Helicopter access
  • Wood fired sauna
  • Shared bathroom
  • No mobile signal
  • Off grid power
  • Guided programme
  • Ski touring terrain
  • Avalanche safety equipment
  • Gear storage

Best for

  • Small groups
  • Couples
  • Solo travellers
  • Hikers
  • Ski tourers
  • Photographers

Virtual tour

Video

Photographs

16 photographs of Mistaya Lodge. Select any image to enlarge it.

Location

51.6000, -116.7500 · nearest gateway Kelowna, Kamloops, Golden or Calgary

How we verified this checked 31 July 2026 · 4 sources · 2 fields unverified

How we verified this

Compiled from the operator's own published material and rewritten in our own words. Last checked 31 July 2026. The following could not be confirmed against a published source and are marked unverified: lat, lng.

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BC Interior · Backcountry Lodges

Purcell Mountain Lodge

Heli-access backcountry lodge fifteen minutes from Golden, with guided and self-guided ski touring and hiking.