Entry 1: 2 Nights in the Trees
Field notes from the forest
Exhale - You are here.
Elk Ridge Resort sits in the boreal forest, just minutes from Prince Albert National Park. Two nights is not a long stay. But it is long enough to feel the shift. The air changes first. Then the pace. By the second morning, you stop checking the time.
Here is how we would spend two summer nights at the 'Ridge.
Day One: Arrive, Settle, Breathe
The drive north from Prince Albert takes about 45 minutes. The last stretch is the best part. Highway 264 narrows, the forest crowds in close, and the noise of the city falls away with the pavement markings.
Check-in is at 4:00 PM. Drop your bags. Step onto the balcony. The pond is right there, or the clubhouse greens, depending on your room. Either way, there is nothing to do right now but stand still for a minute.
If you are staying in the Lodge, the indoor saltwater pool and hot tub are downstairs. They are a good way to shake off the drive. Let the kids burn off the car ride, or sink into the hot tub and let the warmth settle into your shoulders. The pool is open year-round, so there is no rush.
Evening
When you are ready, walk to Fredrich Inspired Kitchen + Cocktails for dinner. The patio looks out over the forest, and there is a fire pit to settle in beside as the sun drops behind the spruce. Take your time with the cocktail menu. Order something you would not order at home. Watch the sky change colour.
Dinner at Fredrich is not fast, and that is the point. The kitchen works with local ingredients where it can, and the menu shifts with the seasons. By the time you finish, the forest is dark and quiet and the stars are out.
Reservations are recommended. Find current hours and details on the dining pages at elkridgeresort.com/dining.
Day Two: Play, Eat, Restore
Morning
Start at Fredrich Café. A latte, a hearty breakfast, and the low hum of other guests making plans for the day. The Café is in the Lodge, so you do not even need to step outside if you are not ready to yet.
Find current café hours on the dining pages at elkridgeresort.com/dining.
Late Morning
Hit the course. Elk Ridge has 27 holes of championship golf across the Birch, Aspen, and Tamarack nines, all carved through the boreal forest. The trees line every fairway. The air smells like spruce and warm grass. It is one of those courses where you are half playing golf and half just being in the woods.
Book your tee time at elkridgeresort.com/golf.
Afternoon
After your round, head to the Wyld for lunch. It is the pub-style restaurant in the Clubhouse, and it is built for exactly this moment: cold drink in hand, sun coming through the windows, nowhere you need to be for the next hour. Ask about the weekly specials.
Later in the afternoon, let Drift Spa & Wellness take over. Book a treatment in advance. The spa is in the Lodge, operated by appointment, and it fills up fast. If you wait until you arrive, you might miss out.
Book Drift Spa at fresha.com or call 306.663.4653, Option 4.
If a spa treatment is not your speed, the Private Cedar Sauna is another way to slow the afternoon down. It is bookable on-site and pairs well with the hot tub.
Evening
Back to Fredrich for dinner. If you found your favourite patio seat last night, take it again. If you did not make it to the patio, tonight is the night. The firepit, the cocktails, the forest going quiet around you. It is the kind of evening you remember longer than you expect to.
Day Three: One More Morning
Check-out is at 11:00 AM, but the day is not over.
Morning
One more coffee from Fredrich Café. Take it to the patio, or carry it down to the pond. Sit with it. There is something about the last morning of a trip that makes the coffee taste better.
After Check-Out
The resort is still yours for the afternoon. Here are a few ways to stretch the trip before you head south.
Get your heart rate up. Treeosix Adventure Parks is right on the resort property. The guided zipline tour sends you through the boreal forest canopy for about 1.5 hours. If you want something quicker, walk up to the giant swing, the climbing wall, or a round of the 18-hole disc golf course. Book the zipline in advance at treeosix.com/waskesiu. Everything else is walk-up friendly.
Grab a bite. Caddy Snack is in the Pavilion beside the golf course. Burgers on local buns, breakfast sandwiches, wraps, pizza by the slice, and cold drinks. It opens half an hour before the first tee time and stays open all day.
Explore on two wheels. Rent an electric fatbike from Treeosix and ride the resort trails at your own pace. The pedal assist makes it easy for any rider, and there is no guide, so you go wherever the trail takes you.
Wander. Walk through Elk Ridge Estates to see the development taking shape in the forest. Drive five minutes to the Waskesiu townsite and stroll the main street, stop at the beach, or browse the shops. Or just take a quiet walk on the resort trails and let the trip end the way it started: slowly, in the trees.
Not ready to leave? If your timing is right, stop back at Fredrich for an appetizer and one last drink on the patio before you drive home.
Plan Your Two-Night Stay
Call 306.663.4653 to speak with the front desk, or book online at elkridgeresort.com.
Weekend stays require a two-night minimum. Holiday weekends require three nights. For reservations within 72 hours, please call directly.
Quick Reference
Details
Check-in 4 PM
Check-out 11 AM
Dining details and hours: elkridgeresort.com/dining
Drift Spa & Wellness: elkridgeresort.com/experience/drift-spa
Adventure Park: elkridgeresort.com/experience/adventure-park
Golf tee times: elkridgeresort.com/golf
Resort phone: 306.663.4653
