Num-Ti-Jah Lodge

In 1937, the Banff-Jasper highway was completed as far as Bow Lake. Jimmy, his wife Billie and their children Margaret, Mary and Jimmy jr. began expanding on the original dream of a "shack". With the earnings from Margaret and Mary's professional ice-skating tours, the building of Num-Ti-Jah Lodge began. In 1940, the Lodge had six guest rooms. By 1950, a beautiful log and stone hotel with 16 rooms stood on the shores of Bow Lake. In the fifties and sixties, Jimmy Simpson's reputation attracted tourists keen to hear his stories. While Jimmy became a living legend, his son took charge of the Num-Ti-Jah operation. Jimmy jr. has his own mountain stories from an outfitting career that spanned thirty-five years ending in 1974, two years after his father died. Although he retired from managing Num-Ti-Jah Lodge in 1996, with his remarkable memory, he is the keeper of the old tales of Bow Lake. Num-Ti-Jah Lodge hasn't changed much since it was completed in 1950. What you'll see and feel here is the dream of the Simpson family. We invite you to learn our story.