We stayed at the Shadow Lake Lodge for two nights last week during a visit to the Banff area. It was everything we had hoped for and more. The hike into the area is on a wide, well-marked trail and is 9.5 miles, mostly uphill, but I am not a super athletic person and I managed it fine. Anyone in reasonably good shape can do it. (we are 50 and 52 years old).Once up there, the area is pristine and beautiful and there are fantastic day hikes of all lengths around there.
The accomodations are actually very nice, considering the setting and that everything is either packed in or flown in by helicopter. We had a big king sized bed with plush bedding and plenty of room. The bathrooms and showers are in a separate building and, although the chemical toilets are fairly smelly, unlimited hot water showers are pretty amazing for a backcountry lodge. The food was excellent! Two or three course meals, tea every afternoon with a selection of cheeses and sweets, and sandwich fixings so that you could pack a great lunch for whatever activities you had planned for the day were great. There was also a limited but nice selection of wines and beers. The staff was friendly and fun. There were two kids there (12 years old) who had a great time, even without tvs and radios available. We loved this place!

We spent two nights at Shadow Lake Lodge in the first week of August and enjoyed every minute. You get your own private log cabin (unlike Skoki Lodge with its paper-thin walls) and the price is far more reasonable than some of the other backcountry lodges in the Canadian Rockies.

The food was great and is served in a cozy dining room where you will have the opportunity to meet lots of other hikers. The beds and down duvets were super comfortable and pleasure to fall into at the end of a great day of hiking. There is a common shower with hot water (solar-powered) - very nice to wash off the sweat, bug spray and grime of hiking.

I would recommend 2 to 3 nights. Those who only stayed one night were a little disappointed. The hike in (along Red Earth Creek) isn't that great but the day-hike possibilities from the Lodge (especially Gibbons Pass/ Copper Mountain) are great. Stick around and take advantage of the backcountry location.