We expected issues with a baby not sleeping when we got to Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories due to extremely short nights during the summer months. We didn’t prepare for this to be an issue when we camped just north of Yorkton, Saskatchewan at Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park.
With the longer summer days than what we’re used to in Southern Ontario, the eight month old and I were up before five in the morning. I could sleep with the light sky but he couldn’t. Not wanting to wake up the other two in the tent with a crying baby, and those is the campsites around us, the baby was loaded up in a stroller and we walked around the provincial park for a few hours.
We had planned on traveling at least into Alberta that day. Luckily, our plans were quite flexible. A missed turn trying to get back onto the Yellowhead Highway caused a considerable delay. The half hour or so approaching Saskatoon became a struggle for me to keep my eyes open.
The decision was made. The weather was iffy anyway and it was the Canada Day long weekend, meaning campsites in Alberta might be hard to come by anyway. We found a hotel we liked that had rooms available and parked outside the Saskatoon Inn.
It should be noted that we found a price through an online site (Hotels.com) which was within our budget. We assumed that if we approached the front desk, they would match the price and it would eliminate using up data to book through the cell phone.
They would not match it and we had to return to the car, book the room and wait a sufficient amount of time for the booking to go through to the front desk. At the time, we didn’t have the free app that would have made the process easier. If you’re interested, there’s more about the app here: Hotels.com: Download the free Hotels.com app and enjoy up to 50% savings with Secret Prices!
Image Gallery
Saskatoon Inn
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
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Saskatoon Inn Image Gallery
Saskatoon Inn
The Saskatoon Inn was completely renovated in 2015 and certainly would be a refuge in the winter months from Saskatchewan’s extreme cold. There are 257 rooms that come with complimentary wifi, a large desk and chair, a fridge and microwave, in-room coffee machine and a 42″ HD television.
There are seven room levels in the hotel, starting with the Superior King and moving up to the Executive Suite. In between are the Standard Two Queen, Deluxe Corner King, King Suite, King Suite with Boardroom and Jacuzzi Suite. We stayed in the the Standard Two Queen, pictured in the gallery above.
Hotel amenities include a fitness centre, beautiful and relaxing courtyard, along with a large pool and hot tub. Adjacent to the courtyard is the Garden Cafe and Lounge, providing upscale, casual dining. There is meeting and conference facilities in house for groups from six to 1,200. There are 18 conference rooms in all with a total square footage of 26,000.
As it turned out, the stay at the Saskatoon Inn provided us with invaluable information about our journey through Alberta to the Northwest Territories. We came across a resident of High Level, Alberta who was heading in the opposite direction to visit family in the Greater Toronto Area.
He informed us that the better route is on the relatively unknown highway 88 that runs from Slave Lake, Alberta to High Level, before taking highway 35 to the NWT border. There were few towns along the way and hardly any traffic. The original plan was to go up the much busier highway 35 all the way.
The Saskatoon Inn is located at 2002 Airport Drive in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, within walking distance of the airport. The hotel is located at the junction of Circle Drive and Airport Drive, just west of where highways 11 and 16 meet.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Saskatoon is the largest city in Saskatchewan and located on a bend in the South Saskatchewan River. Established in 1883 and incorporated in 1906, the city now has a population around 250,000. Regina is 259 kilometres to the southeast. Edmonton, Alberta is 487 kilometres to the northwest and, a point of reference for Americans, Denver, Colorado is 1,560 KM due south.
Home to a long list of National Hockey League players, past and present, Saskatoon is also the birthplace of the late WWF star Rowdy Roddy Piper (born Roderick George Toombs). Saskatoon is served by the John G. Diefenbaker International Airport (YXE).
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John G. Diefenbaker International Airport
