Our Facilities – Anastara Acres

The Gifts We Steward & Share

Nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, Anastara Acres is a place of beauty, stillness, and renewal. Spread across 152 acres of forests, meadows, and winding trails, the land invites a slower pace and a deeper awareness of God’s presence in creation. A gentle river borders one edge of the property, offering quiet places for reflection and prayer, while a nearby lake provides space for rest, recreation, and connection. To the west, the landscape opens into vast stretches of Crown wilderness reaching toward the mountains, reminding us of the grandeur, freedom, and wonder of God’s creation.

We are grateful to serve as stewards of this land and the hospitality it makes possible. Anastara Acres is first and foremost our home—a place where faith is lived out in community, where creation is honored as God’s gift, and where people are welcomed as family. Some call Anastara home year-round, while others join us for a season, a retreat, or a time of renewal. Together, we seek to cultivate a life marked by simplicity, service, prayer, and fellowship.

Throughout the year, we welcome guests for retreats, gatherings, celebrations, and times of rest. Whether around shared meals, quiet mornings in nature, meaningful conversations, or worship together, our hope is that every person who visits encounters both genuine community and the peace of Christ.

The Lodge at Anastara Acres also carries a rich local history. Established in 1974 as the region’s first Nordic ski lodge, it has long been a place where people gathered and found belonging. At its heart stands a fieldstone fireplace salvaged from the historic Varsity Hall in Sylvan Lake after its final “Last Chance to Dance” in 1979. Today, housed within a community gathering space we lovingly call “The Den,” it continues to bring people together—a place of warmth, conversation, worship, storytelling, and shared life. What once served as a gathering place for community celebrations continues to fulfill that purpose in a new way.

Since becoming stewards of this land in November 2024, we have sought to care for this place faithfully and to create space for the quiet work God does in people’s lives. Whether you come for a weekend retreat, a family gathering, a time of personal renewal, or simply a few days of rest, we welcome you into a place where creation is cherished, community is cultivated, and Christ remains at the center.

Nature & Land

RECONNECTING WITH THE ELEMENTS

Anastara Acres is blessed with 152 acres of diverse and beautiful landscape nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Here, forests, meadows, winding trails, open skies, and flowing waters come together to create a place of peace, wonder, and renewal. Every corner of the property offers an invitation to slow down, step away from the noise of daily life, and become attentive to the presence of God in His creation.

A gentle river traces one edge of the land, providing a quiet place for reflection, prayer, and simple enjoyment. Nearby, a serene lake offers opportunities for swimming, fishing, boating, and refreshing cold plunges. Throughout the seasons, the landscape reveals new expressions of beauty—summer brings long days of sunshine, exploration, and abundance, while winter transforms the property into a peaceful wonderland for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and cozy gatherings by a fire.

Bordering vast stretches of Crown wilderness that extend toward Banff National Park, Anastara Acres offers a rare sense of openness and connection to the natural world. The surrounding wilderness serves as a reminder of both the grandeur of God’s creation and our place within it as caretakers and stewards.

We believe creation speaks of its Creator. Here, guests are invited to experience the simple gifts God has provided—to feel the warmth of the sun, breathe the crisp mountain air, walk beneath towering trees, listen to flowing water, and rest in the quiet rhythms of the land. In a world that often moves too quickly, Anastara offers space to slow down, be renewed, and rediscover the peace that comes from being present with God and His creation.

Living Quarters & Accommodations

A HOME FOR ALL

At Anastara Acres, we offer a variety of accommodations thoughtfully designed to balance personal space with a strong sense of community connection. Spread throughout the property and harmoniously integrated into the natural landscape, our living spaces provide cozy, functional, and beautiful environments for visitors and community members alike.

The Wolf Willow Lodge, our main lodging space, is nestled within the heart of the community. It’s our beautiful 10-room Nordic-style lodge that features private bedrooms, a spacious shared kitchen, a laundry room, and a cozy living room/library perfect for reading or conversation. The Lodge also includes three shared bathrooms, a home theatre for movie nights or workshops, and four outdoor patios ideal for relaxation, connection, and enjoying the natural surroundings.

The A-frame Cabins (Ra’am, Esh, and Ruach) are located in a quiet, tree-lined open space, offering a charming blend of simplicity and comfort. Each of the two-story cabins include a private bedroom on the main floor, and an additional Queen and two Single beds in the loft above. They contain a basic kitchen setup, a wood-fired stove and furnace for warmth, a composting toilet for off-grid functionality, and a private deck for peaceful outdoor lounging. The cabins share a central fire pit, creating the perfect spot to gather under the stars.

Mayim Lakefront Cabin, a cabin nestled along the peaceful shores of nearby Strubel Lake, offers a rustic, off-grid experience perfect for deep nature immersion. Accommodating 2 to 4 people, this charming lakefront retreat features a wood-burning stove/fireplace, generator-powered electricity (if desired), a picnic table, a fire pit, a BBQ for outdoor cooking, a private dock, and a simple yet scenic outhouse—once voted one of the world’s most beautiful outhouses. Kayaks, a fishing boat, and paddle boards are available for rental upon request.

The Haven & Barndominium, our spacious communal homes nestled on the North side of the property, offer a more private and grounded setting for our long-term residents. The Haven includes four bedrooms, a loft, a fully equipped kitchen, and two living room areas. A large sundeck wraps the exterior, offering sweeping views for gazing at the stars or enjoying a quiet morning coffee. The Barndominium is a one-bedroom studio-style living space above our community workshop.

Camping Areas: For those who prefer a more immersive outdoor experience, seasonal camping areas are available along the scenic riverside during the warmer months. These spaces welcome both RVs and tents and offer a peaceful, grounding way to connect with the land.

Shared Spaces & Amenities

SUPPORTING CONNECTION, CREATIVITY, AND COLLECTIVE WELL-BEING

Anastara Acres offers a variety of shared spaces and amenities that support comfort, wellness, and community connection. The Bathhouse is a shared space that provides essential facilities for daily living and wellness, including separate men’s and women’s dressing rooms, each with two showers and two toilets. It also includes a washer, dryer, and large sink, as well as a wood-fired sauna, and a hot tub—offering a perfect balance of practicality and relaxation.

Just a short walk from the main living areas, The Nest serves as our community kitchen and dining space. This warm and welcoming hub is where residents and guests come together to prepare shared meals, connect over conversation, and nourish both body and spirit through food and fellowship.

At the heart of our creative and ceremonial life is The Den—a versatile indoor space dedicated to music, artistic expression, meaningful connection, workshops, and sacred gatherings. It features a full wood-burning fireplace, originally salvaged from the historic Varsity Hall in Sylvan Lake, adding both charm and a sense of legacy to this much-loved gathering place.

Our shared workspace is available for those needing a quiet place to focus, whether for remote work, writing, or creative projects. The space is also equipped for recording videos or podcasts.

Our workshop provides a space for hands-on projects, woodworking, repairs, and creative building—supporting both practical needs and artistic expression.

Outdoors, our three community fire pits provide natural gathering spaces for campfire jams, quiet reflection, and community connection under the stars. An open-air gazebo behind the Lodge offers an additional setting for rest, conversation, or simply enjoying the beauty of the land.

Activities & Leisure

MOVE, CREATE AND UNWIND IN NATURE

At Anastara Acres, there’s no shortage of ways to connect with God, creativity, and the land—whether you’re called to movement, play, or peaceful rest.

For those drawn to movement and outdoor adventure, the land offers a variety of ways to engage. The property has forest trails for walking, biking, and cross-country skiing. There is also a nine-hole disc golf course woven through these trails. There are additionally opportunities for hunting, as well as direct access to miles of open crown land.

Both the lazy river and Strubel lake offer opportunities for swimming and fishing. We also have kayaks, paddle boards, and a fishing boat for use on the lake.

For more restorative leisure, the Den offers a welcoming space for creative expression and connection. Stocked with art supplies and a diverse selection of musical instruments—including piano, guitars, didgeridoo, handpan, drums, and more—it invites both spontaneous music-making and intentional practice. For those seeking interactive fun, we have a variety of games, from board and card games to outdoor field games. And when it’s time to relax, our cozy home theatre provides the perfect setting to enjoy a movie, show, or hockey game—complete with hundreds of movies to choose from as well as a popcorn machine.

Anastara Acres is also a place where both children and fur babies can thrive. Our Children’s Play Areas are designed to inspire smiles, giggles, and imagination. Scattered throughout the property, these spaces include a wooden play structure, a child-sized chapel, a play kitchen, a teepee, and other natural play zones. These safe and enchanting areas invite little ones to explore, create, and develop a playful connection with the natural world.

At Anastara Acres, leisure is about more than entertainment—it’s about reconnecting with God, His creation, and one another.

Health & Wellness

A SHARE JOURNEY TO WHOLENESS

At Anastara Acres, we don’t view wellness as a service to be delivered, but as a natural state of being that arises from living in alignment with God’s design. We have seen that when we stop overwhelming the body and mind with stress and artificial stimuli, we naturally begin returning to a state of health. We are not a clinical treatment center, but rather a living community that holds space for healing to emerge organically within the rhythms of shared life. Here, healing is understood not as something administered, but as something cultivated—through relationship, reciprocity, presence, and restored relationship with our Creator.

The origins of the words themselves reflect this deeper understanding: health comes from the Old English hælan, meaning “to make whole,” while wellness comes from the Latin valere, meaning “to be strong, to be well, to be worthy.” In this spirit, we believe true well-being arises not only from physical care, but from a lived experience of wholeness, connection, and mutual support.

Wellness at Anastara Acres is woven into everyday life through rhythms of rest, movement, connection, and time in nature. Community members also have access to extensive forest trails, a wood-fired sauna, an outdoor hot tub, and invigorating cold plunges in the river or lake. Across the property, there are quiet spaces for prayer, movement practices, stillness, or simply soaking up some sun.

Here, wellness is a shared remembering of what it means to be whole—according to God’s design, in His image, within His perfect creation.