On a November weeknight in Canadian Lakes, where does the community actually get together? For most of the year the answer starts at the Royal. The Royal Grille's two dining rooms sit on either side of a big stone fireplace and look out over the 18th green of The Royal Golf Course. Starting this month, the Grille is on its shorter winter schedule. Tonight's first big event of the cold season is across the community at the Highland Haus, and that's where the winter calendar stays.
The Highlands corner is the center of a Canadian Lakes winter. The association's own map puts the Highland Haus, the Highlands golf pro shop, the snow-tubing tow, the outdoor ice rink and the cross-country ski trail all under one marker. The events calendar points members the same way.
The Royal Grille Moves to a Five-Day Week
According to the Royal Grille page, the restaurant runs on winter hours from November through April:
- Monday: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Friday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sunday: Noon to 6 p.m.
That leaves lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and dinner five days a week, with nothing at the Grille in the middle of the week. Other things are on winter footing too. The Canadian Lakes Campground switched to its off-season rate on November 1. The 2026 Canadian Lakes Fee Sheet lists the seasonal campsite window as April 15 to October 31 and the off-season as November 1 to April 14. Up the road, Coffee & Cream has posted that it's closed for the season and will reopen May 1.
The Royal Grille still has a role in the winter calendar. The Canadian Lakes Association held Gals Night Out there on Tuesday, November 3, from 6 to 8 p.m., on a night the dining room is normally closed. After that, the CLA's November events move elsewhere.
Tonight's Cook Off Starts the Highland Haus Season
The 2026 Canadian Lakes Association Schedule of Events lists the Annual Cook Off at the Highland Haus today, Thursday, November 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. According to the schedule, CLA events are open to CLA and CLPOC members in good standing and their guests, unless an event says otherwise.
The Highland Haus has had a full year on the CLA calendar. Last February's Winter Carnival was held at the Highland and Alpine Haus, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on February 14. The New Member Meet & Greet was there in March, the Easter Egg Hunt in April, the Summer Craft Show in June, the Summer Picnic on July 4, the Annual Meeting in September, and the Flu Shot Clinic in October. Most of those are daytime, family-style gatherings, and the building handles them through every season. In winter it also has the snow and ice right outside.
One Map Marker Holds the Whole Winter
On the Canadian Lakes amenity map, marker 6 covers the snow-tubing tow, the outdoor ice rink, the cross-country ski trail, the Highland Haus and the Highlands golf pro shop. The Alpine Haus has its own marker, number 7. The Canadian Lakes homepage describes all three as part of a member-inclusive Winter Sports Park.
The association has billed this corner as its winter gathering place before. In its December 2017 to January 2018 newsletter, the Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation put it this way:
"As a reminder of our effort to become more of a winter destination for our members and guests, the Highland Haus area will be the place to be if Mother Nature cooperates."
That same newsletter said that season's plan was to run the tubing tow rope at the Highland Haus on weekends and offer members private tubing parties on other days. It also mentioned an improved ice rink and said staff would keep up the cross-country ski trail on The Highlands Golf Course. That describes how the park ran in an earlier year, and it all depended on snow. The newsletter itself told members to watch the Member eNews for updates, and that's still the place to look for this winter's opening.
In summer, The Highlands is a 9-hole course where member green fees are inclusive. In winter the same fairways carry the ski trail. The Highlands is the one stretch of Canadian Lakes ground that gets regular use in both seasons.
The 2026 fee sheet lists snow tubing at $15 per guest for three hours. A private three-hour tubing session for up to 35 people is $300. A family hosting guests over the holidays can plan around the $15 rate, and a larger group can book the whole tow for an afternoon.
The Calendar Through New Year's
The Highland Haus has the winter sports, and the Castle has the season's biggest nights. Here's what's left on the 2026 CLA schedule as of publish day:
| Date | Day | Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 5 | Thursday | Annual Cook Off | Highland Haus | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| November 28 | Saturday | Craft Show | Castle | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| December 4 and 5 | Friday and Saturday | Home Decorating Contest | See Lite Lines | CLA members only |
| December 31 | Thursday | New Years Eve Party | Castle | 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
The Craft Show lands on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when many households have family visiting. That Saturday, the Royal Grille is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., so lunch at the Grille fits around the show. The Home Decorating Contest is the one event on the list marked for CLA members only. New Year's Eve falls on a Thursday this year. The Grille is open 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, which would leave time for dinner before the Castle party starts at 8.
The association also has a steady base of clubs that run through the winter. According to the Canadian Lakes Association, there are more than 50 sanctioned clubs, and members receive its monthly publication, Lite Lines. The Canadian Lakes homepage names pickleball, quilting, theater, music, classic car and cards among them. Lite Lines is where to find meeting days for a given club.
Tuesday and Wednesday Suppers
With the Royal Grille closed in the middle of the week, here's what nearby restaurants post for those two nights:
- Antlers Fireside Grill, 10107 Buchanan Road, Stanwood, lists Tuesday and Wednesday hours of noon to 9 p.m.
- CL Pizza Co., 8401 100th Avenue, Stanwood, lists Wednesday hours of 4 to 8 p.m. and is closed Tuesday.
Antlers is the only one of the two posting Tuesday hours. On Wednesdays both are listed as open. Small-town kitchens sometimes change their hours in the off-season, so a quick call before heading out is a good idea.
The homepage also notes that the Canadian Lakes business district has full grocery, hardware and convenience stores, plus dining and boutiques. On the nights the Grille is dark, that's handy for anyone cooking at home or bringing a dish to a club potluck.
Booking a Haus for Your Own Gathering
The 2026 fee sheet lists rental rates for each community building used in the winter calendar.
| Venue | 2026 rental rate |
|---|---|
| Castle | $1,500 |
| Highland Haus | $300 |
| Alpine Haus | $250 |
| Security deposit | $250 |
Renting the Castle costs five times as much as the Highland Haus, and the Alpine Haus costs $50 less than the Highland Haus. The Highland Haus sits at the same map marker as the tubing tow and ice rink. For a family get-together or a club's holiday party, the $300 Highland Haus rental plus a $300 private tubing session comes to less than half the Castle's rate. The tubing still depends on snow, the same way the 2017 newsletter described.
The pools and fitness area are also on the 2026 fee sheet. A daily guest pass costs $5.50 for anyone 6 and over and $3.50 for children 5 and under. The indoor pool, hot tub and sauna are part of the member amenities, so visiting family have something to do indoors on a cold afternoon too.
Our agents at Big Rapids Realty have worked with Canadian Lakes owners in every season. Whether you're thinking about a home near the Highlands or just have questions about how the community runs in winter, call us and we'll be glad to help. Contact Us.
