When planning this trip, I had initially planned on doing a one-way hike along the east side of Banff National Park, but then stumbled along this couple's website. Their blog on the Brazeau Loop confirmed that would be one of our hikes, but when I spotted their photos of Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park, I knew that would be our other trip. It offered a mix of backpacking and day hikes, and there was even the option to take a helicopter back out.

I also learned there were primitive huts we could reserve a bunk in to give us a little bit of a break from sleeping on the ground, along with a cooking hut with propane stoves. I came up with a plan that involved hiking in a 16 mile route across two days, spending two nights in the huts, and taking the helo out. I may have held out on telling Sarah about the helo ride--I wanted a little bit of a surprise!

Due to when I could get permits (from Banff NP for the trailhead) and hut and helicopter reservations, we only had one night in a hotel in Banff, and had to hit the road the next morning. After an enormous breakfast in Canmore at the Rocky Mountain Bagel Company, we drove another 30 miles up a dirt road into the mountains to the Mt. Shark trailhead. I took it slow, but the locals were happy to break the 80 km/h speed limit. The first day's hike was an uneventful walk through the trees, but we camped near a lake, which gave me the opportunity to break out the tripod I had lugged along on this hike.

A creek leading toward one of the many jagged peaks

One of the things about photography that I like is the unexpected beauty you can capture. I was sitting with my camera on a tripod hoping to capture the lake in better light as the sun went down. However, it was setting more in front of us than I'd hoped, and I was about to pack it up when I saw a bunch of dragonflies dancing right in front of us. I put the zoom lens on to see what I could get:

The next morning we headed around the shore of Marvel Lake before beginning a brutal ascent toward Wonder Pass. About two thirds of the way up, we were treated with views of Lake Gloria and the glaciers beyond. A bit later, we descended into the high meadows of Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park.

Marvel lake with Mount Gloria overlooking

Startling blue of Lake Gloria through the trees

After heading through the gently sloping meadows, we came upon the log cabins known as the Naiset Huts. These are a half dozen very basic huts with two double bunkbeds, which we originally thought were four people, but later found out were for eight. We dropped our packs in our hut and headed a little further down the path toward Lake Magog and the namesake mountain of this park.

And let me emphasize, pictures do not do Mt. Assiniboine justice! It towers almost 6,000 feet over Lake Magog, its steep peak far higher than the surrounding mountains flanked with glaciers on the saddles. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it while we were there. There was no trail, but we went on a relaxing stroll around the shore of the lake.

After our stroll around the lake, we headed up to the lodge, which is a nice large log building built back in the 1800s by the Canadian Pacific Railroad. For those not inclined to camp or share a hut with 6 strangers, you can shell out a pretty penny to stay in a real room and enjoy three course meals. However, even the commoners like us can partake in afternoon tea, and even get a cold beer!

After tea and then dinner in the communal cooking hut, we headed back to the lake with my camera and tripod to try for some sunset photos of Assiniboine. I got to try to be creative with some long exposures. I couldn't pull off anything like Banff-based photographer Paul Zizka, but got a few of the lake and clouds being lit on fire by the setting sun.

20 second exposure as the sun was setting

I was so focused on the mountain I didn't even notice the deep red in the clouds behind me until Sarah pointed them out!

The next morning we had a couple of day hikes planned. We first intended to do a 4 hour out and back to Windy Ridge, part of the ridgeline that borders the east side of the park. The first bit was an easy stroll through a vast meadow, but the trail then headed uphill through the trees toward Og Pass. Around the pass, we somehow managed to turn down the wrong trail, and followed that until it intersected a perpendicular streambed. Thinking that we would pick up the trail if we followed the streambed downhill, we went for an off-trail jaunt rock hopping back and forth across the rocks. Our side trip ended when we encountered a steep dropoff we didn't feel comfortable heading down. However, the side trip had an unexpected benefit. As we were consulting our map, we spotted a small critter who started playing hide and seek with us, popping up to glare at us, then ducking down. He repeated this a good half dozen times before scampering off. We had no idea what kind of animal the little thing was, but got some great shots.

Looking through the meadow toward our intended destination

Some of the people we later showed this picture to thought it was a marten (a member of the weasel family common to the Canadian Rockies), but after some research, we think it is a stoat, also known as an ermine.

By the time we retraced our route back to the trail, it was getting towards the time we had to turn back if we wanted to do our other hike that afternoon. I think we could have re-acquired the intended trail if we had followed the wash uphill, but I can't say for sure. My topo skills need a little work if we are going to attempt longer off-trail treks in the future.

Mt. Assiniboine just towers over everything!

Returning back to the lodge area of the park, we started up toward our next objective, Nub Peak. This is a three-tiered hike that provides some of the best views of the area. The first part is a steady uphill slog of about 2 miles through the trees to the Niblet. It had great views, but we of course wanted to push higher.

Cerulean Lake, looking southwest from the Niblet

Sunburst Lake and Lake Magog leading south to the Assiniboine massif from the Niblet

Getting to the next plateau, the Nublet, required a steep but short climb to the north along a trail that wasn't on our map but was clear to find. This was one of my favorite spots of the trip--there were stunning views in almost every direction!

We weren't done yet; there was still Nub Peak a little further on. The route ran across a narrow ridgeline with a steep slope of scree on both sides. We hesitantly started up it. We made it about 3/4ths of the way when we encountered a section where the trail was somewhat ambiguous, and the dropoffs were especially steep. We also looked up and saw some serious clouds moving in, and decided that neither this treeless ridgeline nor the barren peak were a good place to be during a storm. We cautiously started back, our breath catching when some scree slid out underfoot and tumbled down the slope.

Looking up to Nub Peak.  The route runs along the narrow ridge to the left — Looking up to Nub Peak. The route runs along the narrow ridge to the left

Elizabeth Lake, Cerulean Lake, Sunburst Lake, and Lake Magog (nearest to farthest) from the ridgeline

Two valleys below us.  Wonder Pass, our entry point, is just to the left of the Assinboine massif — Two valleys below us. Wonder Pass, our entry point, is just to the left of the Assinboine massif

The other part of the park, looking west toward Kootenay National Park from our turnaround spot

The best hiking partner anyone could hope to have!

On the way back down, Sarah spotted the fattest marmot we have ever seen!  This guy was the size of a beaver. — On the way back down, Sarah spotted the fattest marmot we have ever seen! This guy was the size of a beaver.

Two long hikes packed into 6 hours had taken it out of me, and I was operating on a hurting leg. We made our way back down toward the lodge to for afternoon tea. We had just enough time for a selfie on the bench overlooking the mountain.

Tea time at the lodge is a great social hour. Hikers and backpackers are the friendliest people on the planet, and we had so many great chats with total strangers. We talked to the group of 6 sharing our hut with us (young people from Toronto on a Vancouver to Calgary discovery of the west) and a guided backpacking group on their first back country excursion ever. We traded hikes to add to our lists and photography tips over tea and beer.

We were slated to fly out the next day around 10:30, but when we awoke, I was immediately skeptical of our chances. Though the threatening clouds hadn't resulted in storms the day before, the clouds had dropped down almost to ground level, and looked like they were there to stay. The lodge staff assured us that the helo flew in lots of weather, and indeed, the first group (our lodgemates) got off the ground around noon. We later found out that the pilot had to set down on the ridge and wait for a break in the clouds to even complete the first trip.

The weather continued to deteriorate, and it started raining, then sleeting, then snowing! In mid-August, because, you know, Canada! They finally called the rest of the flights around 3:30. Fortunately there was still room in our cabin that night, and the lodge was nice enough to give us some backpacker meals and oatmeal for our extra night's stay.

I'm no expert, but I think that's what pilots call a "low ceiling"

Sleet and clouds take over the whole valley

Zero visibility...glad they didn't try to fly us out!

After they called the flights, we went on another hike around the lake. The route was the same, but it looked totally different in the snow and clouds. We couldn't even see the peak of Assiniboine through the fog. Everything was quiet and beautiful, and we decided being stuck an extra day was well worth it.

After dinner the clouds started to lift a little, and we got more great views of the sunset off the clouds. Everything was reduced to a monochrome that gave simplicity to the scene, yet brought out so many details.

The snow stopped after dinner, leaving a blanket of white and swirling clouds

The lake and massif look totally different

Terrapin Mountain, Mount Magog, and Assiniboine

Assiniboine just starting to show itself

This was not shot in black and white, just a different white balance

After a third night in the hut marred only slightly by a serial snorer (different group of bunkmates this night), we got up early to get see the snow covered peaks under clear skies before our 10:30a flight out.

Terrapin, Magog, and Assiniboine under a sky that was as blue as yesterdays was cloudy

The last of the clouds hanging on just above the lake

Pretty soon it was time for our helicopter flight out. It couldn't have been more than 12 minutes, but it was unbelievable! I sat up by the pilot, and snapped as many pictures as I could, but the sights were so amazing that I have to again emphasize they don't do it justice. Our day's delay was so fortuitous given that we got to see the fresh snowfall from above. Even if you're not much of a hiker, take the helo in and see this place!

I wanted to include all of our photos from the flight, so I've put them all in a gallery. The first lake you see is Marvel Lake, the one we hiked in along. The second is Spray Reservoir, which leads up toward Canmore. If you're following along on your maps, we lifted over Assiniboine Pass to the east of the lodge, then followed Bryant Creek southeast, finally curving over Spray Reservoir to Mt. Shark helipad, where a friendly local gave us a lift to our car about 3/4 of a mile away.

We took the drive out as easy as the one in, stopping along the lakes to take in the sights. When we got back to Canmore, we stopped for another huge breakfast at the downtown Rocky Mountain Bagel Co location, then strolled the streets for a while. We of course located a taproom for the local brewery (The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company). We far preferred Canmore to Banff; the latter was just overrun with tourists. I even think Canmore has more dramatic peaks around it. It's a little bigger than Banff, and has all the conveniences you need. It even has a combination gym/library/aquatic center/art gallery owned by the city. How great is that! We liked it so much we are exploring the possibility of having a timeshare there if we ever get to live out west. If you visit this area, base out of this town, not Banff or Lake Louise.

Speaking of Lake Louise, we had missed out on one of our two planned nights at a hotel in the village there due to our weather delays. Though this resulted in us having to cancel a day hike we were planning in Yoho National Park (Iceline Trail), our snow experience in Assiniboine was worth it!

Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park

Matterhorn of the Rockies