CANADIAN ROCKIES - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 467

its resemblance to that famous Swiss landmark. The striking peak can be seen from many
points well outside the boundaries of the park, including Buller Pond in Kananaskis Coun-
try and Sunshine Village winter resort in Banff National Park.
Lake Magog is the destination of most park visitors. Here you'll find the park's only
facilities and the trailheads for several interesting and varied day hikes. One of the most
popular walks is along the Sunburst Valley/Nub Ridge Trail. From Lake Magog, small Sun-
burst Lake is reached in about 20 minutes, then the trail continues northwest a short dis-
tance to Cerulean Lake. From this lake's outlet, the trail descends slowly along the Mitchell
River to a junction four kilometers (2.5 miles) from Lake Magog. Take the right fork, which
climbs through a dense subalpine forest to Elizabeth Lake, nestled in the southern shadow
of Nub Peak. From this point, instead of descending back to Cerulean Lake, take the Nub
Ridge Trail, which climbs steadily for one kilometer (0.6 mile) to a magnificent viewpoint
high above Lake Magog. From the viewpoint, it's just less than four kilometers (2.5 miles),
downhill all the way, to the valley floor. The total length of this outing is 11 kilometers (6.8
miles), and elevation gained is only just over 400 meters (1,310 feet); the trail can comfort-
ably be completed in four hours.
Getting There on Foot
Three trails provide access to Lake Magog, the park's largest body of water. The most
popular comes in from the northeast, starting at Sunshine Village winter resort in Banff
National Park and leading 29 kilometers (18 miles) via Citadel Pass to the lake. Not only
is this trail spectacular, but the high elevation of the trailhead (2,100 meters/6,890 feet)
makes for a relatively easy approach. Another approach is from the east, in Spray Val-
ley Provincial Park (Kananaskis Country). The trailhead is at the southern end of Spray
Lake; take the Mount Shark staging area turnoff 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Canmore.
By the time the trail has climbed the Bryant Creek drainage to 2,165-meter (7,100-foot)
Assiniboine Pass, all elevation gain (450 meters/1,480 feet) has been made. At 27 kilomet-
ers (17 miles), this is the shortest approach, but its elevation gain is greater than the oth-
er two trails. The longest and least-used access is from Highway 93 at Simpson River in
Kootenay National Park. This trail climbs the Simpson River and Surprise Creek drainages
and crosses 2,270-meter (7,450-foot) Ferro Pass to the lake for a total length of 32 kilomet-
ers (20 miles).
Getting There by Air
If these long approaches put visiting the park out of your reach, there's one more option:
You can fly in by helicopter from the Mount Shark Helipad, at the southern end of Spray