BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 151

The peak is named for the Assiniboine people, who ventured into this section of
the Canadian Rockies many thousands of years before European exploration. The name
Assiniboine means “stone boilers,” a reference to their preferred cooking method. The
mountain was sighted and named by a geological survey team in 1885, but the first ascent
wasn't made until 1901.
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
Sunburst Lake is reached in about 20 minutes, then the trail continues northwest a short
distance 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 south-
ern shadow of Nub Peak. From this point, instead of descending back to Cerulean Lake,
plan on taking 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 as elevation gained is only just over 400 meters
(1,310 feet), the trail can comfortably be completed in four hours.
Approaching the Park 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 the 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 Valley
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 kilo-
meters (16.8 miles), this is the shortest approach, but its elevation gain is greater than the
other 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 drain-
ages and crosses 2,270-meter (7,450-foot) Ferro Pass to the lake for a total length of 32
kilometers (20 miles).