Mount Assiniboine | Best View in the Rockies!

4 day, 3 night trip to Mount Assiniboine in July.
If mountains and lakes are your thing...Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park in East Kootenay, BC is without a doubt one of the top 2-3 places in BC you need to check out.
Our trip started with a helicopter ride from Mount Shark up to Lake Magog where we spent our first 2 nights. The helicopter is a really cool way to see a different perspective of the park all at once… and if you’re limited on time as we were, it gives you more time to explore and do day hikes up top… and trust me… there’s a lot to see!
Lake Magog… what can I say. Hanging out on the beach in slate rock chairs in the sun, walking down for a dip in the cool turquoise water, looking up at the mountains surrounding the lake… man, I could drink that view in for days...the most impressive mountain was, of course, Mount Assiniboine. At over 3,500 meters, it dwarfs the nearby mountains and stands a mile above Lake Magog.
Lake Magog campground has 50 tent pads, 5 Naiset huts and the famous Assiniboine Lodge. Even though you’re on the lake with a couple hundred people, the park is so huge you only occasionally encounter another group of hikers, even at the prime spots.
That said… 3 to 4 days a week, the lodge puts on “tea time” or as we called it “power hour” and all the campers emerge from the woodwork to enjoy the modestly priced drinks and cake. I have to admit it was a pretty unique experience given where we were.
There are a few different hikes you can do and you have some flexibility with how to do them.
The #1 hike is of course going up Niblet and Nublet mountains for the breathtaking view of the lakes below. The view from the lower Niblet and the higher Nublet give you different perspectives on what might be one of the best views you see in your life. I’m a big fan of “Magic Hour” (the hour just after sunset and the hour just before sunrise)... I went up during both and man… this spot is something special. It’s a bucket lister for sure.
If you want to make the hike a little longer, I’d recommend continuing on to Nub Peak. You walk along a ridge (the ridge kinda reminded me of the Great Wall of China) and the higher you get, the more of the vastness of Mount Assiniboine Park you’ll see… stretching out towards the to the horizon in all directions…
You can complete the loop by going down the far side which takes you past 3 lakes. Elizabeth Lake which you’ll get incredible views of the sapphire waters as you descend. Finishing the loop, you’ll go past Cerulean Lake and Sunburst Lake… the crystal clear, untouched waters, accented by the rocky turret on the far shoreline. Anywhere else, these lakes could easily be the main event.
If you’re doing the whole thing… consider doing it in reverse so you end the loop with Niblet, which will give you more time to enjoy the best view in the park as you hike down.
Side note, we heard really good things about Windy Ridge though we didn’t have time to go. We took a jaunt up Assiniboine Pass. It was pretty, though there are so many other amazing places to check out… you can probably afford to skip this one.
We did the hike out in 2 days stopping at Marvel Lake for the night. The hike down is doable in one long day, but we wanted to take our time and enjoy some of the trails and vistas on the way down…
A few things I want to mention about this trail.
The Wonder Pass trail itself was really cool. You’re travelling along a valley between mountain ranges on both sides of you through rolling rocky and grassy hills. Creeks and waterfalls seemed to be everywhere… one in particular I couldn’t pass up. Right around the BC/Alberta border, you get to a high point where you get an amazing 360 view of the mountain ranges.
Wonder Pass Viewpoint is worth going to. You get a really nice view of Lake Gloria, Terrapin and Marvel Lake below. Glacier-fed lakes like these get the almost otherworldly arctic blue color that makes them look so spectacular.
We took a wrong turn…I always try to take a less-travelled side quest or two on our hikes… this trail led us down to Marvel Lake instead of taking the higher main trail along the mountainside. We ended up following a pretty rough trail for a few kilometers next to the lake before slogging back up to the main trail… Let me tell you...Marvel lake up close was pristine.
Marvel campground was nice but nothing too special. We were surprised to find that it was located on Bryant Creek which is actually a few kilometers away from the lake. The campground was great. Big sites, well spaced out and close to the creek made for a peaceful night falling asleep to the loud sound of rushing water.
The final hike out from Marvel to Mount Shark was easy. The trail was very wide.. Almost like a road. A relaxing way to decompress and reflect after 3 and a half days spent taking in the expansive wonder of the Canadian Rockies.