Assiniboine Provincial Park is simply fantastic! Nowhere in The Rockies have we found a place with such great variety in dayhiking – it just requires a tough backpack into the campsite at Magog Lake and then you have ridges, peaks, passes, and lakes to explore. There is also afternoon tea at the lodge.
We took advantage of the early snowmelt this year to head into Paradise Valley and up and over Sentinel Pass before Canada Day. Hiking here so early also means that you don’t have to worry about grizzly bears – later in the year there are hiking restrictions and your need to hike in a minimum group size. We also did an easy dayhike the following day – climbing Parker Ridge near to the Columbia Icefield – fantastic views of the Saskatchewan Glacier.
The Rockwall is dubbed as one of the finest multi-day backpack trips in North America – a 55 km one way trek along the base of the famous limestone cliffs. The route includes several alpine passes, which combine with steep plunges into lush forested valleys where great backcountry campsites are located.
An August weekend with a great weather forecast – we wondered where to go backpacking that would potentially not be too busy. We picked Rainbow Lake and did not regret it – we had the place pretty much to ourselves.
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