Kootenay. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
Mount Assiniboine Park is a remote backcountry area, with no services or facilities in most areas. You must arrange all supplies and transportation before your visit. Weather conditions can change suddenly in this park, and lightning storms with hail and snow are common even in summer.
Trail conditions report (July 7, 2024)
Safety tips
- Wear strong, waterproof, lug-soled boots, and carry a daypack with rain gear, spare warm clothing, and food.
- For overnight trips, a sleeping bag, ground pad, waterproof tent or bivouac bag, and lightweight stove are essential.
- Only experienced climbers, properly roped and practiced in crevasse rescue, should venture onto the snowfields and glaciers.
- If you are planning a winter ski trip, familiarize yourself with avalanche safety standards. On your visit, always ski with a partner.
Special notes
Fires are prohibited within the core area of Mount Assiniboine Park.
- For detailed information on booking a camping reservation, visit the Mount Assiniboine reservations page
- For information on specific campgrounds, download the campground, huts, and shelters information sheet [PDF]
- For information on hiking trails, see the trail conditions report in the know before you go section
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Any maps provided on this page are for information only. They may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.
Getting there
Mount Assiniboine Park is west of the British Columbia-Alberta border, 48 km southwest of Banff. Banff National Park forms the eastern boundary and Kootenay National Park marks the western boundary.
You can access the park by hiking in or by using the Mount Assiniboine Lodge helicopter service. Flights operate on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and may change on summer long weekends.
To fly into the core area, you must have a valid camping reservation. For information on making a booking, see the Mount Assiniboine Park reservations page. To book a helicopter flight, visit the Mount Assiniboine Lodge website.
Things to do
Backcountry hiking is a popular pastime in Mount Assiniboine Park. To learn more about specific hiking opportunities, visit the Mount Assiniboine Park: Hiking page.
To get up-to-date information on the condition of specific trails, and to download the trail conditions report, check the know before you go section.
For your own safety and the preservation of the park’s environment, please obey all signs and keep to designated trails. Taking shortcuts destroys plant life and soil structure.
Angling in the glacial lakes and waterways of Mount Assiniboine Park is unpredictable. Rock Isle, Larix, and Grizzly Lakes are closed to angling.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
Wildlife viewing is available in Mount Assiniboine Park. Elk, bears, eagles, and deer frequent the area. For more information on wildlife in this park, see the about this park section.
Backcountry areas are not suitable for pets due to the potential for problems with bears and other wildlife. If you do bring a dog or another domestic animal, they must be leashed throughout your stay. You must always be in control of your pets and dispose of their excrement in wastebins or pack it out.
If you are planning to go horseback riding in the park, we recommend reading the Mount Assiniboine Park horse use policy and information [PDF] and downloading the horse use map [PDF].
Horseback riders are required to carry a letter of permission. Please use our letter of permission for horse use form to get your letter no less than seven days before entering the park.
For more specific information on riding horses in the park, contact the BC Parks Kootenay office at 250-489-8540.
There is no horse access to Assiniboine Lodge, the Naiset Cabins, Wonder Pass, or Citadel Pass.
Mount Assiniboine is a world-class mountaineering destination, and several neighbouring peaks, faces, and ridges are also worthwhile challenges. Please review the climbing tips below before planning a trip.
Climbing tips
Only experienced mountaineers, properly roped and equipped, should attempt mountain climbing or venturing onto glaciers and snowfields. Consult with Assiniboine Lodge staff before attempting a climb.
Always wear a safety helmet when climbing anywhere in BC Parks. Helmets are essential for all climbs in Mount Assiniboine Park.
The basic structure of the mountains is decaying limestone, resulting in frequent rockfall. The frequency of rockfall is intensified by climbers. Parties one or two hours apart are exposed to increased danger.
If more than one party is climbing a peak, they should schedule themselves to be close together.
The Gmoser Highway is the only route you should use to access Assiniboine Bowl and Hind Hut from Magog Lake. The snow couloir has a waterfall underneath it, creating dangerous conditions.
Access from the Assiniboine Creek drainage involves route-finding up a scree gully above Assiniboine Lake. The route then crosses morainal terrain and a small-but-crevassed glacier to the Mount Assiniboine-Mount Strom Col.
A climbing shelter (the R.C. Hind Hut) is in the Assiniboine Bowl. This hut accommodates 12 and serves as a basecamp for mountain climbers. The Hind Hut has a $30 per-person fee, including transaction fees.
You must make a reservation for Hind Hut through Assiniboine Lodge. Bookings are not available through BC Parks. You will need a permit to camp overnight in the adjacent national parks. Permits are available from national park staff.
The rappel stations on the Classic Mount Assiniboine North Ridge Route were upgraded to permanent fixed (two bolt plus chain) anchors by Parks Canada (Visitor Safety Program) in July 2015.
Hunting is not allowed in the core area of Mount Assiniboine Park.
Parts of Mount Assiniboine Park outside the core area may be open to hunting (limited-entry hunting for B.C. residents and two guide-outfitter operations for non-residents). For more information, see the fishing and hunting page.
Anyone hunting in British Columbia must comply with BC hunting regulations. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
World-class cross-country skiing and ski touring is available at Mount Assiniboine Park. For more information see the Mount Assiniboine Park: Skiing page.
For information on Mount Assiniboine Lodge or Naiset Cabin, see the cabins and huts section.
About this park
The area that is now Mount Assiniboine Park was well known to the Indigenous Peoples of the foothill and mountain country. There was much trading between groups from the different sides of the Rockies. The Peigans, Assiniboines, Blackfoot, and Kootenai travelled the mountain passes.
Mount Assiniboine Park lies within the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Shuswap, Little Shuswap Lake Band, Adams Lake Indian Band, and Neskonlith Indian Band.
G.M. Dawson, of the Geological Survey of Canada, named Mount Assiniboine in honour of the Assiniboine people when he visited the area during the summer of 1899. Assiniboine means ‘stone boiler’, a name that comes from the practice of putting hot rocks into animal paunches or holes filled with water to cook food.
Mount Assiniboine is the seventh-tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. It was considered a great prize among early European mountaineers. Mount Assiniboine was first ascended by James Outram and Swiss guides Christian Hasler and Christian Bohren in the late summer of 1901.
Upon the urging of the Alpine Club of Canada, British Columbia set aside 5,120 hectares of the area on February 6, 1922, as Mount Assiniboine Park, the seventh in a fledgling park system. In 1973, the park area was increased sevenfold to its present size of 39,050 hectares.
Boreal forests of spruce, mixed with stands of alpine fir and lodgepole pine, cover the lower elevations. In more open areas, scattered patches of false azalea, buffalo berries, twin berries, white rhododendrons, and, occasionally, red elder may be found.
Between the elevations of 2,100 m and 2,400 m, open stands of alpine larch occur alongside alpine fir and Engelmann spruce, with a ground cover of red and white heather and grouse berries. Dense thickets of various species of low-growing willows associated with bog birch can be found along mountain streams and in boggy areas.
Large areas of rocky slopes and ridges are covered by stonecrop, white flowering avens, moss campion, cinquefoil, arctic willows, and several species of saxifrage. Alpine meadows blaze with colour thanks to an abundance of western anemones, alpine arnica, columbine, paintbrush, spring beauty, alpine fleabane, mountain daisies, and hundreds of other species of wildflowers during the midsummer blossoming period.
Do not pick wildflowers, as flowers contain the seed pods necessary for the proliferation of wildflowers. It is an offence under the Park Act and Regulations to destroy wildflowers.
Wildlife species such as elk, black and grizzly bears, mule deer, moose, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep live in the park. The chattering of Columbian and mantled ground squirrels and chipmunks or the call of the hoary marmot and pika are often heard. Wolverines, badgers, wolves, martens, and coyotes also inhabit the park but are seldom seen.
Ninety-three species of birds have been sighted in the park, with the most common being northern harrier, grey jay, Clark's nutcracker, white-tailed ptarmigan, pine grosbeak, rosy finch, pine siskin, boreal chickadee, chipping sparrow, and white-crowned sparrow.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Lodge and hut reservations | This park is operated by Assiniboine Lodge. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
