Sunshine Village to Mt. Assiniboine, hiking Canada - Details for Organizing the Hike

Details for Organizing the Hike

Bus

Bus service in Canada is expensive. There is not enough competition between companies.

For a long trip in Canada, we recommend you get a vehicle. But if you must bus, the National carrier is Greyhound Canada.

Calgary <> Banff bus

Shuttles run year round from the Calgary airport to Banff:

Rocky Mountain Sky Shuttle (888-762-8754)
Brewster Transportation (800 661-1152)
Banff Airporter (888 449-2901)

Brewster, for example, departs Calgary airport twice a day. Compare costs & schedules on the website links above.

Arrange your flight to connect with one of the Shuttles if you do not need to stop in Calgary.

The Brewster bus also stops at Canmore & Lake Louise. Some shuttles run all the way to Jasper with a photo stop at the Columbia Icefields.

From Calgary to Banff Greyhound trips 4 times / day.

For a more expensive private small van, try:

Bus Banff <> Sunshine Meadows

One of the main reasons for our Recommended Route is excellent bus access to Sunshine Meadows, a fantastic place to start a hike.

The Sunshine Village Shuttle bus trips Banff <> Sunshine several times a day delivering hikers directly to the high alpine by ancient yellow school bus. Service operates June 5 (weather permitting) to September 30th.

Confirm times & costs on the White Mountain Adventure Sunshine Village Shuttle bus website. Tel. (800) 408-0005

We have hiked up to Sunshine Meadows from the parking lot — trust us, the shuttle bus is better!

Shuttle service is offered daily from June 5 (weather permitting) to September 30th.

Many major hikes start at Sunshine Meadows — but we recommend you head south towards Assiniboine.

Why climb when you can ride?
photo Warren Long <e-mail>

Mt. Shark trailhead > Canmore > Banff

Transport to and from this recommended trailhead is inconvenient — unless you have a vehicle.

We arrange for private transport to pick us up.

Two alternative itineraries for those without transportation:

1) helicopter from Canmore (instead of Mt. Shark) to Mt. Assiniboine Lodge, exit from Sunshine Meadows by bus.

2) start & exit from Sunshine Meadows by bus. After all, the same hike looks different when walking the opposite direction.

As a last resort, you could hire an expensive taxi to shuttle you from Canmore to Mt. Shark heliport:

Canmore Airporter Taxi (403) 609-1395

Mountain Taxi & Tours (403) 762-3351

Hitchhiking

Avoid hitchhiking in Canada if you can.

But hitching is far easier than in the USA. Especially from the Mt. Shark parking lot. You are bound to get a lift back to Canmore within an hour or so.

From Canmore it is easy to get a bus to Banff or Calgary.

Helicopter to Mt. Assiniboine Lodge

Many times we have coughed up the cash — a very reasonable price — to fly one way from Mt. Shark trailhead (or Canmore) up to Mt. Assiniboine Lodge. We have never yet regretted this decision.

Eight minutes flight-seeing rather than 8 hours hiking!

Helicopter costs and details on Assiniboine Lodge website.

info@assiniboinelodge.com
Tel: (403) 678-2883
Fax: (403) 678-4877
map to the Mt. Shark helipad

The chopper is an especially good option if you:

short on time

have no personal vehicle

have never flown by helicopter. It’s great!

The only problem we have had is scheduling. The bird flies only three days a week: Sundays, Wednesdays & Fridays. Book as early as possible — though they normally shuttle as many flights as they need.

more Helicopter photos