Altitude Superguide Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies is our favourite hiking guide, by far. Look for the ring binder edition — carry just those pages you need in an included plastic sleeve. This is the format all hiking guides should use. Consider too Lonely Planet Banff, Jasper & Glacier National Parks, our favourite general travel guide: travel, accommodation, food, etc.

Sunshine to Assiniboine is not a complex hike. Almost any guidebook will get you through. There are dozens of choices including gotta hike BC, by Sky and Lake Nomad (Kathy & Craig Copeland). Similar but better is Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies (2004) by the same authors. We love the light-hearted, opinionated style. But the format (no maps, for example) is far inferior to the Altitude guide.

Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, 7th ed, 2000, by Patton & Robinson is still the beloved standard for many.

Canadian Rockies Access Guide 4th ed, by John Dodd, Gail Helgason has been called the best of the bunch by GemTrek.

Other recommended books?

There are many superb books on the Rockies including:

High Summer: Backpacking the Canadian Rockies, by Chris Townsend — hiking God. He first walked the Canadian continental divide which includes Assiniboine & Sunshine.

You can certainly purchase any of these books — and more — in Banff. E-mail recommendations for other useful books.