A ride in a helicopter is an occasion for celebration, but a ride in a helicopter flying to Mount Assiniboine Lodge is one that soars into the history of the Canadian Rockies.

A 20-minute chopper ride from Canmore casually floats you over endless mountaintops akin to waves gently approaching the surf. Mount Assiniboine is an easily recognizable place. It’s picturesque landscape, with clear blue waters from Lake Magog and Matterhorn-resembling peak, make it one of the jewels of the area known as the Great Divide along the Alberta/British Columbia border.

Escaping the grasp of the closely-knit pack of mountains, travellers circle a valley adjacent to Canada’s “Matterhorn” where little red rooftop cabins are scattered throughout the area leading up to Mount Assiniboine Lodge. The light brown-coloured logs that make up the building’s exterior shine with newness in the morning light. However, it’s not the building, the scenery, nor the fresh mountain air you can see your breath in after exiting the helicopter that makes this place so special. Read the full piece at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.