Lake Magog Campground
Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia · backcountry campground
How to book Lake Magog Campground below Mount Assiniboine: the 3-month window, the helicopter rule, refund cutoffs and how to catch a cancelled night.
Availability on 24 Oct 2026
- 0 open nights
- 0 of the next 180 nights fully booked (0%)
- Next open night: none
How booking works here
- Campsites and backcountry sites open on a 3-month rolling window at 7am Pacific on the matching date. Group sites open 12 months ahead.
- Berg Lake opens its whole peak season on one day at 7am Pacific.
- Cancelling more than 7 days out is refunded in full (14 days for Berg Lake), so nights come back just before those cut-offs.
- Bookings are made on BC Parks; we never book, hold or resell sites.
Official booking page
About
Lake Magog Campground is the main camp in the core area of Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, the B.C. park on the Alberta border about 48 km southwest of Banff. It sits by the lake of the same name below Mount Assiniboine, in the same core area as Assiniboine Lodge. BC Parks calls Magog and Og Lake "extremely popular backcountry camping destinations".
There's no road in. Assiniboine Lodge describes itself as 26 km from the nearest road, so you either hike or ski in, or fly in on the lodge's helicopter service.
The sites
Lake Magog is a tent-pad backcountry campground. Fires are prohibited throughout the core area, so bring a stove. The campground is serviced from June 20 to October 1 in 2027, according to Assiniboine Lodge, which runs the helicopter and the huts but not the campground bookings.
Like all BC Parks backcountry, you can spend at most 14 nights per calendar year in the park.
How booking works
Lake Magog books through the BC Parks reservation service at camping.bcparks.ca. Last checked: October 2026.
- Window: up to three months before your arrival date, opening at 7 a.m. PT on the first day of the window. (Older pages say four months. BC Parks changed it.)
- When you need one: in peak season. Assiniboine Lodge lists the reservation period as June 26 to September 30. Outside it you still need to register a backcountry permit, up to two weeks ahead. Some older pages say Magog needs a reservation year-round, so confirm on the BC Parks page before an off-season trip.
- Fees: C$25 per adult (16+) per night and C$5 per youth (6–15), plus a C$20 non-resident fee per trip for visitors from outside B.C. BC Parks says Assiniboine fees are going up, so check the backcountry reservations page for the current amounts.
Helicopter: campers with a confirmed BC Parks reservation can book seats on the lodge helicopter online. BC Parks lists flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with changes on summer long weekends, and the lodge limits each flyer to 40 lb of luggage. Get your campground nights first, then the flight.
When it sells out
Magog is the camp most people want, and the rolling window means each summer night goes on sale exactly three months ahead at 7 a.m. PT. Expect July and August weekends, and the nights that line up with helicopter days, to go the morning they open. Midweek and September nights are usually more forgiving.
How to get a cancellation
Mount Assiniboine follows the same cancellation rules as Garibaldi and Golden Ears backcountry:
- More than 7 days before arrival: full refund of camping fees, minus C$6 per tent pad.
- Within 7 days: one night's fee per person is kept.
- On the arrival day: two nights' fees per person are kept. Cancellations close at 5 p.m. that day.
The days just before the 7-day mark are when most people with doubts let their nights go. A second trickle comes when weather or smoke changes plans in the last week.
You can watch Lake Magog on Canada Camp Alerts and get an alert when a sold-out night has a free tent pad. Each night is judged on its own: we don't match the same pad across your stay or your party size, and we don't hold or book anything. The free plan gives one watch with email alerts 15 minutes after we spot an opening. The season pass (C$25 once, 12 months, no auto-renew) gives up to 10 watches, instant alerts, and Telegram and browser push.
Tips
- Count three months back from your first night and be ready at 7 a.m. PT.
- If you'd take any camp in the park, watch Mount Assiniboine (all sites) instead. It covers Magog, Og and Porcupine together.
- When an alert lands for a helicopter trip, check flight seats before you plan around the night.
Nearby alternatives
Questions
When can I book Lake Magog for summer 2027?
BC Parks opens backcountry nights on a rolling window up to three months before arrival, at 7 a.m. PT. So a mid-July 2027 night is expected to open in mid-April 2027, based on the 2026 rules.
Do I need a campground reservation to fly in by helicopter?
Yes. Assiniboine Lodge's helicopter only books campers with a confirmed BC Parks campground reservation number, and BC Parks says flying into the core area needs a valid camping reservation.
When do Lake Magog cancellations happen?
Cancel more than 7 days before arrival and the camping fees come back minus a C$6 fee per tent pad. Inside 7 days one night per person is kept, so a lot of nights come back just before the 7-day line.
Does Canada Camp Alerts book Lake Magog for me?
No. We alert you when a watched night opens up. You book it yourself at camping.bcparks.ca.
Nearby places we watch
Set a watch on Lake Magog Campground
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