The drive through The Rockies is stunning, no matter how you slice it. Everywhere you look, there’s a jagged mountain jutting out of the earth as though to say “hello, you insignificant little creature. How’s the air down there?”
Once you’re deep in the embrace of the Rockies, you’ll get an urge to make the most of it. And please, don’t say that buying a tin of “Moose Droppings” at a shop in Banff is good enough.
If you can, stop for a full day of hiking or skiing. But, if not, there’s another option that’s just perfect for impatient Trans Canada drivers: the gondola up Sulphur Mountain.
It takes but eight minutes to ascend 698 metres to the “summit upper terminal.” From there, you have a jaw-dropping panorama of six mountain ranges. In the photo above, we’re looking down to the Banff townsite.
Spend some quality time up there ogling the view, because at $30 per person, the gondola ride itself averages out to $1.88 per minute.
At the summit, there are two restaurants, a gift shop (for all your “Grandma Rode The Gondola and All I Got Was This Fanny Pack” needs) and a snack bar.
Should you feel more energetic, there are also hiking opportunities.
We didn’t have time to leave the observation deck, but even for the $30, we thought it was well worth it. You can admire the peaks from the road to a certain extent but this puts the landscape in context.
Also, it was Billy’s first time on any gondola whatsoever and he was pleasantly surprised when he discovered that he had unexpectedly survived the ride.
Here’s a little video we shot on the gondola:
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