Banff Day3 - Sulfur Mountain and Sanson Peak

We went to Banff July 8-12! Hit a lot of spots, hiked 38 miles in 60 hours and the series of blog posts that were still pending never made it.. thanks to covid recovery, Half dome prep and hike, a sick kid at home, not to mention other major events that don't merit a mention here for weird reasons!

Finally getting to finishing that blog series (as I have to clean out photos on my iPhone) over the long weekend. The last post in this series is here..

We had already had a long day hiking in Lake Louise, Lake Moraine, Paradise creek, Johnston Canyon, Inkpots and now we were told that if we got lucky, we could go to the top of the highest local mountain in Banff downtown area called Sulfur mountain.. that too on a gondola. Then if there is enough time at the top, go hike to Sanson peak on that mountain range. 

San is my lucky charm. She has good parking karma! We managed to find parking at the gondola, get tickets right in time and were up and away! Once up there, we saw a bunch of folks walking to Sanson peak. That is a mile plus walk one way on a nice boardwalk that is set up. It has a lot of steps though. San was hesitant about us making it to the top of the peak and back, in time for our return Gondola. We had an hour and 20 mins at the top total and when we realized this hike was staring at us, 10 mins had gone by. 

We did make it to the top and back with 5 minutes to spare. San was super proud of me (let this blog remember that even if I don't, as such moments are rare) for making it after all that hiking. 

If you are in Banff, don't miss this. It is a literal copy of the gondola in Interlaken, Switzerland. In fact the gondola is made by the same company! The scenic beauty of Banff as you go up a fast gondola is amazing!

 

Did I already tell you about San's photo skills improving on this trip?

It was a long way down and up to Sanson peak.. after all that previous hiking in the day! It was also a hot afternoon..

They had a few restaurants in the four story building at the top (very similar to Interlaken) but they were very crowded and expensive. We didn't have the time to even get a chai there with the lines. In Switzerland, they do some crowd control, here they don't. 

The views along this walk were just amazing! 

All said and done, we had a great experience on Sulfur mountain. After this it was a quiet ride back to our hotel area, to the desi place for one last dinner. The Indian resturant did not disappoint. I asked for the paneer again and gobbled it up. If I visit Banff again, the number one reason might as well be the Paneer butter masala at the Indian curry house! 

guess it is lunch time as I am typing the blog... Back to Banff..this photo was taken in the middle of the road as we crossed. They block the main road so restaurants can seat folks outside for the evening. Great place to walk. Lots of flowers, decorations! Should visit this Christmas time if we go again!

A video of the Sulfur mountain experience.. 

Don't miss it!

The next morning, we made a few stops before getting back to Calgary airport. Every stop was interesting..

More to come..