Canadian Rockies: Gondola in the town of Banff
Hey steemies!
I'm really tired from work and I'm sick but if I wait until the brain fog of night shift clears, I will never write this, it may take me a few days but I will work on it a little bit everyday until I can finish posting about the trip! I originally posted this on weku quite sometime ago, well not that long ago, maybe a week. I guess it's about time I post it here too, work as per usual has been taking up a lot of my time and I feel like I live there and visit home for a few hours! I still have a lot to say about my trip but so little time! Good news, my contract is almost over but I have a few days left, maybe more...I'm on need to know basis and I don't need to know until they tell me to stop showing up, weirdly enough, I'm kind of ok with that, keeps the element of surprise...hehe. The only down side is I work outside all night and it's still unusually cold staying close to the freezing mark with rain, it tends to take a lot of energy out of me! Well without further ado, here is some information and tips on an incredible sight in the town of Banff with more to come once I have a little time for myself again.
As a continuation to my last post of our trip, this activity was to be one of the highlights of our trip. To be fair, all the areas we visited were great but we anticipated this next activity for a long time. The town of Banff is too busy for us and we tend to avoid it like the plague for the most part but hard to stay away from it's beauty. Next on our agenda, was going up the gondola (cable car) to the summit of Sulfur Mountain and do the boardwalk trail all the way to the old Cosmic Ray station. The view from up there is spectacular, given that the sky and the clouds are cooperating. We had planned it for this specific day because they were announcing clear blue skies and sunshine! Given it's altitude of 2440 meters (7 640 ft), a cloudy day means you see nothing below this activity is subject to change at any time if you are there for the view below!
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Shot 1/320 sec. f/9 34 mm, ISO 100
It's costly enough to get there at $60 CAD per person but well worth the lofty price, if you are a resident of Alberta, make sure to mention it and give them your postal code when you purchase your pass for a discount on the fare. If you are coming from out of town discounts are available with advance bookings but beware, weather conditions are unpredictable and you may not get the anticipated view, personally, I would wait until I see the cloud/fog conditions for the day. We were hoping to be there much earlier but it still worked out well, we went at around 4 pm, it was busy and we had to park on the mountain and hike up a few kilometers to the gondola first.
This is a must see if you ever visit the town of Banff but to get a good parking spot near the gondola and & hot springs to avoid the hike, the earlier you arrive the better or arrange for a shuttle service in advance if it is available during your visit ...it gets crowded pretty fast. Not to worry, the cable car itself is pretty fast and they have a lot of them, even with long line-ups, they are pros at this! It is possible to hike the trail all the way to the summit, it can easily be done in a day hike but I've never been on that trail yet... someday I might, maybe not, I tend to take the path of least resistance! I like hiking and climbing but if there is a better option, I generally take it...hehe, they are so far and few between!
Shot 1/800 sec. f/7.1 65 mm, ISO 200
I recommend bringing warm clothing, it's generally about 10 degrees colder on top of the mountain than in the valley, of course snacks and water is a must. There is a restaurant where the cable car lands but prior reservations may be needed to get a chance to eat there but if you don't, there are plenty of great options in town once you are back down . There is also a souvenir shop for some mountaintop trinket shopping. There is a boardwalk trail that I will talk about in my next post.
Images taken with Nikon D7000 and Sigma 18-200mm lens.
Originally posted to weku:
https://deals.weku.io/community-deals/@ladybug146/canadian-rockies-gondola-in-the-town-of-banff
Cheers! X🐞X
I love the Banff Gondola! In all of my visits to Banff it has never been to cloudy to go up the gondola. This is crazy and sooooo lucky! With every post to make of the Canadian Rockies my wanderlust to return grows stronger!
Hope you get some rest and relaxation soon!
It's amazing! It's my second time doing it, we had the perfect day. Had we gone the day before it would have been a complete white out for view, it was really cloudy. The mountains are calling you back home, I'm sure you will be visiting them again in the future, it's hard to stay away!!
O yes.. memory lane again! I expected you to take the hike to the top of Sulfurmountain though. It took us an hour and a half but we saved our precious money which we overly spended on food and gifts at the summit.
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I wanted to take the hike but we only had 2 days to to a whole grocery list of areas to visit so I fast tracked some of the activities so we could see more into our trip. I will end up doing the trail one day tho, I hear it's worth it. I go there enough that I hardly find trinkets I want anymore so I don't mind spending more on some activities plus we got in free on other stuff I have yet to post because we have a yearly park pass.
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You're right, I hate the traffic and crowds, but the view is always worth it!
The view is incredible!
You're right, I hate the
Traffic and crowds, but the view
Is always worth it!
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Such amazing scenery the views from the gondola are incredible but you would never get me on it
Yes the views are super! lol it's a bit creepy especially since it stopped randomly in the middle of the line on the way down but both of us work with rigging and cranes and stuff, we always look at that and the welds before going on like a couple of weirdos. The safety factor rating is way over what is required so it does bring peace of mind.
Stopped randomly in the middle would freak me as well
I had a bad experience with one years ago and thats, why I will not go on them even though I know, hear the safety standards are so high
I suppose a bad experience at altitude in one probably would scar me for life too! Many scenarios have crossed my mind that's for sure.
MI dont want to put you off riding them so I wont detail mine, but all I will say as it happened fate was on my side and I am here to write this comment ;)
Thank goodness you are ok and it worked out for the best in the end!!
Thank goodness you are
Ok and it worked out for
The best in the end!!
- ladybug146
I'm a bot. I detect haiku.
Ahhh...another great post and pics!! I am missing Banff!
Thanks! and Banff misses you!! hehe. I always miss the Rockies before I even leave so I don't blame you, do you get to go back soon?
I hope to get back this Nov... few other trips on the burner so see what happens...
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