Riding the Banff Gondola & Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk [Banff, Canada]

Riding the Banff Gondola is an absolute must if you’re visiting Banff for the first time (or if you’d like to revisit it, like us)! It’s self-proclaimed as Banff’s #1 Attraction, and frankly, I wouldn’t argue with them. We’ve been in the summertime and wintertime, and both are breath-taking!

After the 8 minute ride to the top, you can see 6 mountain ranges from the 360-degree observation deck. There’s also restaurants, a coffee shop, gift shops, and an interpretive center.

Getting There

100 Mountain Ave
Banff, AB T1L 1B2, Canada

The gondola station is about 1.5 miles from the center of Banff, making it an obvious destination for travelers.

From Banff Ave, head south towards the Bow Bridge. Make a left turn after the Bow Bridge onto Mountain Ave and keep to the right lane. Follow Mountain Ave to the very end where you will arrive at the Banff Gondola parking lot on your left.

During Summer (May 19 – Oct 8), due to the limited parking available at the Banff Gondola, Banff Gondola recommends taking advantage of the Banff ROAM transit #1 which departs downtown Banff to the Banff Gondola  every 40 minutes (one way cash fare: $2.00 per person).

Get your tickets –> here!

Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk

We arrived at sunset, and we chose to walk along the Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk, which starts at the Gondola Summit and goes to Sanson’s Peak. It’s about a half mile walk with lots of stairs. When we went, it was windy and cold, and I was glad to have all of my layers! Since you’re at such a high elevation (7,486 feet at the Upper Terminal), it’s easy to lose your breath, so taking it slow is key. Plus, we stopped for many photo opps along the way.

The sun hitting the mountains in really neat shadows was amazing! It was definitely golden hour.

Once we were up there, we spent about an hour walking around enjoying the views.