We actually considered taking the gondola up Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. But that was before we found out it would cost $55 per person! In the end, hiking up Sulphur Mountain wasn’t so bad, and it was a great challenge to take on! 😅
Friday, June 10, 2022
This morning is cold, gray, and windy. After a long and demanding hike in Banff National Park followed by a stormy night under the tent, we are exhausted. To lift our spirits, we take a hot shower at the Mountain View campground in the town of Banff, where we spent the night. Given the price of the campground, we might as well make the most of it! The positive side of this campground: we managed to charge our Goal Zero battery to 90%! Good thing, because that was the main reason for staying in a campground. Today is a rest day. We have a comforting breakfast at Tim’s and catch up with the family ❤️ before doing some shopping.
Banff is not just a national park; it’s also a town! So, we spend the day visiting the most popular spots around. The town is very cute, nestled in the mountains, but it feels too small to accommodate the influx of tourists from all over the world that arrive every summer. Dozens of buses, hotels, guesthouses, chalets, and resorts, plus souvenir shops everywhere. All at exorbitant prices 🤪.
National Historic Site Cave and Basin
This is where Canada’s very first national park was created in the early 1880s. The park was established around the cave and its hot springs to attract tourists and promote trade. Before that, the cave had been used for hundreds of years by Indigenous people for rituals and ceremonies. This small historic site tells the story of the cave’s discovery and, more broadly, the creation of Canada’s national parks and their role in preserving the country’s wildlife and flora.
The gondolas of Mount Sulphur
We were very tempted to take the gondolas up Mount Sulphur, before finding out the price was $55 per person! 😱 A bit expensive for us. We were planning to go all the way to Ushuaia, after all!
Bow Falls
The Fairmont
Is it really necessary to mention that we didn’t spend the night here? 😅
The hoodoos
We made a brief stop to admire the local Hoodoos, also known as fairy chimneys. These tall rock formations were shaped over the years by erosion.
On the road, I spot an elk lying in the woods. Without hesitation, we turn around and carefully take the hiking trail that passes right by this giant deer – the second largest in North America after the moose. We don’t linger, as the “Caution: Female elk are dangerous” signs are just as common as the “Caution: Bear!” ones. See an elk? Check!
Saturday, June 11
We leave the mountains for the day. The reason? We’re going to the doctor. For Jeepy, not for us! Indeed, one of the transmission shaft joints is leaking. Rémi spends the morning at the garage in Calgary, and I stay at Tim’s to work. We eventually spend a good part of the afternoon there. A day of rest and work that feels good. And, since it’s a day dedicated to taking care of Jeepy, we take the opportunity to rotate the tires.
Sunday, June 12
Our plan for the day? Hiking up Sulphur Mountain. Since we don’t have $100 to spend on a gondola ride, we opt for the hiking trail instead. After all, the view will definitely be more rewarding after such an effort, right? 😉 So, off we go to the summit of Mount Sulphur!
🥾 Mount Sulphur Trail – 11 km (6.8 miles), 750 m elevation gain
The trail is much less strenuous than we expected. In reality, it has a gentle incline the entire way. All we need to do is find a pace and stick with it until the end.
Zigzag after zigzag, we finally reach the summit of Mount Sulphur, where we run into a group of four Québécois who just got off the gondola. They didn’t know there was a trail! When we tell them it took us 1.5 hours to climb, they no longer regret their pricey tickets! At the top, it’s crowded. And that’s an understatement! But the view of the valley and the town of Banff nestled in the mountains is stunning. Another great hike 😊
After hiking up Sulphur Mountain, we spend a good part of the afternoon in Banff. We take our time wandering through the charming streets of the town, surrounded by all the local tourists. Between browsing souvenir shops for a sticker to put on Jeepy, we stop by the local ice cream shop: McDonald’s! 😁
We then set off to admire another viewpoint over the city, but this time, it’s Jeepy doing the work! It bravely climbs the tight mountain turns without a hitch. What a champ! Although, we do use up a bit of the tank. It sure guzzles fuel! 😂
Discreetly, we sneak into the campground where we stayed a few days earlier. Armed with a backpack full of our toiletries, we walk through the various campsites, wearing our most innocent expressions. We quietly enter the bathrooms to take a nice hot shower. We also take the opportunity to do some dishes. After that, we return for the third time to the same spot to spend a rainy night, the first of many to come.
But bad weather is no match for us! Indeed, we’re far from having discovered all the wonders that Banff National Park has to offer. Next stop: exploring the most beautiful and iconic lakes of Canada, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake! With, as a bonus, a terrifying face-to-face encounter with grizzly bears during a hike!
