Scenes from Atop Sulphur Mountain

Banff and its Surroundings

Yesterday, Rolande and I accompanied her niece, Diane and her friends to the summit of Sulphur Mountain in Banff. The gondola ride up was uneventful despite being busy. It’s only early June; I can’t imagine what it will be like in July and August!

Today’s pictures were all taken from at or near the mountain’s summit, an elevation of 7,486 ft. (2,451 m.) My first picture features a view of the Town of Banff, opposite the base of Cascade Mountain. The townsite is centred near the bottom of the image. You can see the bridge where the Main Street crosses the Bow River. The cluster of buildings in the lower, right corner of the photograph is the Banff Centre for Creativity, (aka the Banff Centre). It’s a reknowned arts and culture educational institution in Banff. It offers arts programs in the performing and fine arts, as well as leadership training.

This next scene overlooks the Banff Springs Hotel Golf Course, opened in 1911. The Banff Springs Hotel can be seen in the lower left hand corner of the photograph. The Banff Springs has been welcoming guests since 1888.  It rapidly became one of the top three mountain resorts in North America.

I took this next photograph looking northwest to the Sawback range, which includes Mount Edith (right) and Mount Louis (left).

We followed the boardwalks and stairs to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, somewhat higher than the Banff Gondola Upper Terminal. The summit is the site of a weather station, pictured here from a pathway below.

On our way back down to the terminal, I noticed this interesting boulder. I took the picture because I, like many photographers, welcome texture. It certainly has character with the colourful lichen settled on its surface and the abundant cracks.

I was interested in the weather station, constructed in 1902 for the collection of meteorological data. It’s a small, plain, one-storey, stone building with a hipped roof. It has persevered the harsh mountain climate for almost 125 years. It is administered by Environment Canada-Parks.

Our visit was a good experience, despite the wait to board the gondola. Once aboard, we were whisked to the upper terminal in 8 minutes, gliding over the tree tops to arrive at a jaw-dropping mountaintop experience. Sulphur Mountain Gondola Upper Terminal was built in 1980, and includes good restaurants and an interesting interpretive centre. A “must-see” for visitors to Banff.