We took full advantage of our day of sunshine in Banff. It was a non-stop day (like all the rest) but it seemed more relaxed than many of the others. We took the Banff Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain. The gondola took us up some 2,292 feet in eight minutes to an elevation of 7,486 feet. The views were really spectacular with mountain peaks 360 degrees around Sulphur Mountain. Most of the peaks are in the 9,000 to 10,000 foot range and there are almost too many to count. You can see the top of the gondola ride just to the right of April in the first photo.

From the summit, we also hiked up to the historic Sanson’s Peak Meteorological Station. The second photo is taken from the summit looking at the meteorological station. The path is all done in boardwalks. It’s not that far but it was about 375 steps up to the station, and of course, another 375 back down.

After our long day, and upon descending on the gondola, we went next door to the upper Sulphur Springs Hot Springs. We soaked our muscles in hot mineral waters for an hour or so and we all felt better. You can see us soaking in the third photo.

I noticed that the garbage cans right in town on the main street looked to be bear proof, or at least constructed to make it hard for an animal to get into them. As we were leaving town, we saw why. There were elk grazing right in town. You can see a small one in the last photo.