Having visited Banff several times a year for most of my life, I had never ridden the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain. While standing on a mountain top can be pretty chilly in the winter, we decided to take the ride up and enjoy the views. Is the Banff Gondola worth it in the winter?
Tickets for the Banff Gondola are expensive, so you might be wondering whether it’s worth the cost in winter. I’ll share my experience, tips for visiting Sulphur Mountain on a winter’s day, and what you can do at the top, so you can decide if the rewards are worth the cost.
What is the Banff Gondola all about?
The Banff Gondola offers 4-person, glass-enclosed cabins that rise steeply up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. Views from the gondola cabin are exceptional, and once you’re at the top, you’ll experience 360-degree views in the middle of breathtaking Banff National Park.
Visitors can walk along a well-maintained boardwalk around the peak to take in different views. There is also a modern building that houses an interpretive centre, a gift shop and a few restaurants.
Once you’re done exploring the top, you can ride the gondola back to the base and enjoy the views on your way down.
What can you do at the top of Sulphur Mountain?
If it were just the gondola ride itself, I would say it wasn’t worth the money. As an avid alpine skier, I’ve had plenty of experience on mountain-top gondolas and chairlifts. However, there is quite a bit to do at the top, and you can spend some time up there enjoying the incredible views.
Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk
The Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk goes along the ridge at the top of the mountain and has views on both sides. It’s about 1 kilometre long and leads to Sanson’s Peak, which is the highest point on the path. At Sanson’s Peak, you’ll find the Cosmic Ray Station, which is a National Historic Site of Canada. This station was built in the 1950s for scientific research.
Along the Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk, you’ll see the town of Banff in the pretty Bow Valley and panoramic views of the snowcapped mountain ranges, including the iconic Mount Rundle and Cascade Mountain.
The boardwalk is easy and well-maintained, but it is not wheelchair accessible due to stairs and elevation changes. It takes about 20-30 minutes to complete, depending on how long you stop to take photos of the beauty around you!
Above Banff Interpretive Centre
In the upper terminal building, the Above Banff Interpretive Centre gives you some time away from the wind and cold and a chance to learn about Banff National Park. It has touchscreens, interpretive displays, and exhibits that teach about the park’s history, Indigenous stories, wildlife, alpine ecology, and the scientific history of the Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station.
There is also a small theatre that plays rotating short feature films, mostly about the mountains and wildlife that call this place home.
Mountaintop Dining
There are a few dining options available at the top of Sulphur Mountain in the winter. For fine cuisine, the Sky Bistro offers global flavours on a rotating, seasonal menu. It also has stunning views, and reservations are recommended.
For something a bit more casual but still sit-in dining, you can check out the buffet-style Northern Lights Alpine Kitchen. Reservations are also recommended.
There is also the Castle Mountain Coffee Co. offering hot drinks and grab-and-go snacks. In the summer, a mountaintop patio opens, offering drinks and light fare. It wasn’t open when we were there this winter.
How cold is it up there?
When we were up there, it was a mild day, with temperatures around -5 °C. There was a strong, cold wind at the top, but we were dressed for it. You go up 698 metres, and the summit is 2,281 metres above sea level. The weather will feel much colder at the top compared to the bottom, and the gondola cars are not heated.
Even if it feels mild in the parking lot, bring warm clothing, a winter coat, a toque, mittens and something to cover your face.
Is the Banff Gondola worth it in the winter?
The views are truly exceptional and surround you. If you are not a hiker or skier, taking the Banff Gondola is the best and maybe only way to experience standing on top of a mountain. There is enough to do at the top that you can make an afternoon or evening of it.
If you have it in your budget and want to experience breathtaking alpine scenery from above, go for it. Even as someone who has experienced mountain top views many times, it still felt magical to see.
In the winter, it is way less busy than in the summer. If you want to avoid crowds and don’t mind bundling up, you’ll have a more peaceful experience on the boardwalk and taking in the amenities at the top.
This year, they had a slight discount for Alberta Residents and promotions where kids could ride free. Pricing is on an on-demand algorithm, so it’s more expensive on the weekend and during peak times compared to mid-week. You can check out Banff Gondola ticket prices.
Because we are skiers, we went early-season skiing at Lake Louise the next day and paid the same amount for our lift tickets. We got to ride a gondola AND go skiing. That made the cost of the Banff Gondola a little less worth it for me. I understand that not everyone will have the same priorities or experience as I, and I still really enjoyed our time on Sulphur Mountain.
If you want to see what Banff looks like from above, put on your winter wear and head up the Banff Gondola!
Find more adventures in the Rocky Mountains:
- Jacques Lake Cabin: A Winter Backpacking and Hiking Guide
- 4 backcountry trips to do with kids in Alberta
- A Summarized Guide to Alberta’s 5 National Parks
- Wind and Waterfalls: Winter in Waterton Lakes National Park
- The Cave and Basin: birthplace of Canada’s national parks
- Everything you need to know about Castle Mountain Resort
