Sulphur Mountain - by foot!

Fri. 8 June:  Sulphur Mountain – by foot

There is an easier way of getting to the top of Sulphur Mountain, but not if you want to do it for free.

The gondola is one of Banff’s biggest attractions, depositing thousands of tourists (mostly Japanese and Brits today) on the summit for a spectacular view of the Canadian Rockies.  On the other hand, even at a fast pace, it’s a good hour and twenty minutes and  twenty eight switchbacks, by the hiking trail.  But it does give you bragging rights at the top.  On the summit, an elderly couple asked if I wanted my photo taken, which I gratefully accepted.  Several Japanese families were also taking photos of each other, accompanied by a loud “Hi, Hi”, which obviously must get better photos for the family album.

The trail was almost entirely snow free, which was a little surprising, although I stepped through a large drift as I reached the summit.

I didn’t stay long at the top, although it wasn’t particularly busy.  After a short stroll along the magnificent boardwalk, I turned off onto the Cosmic Ray Observatory access road, which drops to the Sundance valley far below in three long switchbacks, the third one being several kilometres in length.  The higher sections of this road had large discolored snowdrifts but I was soon below the snowline.  As I dropped down the wide trail, I was treated to fine views of the Bow Valley ringed by snowy mountains half hidden in cloud.  A little chipmunk stopped to give me a perfect opportunity to take his photo.  Lower down, a deer tried unsuccessfully to hide behind a tree.

Down in the valley, I turned right on the Sundance Canyon access road (long since closed to cars) and enjoyed a leisurely walk beside the Bow River.  It was brown and muddy and was flowing swiftly along, thanks to recent rains.  In Banff the water was racing almost menacingly under the bridge, and sandbags had been added to the concrete barriers upstream.

The whole area around the Cave and Basin hot springs was closed due to major construction.  It will be a grand opening (next year I think).

A steady pace up the road past the Banff Springs Hotel - a hive of activity as always - brought me to the final half hour of uphill trails through the forest on a nicely graded route.  Just as I passed below the towering walls of the Rimrock Hotel, the light rain began to fall.  I scurried up to the car park and dived into the car just as the pace of the rain started to increase.  A shower was sweeping across the valley, and this turned into a steady downpour for the rest of the day.  I had timed my hike almost to perfection.

As the day drew on, I watched the mountains disappear and the puddles in the campsite grow.  But this was my first outing in my new trailer, and so I watched this from the luxury of my warm, comfy home.

It promised to rain all weekend.  But once again, Banff National Park had not disappointed.

Statistics
Sulphur Mountain
Fri. 8 June
Total Dist.	18.5 km (hike)
Height Gain	2,820 ft.
Max. Elev.	7,415 ft.
Time	4 hrs. 48 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:      8.41 am Summit:       10.11 am S’dance Jn:  11.42 am Banff Spr H:   1.02 pm Ret. to car:     1.29 pm	Start Temp:   + 7C Finish Temp: + 16 C Colder on summit Mostly cloudy, some sunny spells. Starts to rain at end.