BOU AVENUE
Sulphur Mountain
On 7 June 2025, Zosia Zgolak and I climbed Sulphur Mountain in Alberta's Banff National Park.  Having already hiked Sulphur Mountain Trail to the upper gondola station many times in the past, it is perhaps a bit odd that I have never ventured southward to tag the true summit.  Admittedly, having to repeatedly gain and lose elevation going over numerous intervening false summits always seemed unappealing to me, but probably the biggest dissatisfier now is the fact that there are no longer free downhill gondola rides for people that walk up the trail.  The cost of riding the gondola on this day was $85 CDN plus tax per adult and half price for just the downhill ride.  Paying for a full ride would have saved us about 10 kilometres of extra walking plus at least 670 metres of elevation gain.  As tempting as this was, we ended up going cheap and just walked the entire trip.

Starting from the Banff Upper Hot Springs parking lot (51.14913, -115.55895), Zosia and I hiked the easy-to-follow Sulphur Mountain Trail to the upper gondola station in about two hours.  We took a short break there before leaving the crowds behind to head south along the crest of the ridge.  Most online resources identify four distinct peaks along the ridge south of the gondola station.  Some route-finding and scrambling with mild exposure is required to surmount the first peak, and this was probably the most technically-challenging part of the entire trip for us.  The second peak is mostly a hike with one very brief section of scrambling.  An intimidating rock pinnacle guards the third peak, but it is easily bypassed to climber's right (marked by a cairn).  The third peak is generally regarded as the true summit (Open Topo Map shows extra contour lines on the third peak), but there has been some online debate about whether or not the fourth peak is actually higher.  Just eyeballing from the top of the third peak, the fourth peak looked decidedly lower to us, and we were content to forego it.  A couple other groups that followed us did likewise.

For our return, Zosia and I simply retraced our steps along the ridge.  Climbing back over each subsidiary peak was wearisome but mostly uncomplicated.  We had a bit of trouble remembering where we came up on the scrambling section of the first peak but eventually figured it out.  Upon returning to the upper gondola station, we stopped for another short break before commencing the mind-numbing descent to the parking lot.  Remarkably, this was the first time that either of us had ever walked down Sulphur Mountain Trail.  Hopefully, it will also be the last time!
The Banff Grind? A gondola car passes overhead as Zosia climbs up Sulphur Mountain Trail.
Definitely well-fed by tourists! Outside the upper gondola station, Sonny greets a fearless golden-mantled ground squirrel.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
A crowd of what? Zosia follows a good path heading southward along the ridge crest.  There appears to be a crowd gathered on the rocky peak ahead.  Most online resources refer to this as "1st Peak".
I think they notice us coming! A closer look at 1st Peak reveals a large heard of sheep on top.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Must be time for them to go to "work" at the gondola station! Although the sheep have been startled, they seem to be moving purposefully northward.
Just when all the sheep had finally left, now we get these weird two-legged creatures coming up... A hoary marmot peers down at new intruders disturbing its peace.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Look at me! I'm king of the castle! This straggling ram does not seem to be in any rush to catch up to the rest of the herd.
Possibly the crux of the ascent. Zosia scrambles up where the sheep descended from 1st Peak.
There's a girl from New Zealand sitting on top of this peak. Zosia climbs higher on 1st Peak.
You can even spot a bit of "3rd Peak" from here! From 1st Peak, Zosia looks toward "2nd Peak".
Looks less daunting up close! Zosia approaches the north end of 2nd Peak.
More scrambling ahead! More of 2nd Peak is revealed here.
Looking like a pro! A little scrambling is required to surmount 2nd Peak.

It's a little more than a kilometre away.

Having climbed 2nd Peak, Zosia sets her sights on "3rd Peak".

 

Glad it's not too bushy where the ridge crest is covered with trees. Zosia is near the low point of the dip between 2nd and 3rd Peaks.
Glad we didn't have to post-hole on this trip! Lingering snow clings to the east side of 3rd Peak.
No problemo! A large pinnacle seemingly blocks the ridge just below 3rd Peak, but Zosia finds a way to bypass it.
Looks lower to me! Zosia wanders to the end of the summit ridge for 3rd Peak.  Visible beyond is 4th Peak (right of centre).
Not as friendly as the one back at the gondola station! A golden-mantled ground squirrel pokes its head out of some rocks at the top of 3rd Peak.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Maybe we'll come back for 4th Peak someday...with a gondola ride! Sonny and Zosia stand atop 3rd Peak (2464 metres), the presumed true summit of Sulphur Mountain.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a big zip line from here to the gondola station?

Zosia begins the long return journey northward.

 

We should come back and ski that clear cut below! Zosia descends the most technical section of the trip on the north side of 1st Peak.
Could be Bigfoot? Near the upper gondola station, this pine marten makes a mad dash to escape all the annoying tourists.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Bye bye, sheep! Zosia prepares to depart the upper gondola station and settle into a mind-numbing descent of Sulphur Mountain Trail.
Always a crowd-pleaser! This is one of many calypso orchids found alongside Sulphur Mountain Trail at an elevation of around 1730 metres.
I would recommend paying for a gondola ride on this one! Total Distance:  18.2 kilometres
Round-Trip Time:  11 hours 4 minutes
Cumulative Elevation Gain:  1028 metres

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