Sanson Peak

Sanson Peak (aka Sanson's Peak)
Banff National Park,, Alberta
March 9, 2019
Distance: 6.9 km (4.3 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 805 m (2641 ft)

I can think of no easier peak to reach in the Canadian Rockies that offers comparable mountain scenery than Sanson Peak. It can be reached without even putting a foot on the ground; you step off a gondola and walk 600 m on a boardwalk. Perched at the north end of Sulphur Mountain, Sanson overlooks the Town of Banff. Naturally this easy trip draws tourists, and even on our winter trip, they swarmed the area.

There is, however, another way to reach Sanson Peak. Those with two good legs can skip the gondola, save some money and hike Sulphur Mountain Trail. And that's what Dinah and I did. We parked in the lower parking lot by the gondola station and made our way up the trail. We soon passed the upper parking lot and started up the first switchback. In fact, the entire ascent is switchbacks. We learned there are 27 of them from Sidney Woo and Shellie Bondar whom we met on the trail. As they accompanied us to the crest, they counted down the viewless switchbacks.

The trail ends at a four-story complex sitting on the ridge crest. The huge building holds an interpretive centre, gift shop, restaurant and upper gondola station. Dinah and I wandered up to the rooftop observation deck where we viewed snow-covered peaks in all directions. Afterwards, we joined others strolling along the boardwalk to Sanson Peak. The little summit is topped by a meteorological observatory building. Don't expect to find solitude here. People swarmed the summit, many with their smartphones out, snapping photos of the beautiful mountain scenery.

Once we had our fill of the views, the crowd and the cold, Dinah and I walked back to the gondola station. Here we took advantage of hiking up Sanson Peak in the winter: the ride down was free and we enjoyed it.

KML and GPX Tracks

From the lower parking lot, we started up the stairs ahead. Sanson Peak is in the centre.