Favorite Workout on the Planet
It’s a vigorous walk up five-and-a-half kilometres (almost three-and-a-half miles) of switchbacks on the mountain. As you gain nearly 700 meters in elevation (about two thousand feet) you cross back and forth under the cable car structures numerous times before reaching the upper terminal.
The literature will tell you that it takes two to five hours to reach the top. We usually do it in about one hour forty minutes. It’s an excellent workout.
I took my son to Sulphur Mountain in early 2001. About a week before we got there, a woman had been attacked by a cougar near Banff. We checked in at the ranger’s office before our walk. They informed us that there should’t be a problem, but that we should be vigilant.
We were about halfway up when I heard noise on the trail behind us. We stopped. And waited.
The noise was created by two people actually jogging up the mountain. Goodness help me, but I have never wanted to trip someone so badly in my life. I’m sweating and struggling to keep up with my teenager. And they’re jogging up like there’s nothing to it!
When you reach the top, sweaty and breathing hard, the journey becomes well worth the destination. The views of Banff and the surrounding valley are nothing short of spectacular. You can literally see for dozens of miles in every direction.
Once you’ve had your fill of beauty, you catch the gondola back down the hill. When you get back down to the parking lot, you pop the trunk on your rental car, pick up your swim trunks, and walk over to the hot springs, conveniently located at one end of the parking lot.
An excellent workout. Spectacular views. A ride down. And a good soak.
This is the precise point at which the journey and destination are completely in sync.
