Banff Sunshine Village Gondola and Sightseeing

I took several tours with Ski Fiends while at Sunshine. Unfortunately, I do not remember the names of all the tour guides, but they All were absolutely wonderful! No matter what level of skiing you are, TAKE THE TOUR! Special thanks to Rudy for the last run I had at Sunshine. Fantastic!

We were two 70 yr. old parents, fairly fit and strong but not the power lifters that we were with, our daughter and son-in-law. They had done the Iceline in Yoho and the Alpine Circuit at Ohara during this same few days. Though surprised by the hefty charge to ascend to the alpine meadows of Sunshine Ski Area when there was no snow, we would say the money was worth it for all of us. They saw it as a nice walk with great opportunities for phography hobby and we saw it as an opportunity to see alpine meadows without making a 1000 metre ascent over 5km. Would highly recommend and have told a few friends who do that 'walking/hiking' thing.

Sunshine Meadows features the highest lift-accessed sightseeing elevation in Banff. It also offers the only chairlift with sightseeing access to three pristine alpine lakes (Laryx, Grizzly, and Rock Isle). The adventure starts at the base of Sunshine Village at an elevation of 1,659 metres where visitors ride Banff’s biggest gondola (each cabin accommodates up to eight people) to the village terminal at 2,159 metres. From the village, visitors then ride the Standish Express Sightseeing Chairlift to a height of 2,385 metres to access the Standish Viewing Deck for 360-degree, breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains. Awesome! Straddling the Continental Divide and the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia, Sunshine Meadows is known for its gorgeous wildflowers in summer and its vibrant larches in fall. Sunshine Meadows also offers self-guided hiking trails and, for an additional fee, 1-hour and 2-hour hosted trail walks. Look for Sunshine Village about 16 kilometres west of Banff via the Trans-Canada #1 Highway (#1 Sunshine Access Road). Its gondola runs daily during the summer (late-June to mid-September) from 8:00 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening (note that Standish closes one hour earlier). Tickets (including gondola and chairlift) are $59 for adults (18+), $55 for seniors (65+), $29 for youth (6-15), and $149 for families (two adults and two youth). Tickets may be purchased online or on site. Dress in layers and wear sunscreen. Parking is free. Visitors can also park in the Town of Banff and ride a shuttle to Sunshine Village for free. Note that dogs are not allowed on the gondola, chairlift, or shuttle. Swimming and fishing are also not permitted. There is an interpretive centre in the village.