Parking
The walk starts at the Banff Gondola Upper Terminal. The base parking lot is at the end of Mountain Avenue and is very limited; ride the gondola or hike Sulphur Mountain Trail to reach the summit.
Overview
About Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk
Why go
- Open ridge views over Banff and the Bow Valley
- A short walk reaches a natural lookout between two historic research sites
Heads up
- The 368 shallow stairs each way make this a poor fit for wheelchairs and strollers
- A gondola ride or the longer Sulphur Mountain climb is needed to reach the start
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Banff map
Full mapElevation2,226–2,266 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Banff alerts
- ClosureJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area closedJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area are closed to all traffic and travel through December 11, 2026, because construction work requires protecting public and workers’ safety.Official details
- ClosureBaker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds closed to campingCamping is prohibited at Baker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds through December 1, 2026, because a grizzly bear entered campsites and investigated tents and gear; the closures reduce risk to…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Banff Tour Guide
Your drive to Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Banff National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Banff audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Banff Gondola and the Summit Ridge0:00 / 0:35
“You're nearing the Banff Gondola, an eight-minute ride up Sulphur Mountain for views over Banff and the Bow Valley. Choose it if you want the height without a summit hike, but cloud can hide the panorama.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Banff Upper Hot Springs: A Soak or a Climb
- The Historian Who Designed Locomotives
- Spray River West: A Valley Walk to the Bridge
- Fairmont Banff Springs: Architecture and Afternoon Tea
- 185 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 162 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…Loved the commentary as you drove thru. I’m sure the app can do more than I know but the tips were very helpful. I’m gonna use it when we go to Banff next month.”
Trail guide
Hiking Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk
Is this the right short walk?Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk is a 0.7-mile (1.
Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk is a 0.7-mile (1.1-kilometre) out-and-back from the Banff Gondola Upper Terminal to a natural viewpoint between the Cosmic Ray Station and historic Weather Observatory, then back. Allow about 30 to 45 minutes with stops. The route is short, but it has 368 shallow stairs each way, so it is a better fit for visitors comfortable with repeated steps than for anyone expecting a level promenade.
Start at the summitReach the trailhead by riding the Banff Gondola or hiking Sulphur Mountain Trail from the base.
Reach the trailhead by riding the Banff Gondola or hiking Sulphur Mountain Trail from the base. The gondola base lot is at the end of Mountain Avenue and parking there is very limited. The summit terminal has restaurants, interpretive exhibits and a rooftop viewing deck; those are indoors and separate from the boardwalk. Pets are welcome on outdoor trails, but cannot ride the gondola or enter the terminal, so bring a dog only if you hike up.
Follow the ridgeWooden boardwalks and stairs carry you along the open summit ridge.
Wooden boardwalks and stairs carry you along the open summit ridge. The public route now stops at a natural lookout between the Cosmic Ray Station and the historic Weather Observatory, then returns the same way. The 368 shallow stairs each way rule out wheelchairs, and strollers are not recommended. Mountain weather changes quickly here: the summit can be colder and windier than Banff, with rain or snow arriving even when the valley is warm.
A mountain view with a science storyThe lookout opens over Banff and the Bow Valley, with Mount Rundle, Cascade Mountain and Tunnel…
The lookout opens over Banff and the Bow Valley, with Mount Rundle, Cascade Mountain and Tunnel Mountain among the peaks in view. It is a good place to frame the valley with the ridge in the foreground. The nearby Cosmic Ray Station was built in 1956–57 for research on cosmic rays. Sanson Peak carries another local story: Norman Sanson climbed Sulphur Mountain about weekly for 30 years to check the weather, continuing until 1945, when he was 84.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Banff
123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
