Hoodoos – beautiful pillars formed from glacial material

Bow Falls

Wednesday, 1^st August, we hopped on the coach to explore Banff, Bow Falls, the viewpoint of Surprise Corner along Tunnel Mountain Drive and the wind-shaped Hoodoos overlooking Bow Valley, before boarding the Banff Gondola.

Situated in the heart of Banff National Park, the gondola ride is a must-do.  There are 40 gondolas, each taking 4 people and we had a breath-taking ride up to the summit where we found lots to do – grab a coffee, eat at the restaurant, buy souvenirs, visit the theatre, explore the interpretive centre or take a walk on the boardwalk to Sanson’s Peak.  It was quite a climb – lots of steps.  So pleased we had plenty of time here to take in the beauty of Sulphur Mountain and the stunning views of the six mountain ranges.  Perfect weather once again.

Banff Springs Hotel

The summit and the start of the boardwalk

Sanson’s Peak

As for Banff itself, it’s a very pretty town surrounded by the mountains.  We spent the afternoon in town and it was a good opportunity to catch up on the laundry as well.   We walked from our hotel but later found that a bus went by the door.   Good to know as we are here for two days.  The town was bigger than I expected with wide streets, lots of shops and interesting places to eat.

That night, we met for dinner in the restaurant at our hotel where we had a “Meet a Mountie” local specialist presentation from a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman.  He was very entertaining, and he answered all our questions.  Such an interesting insight into his time with the RCMP and we enjoyed learning about its history.