At the recommendation of the Banff Visitor Center, we skipped the highly popular Banff Gondola and instead headed to a less crowded yet equally spectacular destination: Sunshine Village. Just a 20-minute drive away, this was our first truly epic stop of the trip.

The Ride Up: Sunshine Village Gondola

You don’t HAVE to pay for the gondola ride from the parking lot to the ski village. But if you want to save yourself hours of hiking along a road up 2,133 meters (7,000 feet) of elevation, I recommend splurging on tickets. We paid $104.94 USD for 2 passes for a tranquil ride to the ski village at the top with spectacular views along the way.

Despite warnings of potential crowds, we were pleasantly surprised to find hardly anyone else there. We even had a gondola all to ourselves, making the ride up peaceful and private.

Orientation at the Top

As we exited the gondola, a friendly Australian gal gave us a brief orientation. She advised us to wear sunscreen due to the high elevation, stick to the trails to avoid disrupting the flora and fauna, and be prepared with bug spray for the fierce mosquitoes near the lakes. She also warned us that there were no water or restroom facilities available once we ascended via the Standish Chairlift. Lastly, we learned that we could ride the chairlift both up and down as many times as we wanted before it closed at 5 PM.

After a quick refill of water and a restroom stop, we were off to the chairlift! The ride up offered breathtaking views, but be sure to hold onto your hat—it’s a windy journey!

The views at the top were stunning, and though words can’t quite capture their beauty, the pictures will have to do.

Hiking to Alpine Lakes

From the standing deck, there are multiple paths back down to the village. We opted to journey out towards the alpine lakes per the recommendation of a Sunshine Village worker.

Our first stop was Rock Isle Lake, just 0.5 miles (0.8 km) down from the viewing deck. The orienteer wasn’t exaggerating—the mosquitoes here were fierce! Despite applying bug spray twice, I still managed to get several bites.

We opted to take the Grizzly/Laryx Loop trail (totaling 2.2 miles (3.6 km) that took us to lakes of those same names.

Between Grizzly and Laryx akes is a windy overlook called Simpson Viewpoint that features a vast valley beneath you. Many of the trees were grey from prior wildfires. It was a beautiful spot to reapply bug spray and have a snack.

The hike, while appearing short on the map, was more challenging than expected due to some elevation changes. Eventually, we made our way back down the meadow trail to the ski village, feeling both tired and accomplished.

With an hour to spare before the chairlift closed, we couldn’t resist riding it up and down twice more. The thrill of the ride, combined with the spectacular views, made it a highlight of our day.

Wrapping Up at the Village

Back in the village, we treated ourselves to a well-deserved post-hike beverage at the bar. The setting was perfect, except for the ferocious chipmunks that would come unnervingly close. Unlike the young girl next to us who tried to feed them by hand, I wasn’t a fan of their aggressive behavior.

As the day came to a close, we hopped back on the gondola for the ride down to the parking lot.

From there, we drove off to settle into our campground for the night, content after a day of exploration and adventure.

And in case you need the trail map the next time you want to visit: