8. Stop Banff, Alberta

I took a public bus to Banff in the morning, which took about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I couldn't check into the hostel that early, but I was able to store my backpack there. Then, I headed to the Banff Gondola. It is located just outside the city center and operates year-round to the Sulphur Mountain.

I had considered hiking up the trail, which would have taken about 2 hours. However, the ice layer was very thick and although I had good hiking boots, I didn't have spikes and didn't want to buy them just for this. So, I opted for the more leisurely option and took the gondola instead. It takes about 10 minutes to reach 2450 meters.

Once there, you can visit the historic Cosmic Ray Station by climbing 200 stairs. From here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Banff and the surrounding mountains, including the famous Three Sisters mountain range.

Afterwards, I rode back down from the freezing viewpoint of -10 degrees and finished my sightseeing for the day.