Banff Sunshine Meadows
Banff Sunshine Meadows
5
Hiking & Camping ToursNature & Wildlife Tours
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Enjoy 360 degree views of the Canadian Rocky Mountain as you ride an 8-passenger gondola and take in the breathtaking views of Banff National Park. Continue on up the mountain and ride the Mount Standish Chairlift that will take you to the Standish Viewpoint Platform. Experience your surroundings from the highest sightseeing elevation in the Banff and Lake Louise area at 7,875ft (2,400m).
Banff, Alberta, Canada

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(2 reviews)
(2 reviews)
(2 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles5 reviews
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Dutch_2006
Arlington, TX115 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
Talk about a great hike! The wildflowers were starting to come out at the first of July, and they say they continue to get more impressive as July and August role on. We did the 2.5-hour hike from the chairlift and around the lakes and back to the chairlift. The only strenuous part of the hike is if you choose to go back to the chairlift.

We got there at 8:30 a.m. and took the 20-minute gondola ride up to be in place for when the chairlift starts up at 9:00 a.m. The Banff area is crazy busy in the summer so try and do all your hikes and activities early to beat the crowds.

This is a "not to be missed" hike for the beauty and wildflower experience.
Written July 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AlbertaChristiegirl
Calgary, Canada2,226 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
My husband and I have always wanted to try the hiking at Sunshine Village Meadows & decided to go on a beautiful Thursday afternoon, the third week of August 2019.

Parking is free at the base of Sunshine Village. There is a store and a place to get a bite to eat as well. The gondola ride up is $39 p/p for Alberta residents & $45 for non residents (operates 8am to 6pm June 28-Sept 8/19). The ride up is about 22 minutes (5 kms), we had the gondola to ourselves (it carries 8 people) & it provided great views.

Once we disembarked at the village, we were cheerfully greeted by the village staff who provided us with some information & we then we were on our way. Make sure you check out the interpretive center as the staff will let you know about the trail conditions, review the trail map with you & answer any questions you may have. As well, you can purchase or rent bear spray and there is a gift shop with more hiking items if needed. They have displays of the flowers you will see, as well as wildlife information.

The Standish Express Chairlift (4 person) operates 8:00 am - 5:00 pm and will take you to an elevation of 2400 meters (8000 feet) to the viewing deck. You are again greeted by friendly staff. From there you will take a comfortable walk on the well marked trail, reading various signs along the way.

Once we reached the viewing deck, we were in awe of the amazing lakes below and mountain peaks surrounding us. More staff were there, advising us of any bears or other wildlife in the area & if all the trails were open - today they were so we were in luck.

We proceeded to take the Grizzly Laryx Loop Trail (about 2.5 hours with elevation gain & loss of 479 feet (146 meters). The trails were all very well kept and marked, as well as benches in various spots to rest (mainly on the way back up). While there were other hikers, we still felt very much alone and it was so peaceful.

The meadow flowers were in full bloom all around us and having checked in at the interpretive center in advance, we knew exactly what flowers we were seeing.

On our second day to hike we found out the loop was closed due to grizzly bear activity - there are at least 10 staff hiking the trails with walkie-talkies to keep everyone informed and they are ready to close a trail & move hikers on if need be. Safety is definitely their priority. We decided to proceed with the Twin Cairns to Monarch Lookout trail, which was flat & downhill, back to the village. The difference in the landscape was amazing, so different than our first day hike.

Recommend you dress in layers and bring water & sunscreen/lip balm (I burnt my lips on the first hike). The weather in Banff was 17 Celsius but the temperature at the Standish Viewing Deck was 5 Celsius, so those we saw disembarking the gondola with shorts & a t-shirt would not have fared well at the viewing deck.

We rewarded ourselves with beers and lunch at Trappers BBQ & Patio, sitting outside on their picnic benches.

I have to commend the friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff at Sunshine Village - we really enjoyed speaking with them (and they offer to take your photos anytime as well) and they helped us feel safer, knowing they were in the area keeping an eye out for bears.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 days hiking at Sunshine Meadows and will definitely do this activity again. It appears our timing in August was perfect to enjoy the meadow flowers and warmer weather as well.
Written September 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JaneMP
Kalamazoo, MI267 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Family
We took our grandchildren to several US and Canadian National Parks and we all agreed the day we spent in ther beautiful Alpine Meadow was high on our list of favorite places. The gondola ride and chairlift were fun and the hike around the lake which was thick with wildflowers was fairly easy. It was a great way to spend a day.
Written September 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CarolDM1900
Montpelier, VT3,353 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
Weather can be volatile in the high peaks, so we came prepared. GOOD THING. The first leg up to the meadows is via gondola, so it is fine in any conditions excepting strong winds. But the second and final leg is in a chair lift, with full exposure to the elements, as we found out the hard way. We quickly donned our rain gear, but by the time we got to the top, we were cold and wet, having been battered by strong winds and pelting rain. Given the bad weather, we wondered if we would be able to see any views at all.

Although it was still dark and drizzly when we reached the top, almost the minute we started out on the short trail to the viewpoint, we saw glimpses of blue sky. It was a nice walk, past fields of colorful wildflowers. And by the time we got there, it was starting to be sunnier and warmer. The mountaintops were still misty, but the panorama before us, with all the lakes laid out like a string of jewels, more than made up for not seeing the summit of The Monarch or the peak of Mt. Assiniboine aka "The Matterhorn of the Rockies" beyond it.

So the time we spent here on the "rooftop" between Alberta and British Columbia was rewarding and even inspiring. Let me also note that we knew exactly what we were seeing -- the names of the lakes and the peaks, as well as the precise elevations -- thanks to the excellent interpretive signs along the trail.

This was an unforgettable experience. If you are anywhere near here and you don't stop for a look, you will be missing something wonderful in this world.

Just to note: there is good food and drink at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge. We stopped at Trappers Pub and sat at the friendly bar, where we enjoyed good hot coffee with some Bailey's Irish Cream to make it interesting. The place was crowded and the staff were working hard, but they made time to talk with their customers. The folks behind the bar chatted easily with us about our collective high mountain experiences, and we thank them for their friendliness.

Highly recommended.
Written October 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lynda B
Great Mongeham, UK11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2018 • Couples
We were lucky enough to get a room upgrade to a room with a gas fire which was appreciated as it snowed whilst we were there. Room immaculate, toiletries top quality, coffee was nespresso - all great. Housekeeping called to offer replenishments too. My only criticism was the dirty room service plates/glasses left outside another room -there when we arrived and even when we retired at 23:00. Quite a hazard in the corridor - strange too as housekeeping were about (see last comment). We had dinner in the restaurant-this was good too although we chose soup and a cold meats type of platter. We took the chairlift up and walked across ‘sunshine meadows ‘ the next day in the snow. Staff all polite. A manager seemed to be doing an inspection of the coffee shop when we returned -good to see. Attention to detail so important. We would return
Written September 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Banff Sunshine Meadows - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)