Sunshine Meadows, Banff National Park, Alberta
Not far from Banff, Sunshine Village offers a way to get above the treeline without working up a sweat. The Sunshine Gondola takes you from 5,440 feet to 7,082 feet. You can then take a chairlift up to 7,875 feet. From there, you have scenic views in all directions and it is an easy stroll to where you can look down at 3 alpine lakes – Rock Isle, Laryx, and Grizzly.
Although it was past peak for wildflowers when we went, there was still quite a bit of fireweed. A ground squirrel (Richardson’s I think) was willing to pose and we saw a mountain ram beside the road on the way out.
After this gondola ride, we drove to the Lake Louise Gondola which is known for grizzly sightings. The bears are so common that the upper part of the gondola is surrounded by an electric fence. Once at the top you have an excellent view of the Lake Louise valley. Trees prevented a good photograph so I used the gate in the fence to go higher up. I was not the only one. I climbed up a short slope and got a good shot of Lake Louise but noticed quite a bit of bear scat, very likely grizzly.
