Sunshine Village

Although I’ve skied Sunshine since 1971 (when I was 3), I had never been up in the summer. It’s beautiful. If you were ambitious, you could hike up. We took the gondola up this trip.

Took the gondola and chairlift up in August for backpacking. Beautiful ride and great service. Plenty of amenities at the lodge. Picked up breakfast and it was delicious. Can't speak to the skiing here, but I would certainly come back to try.

The Citadel Pass hike was awesome. Much thinner crowds than the rest of Banff, likely due to the cost of the gondola ride up. Completely worth it. The views were incredible, and the alpine meadows were a fascinating landscape. Take the Standish Chairlift up to the viewpoint then hike down the back side to rejoin the Citadel Pass trail. It was very cold at the start when we went (Aug 25), but turned comfortably cool later on -- perfect hiking weather. On a sunny day it could be hot with the lack of shade in the meadows, so bring layers!

Superb gondola ride, chairlift experience and the view of the three lakes was stunning. Rock isle road hike back was also easy. Food was marvelous at the Trappers Cafe there! Rented bear spray, although saw none!!! Superb place! Never seen a gondola make a 90 degree turn like that and keep going!

Sunshine Meadows is a gorgeous place to hike in the summer. Beautiful alpine meadows with a variety of wild flowers, and crystal clear lakes.

Many services are closed during the summer, so be sure to bring everything you’re going to need. The only downside is the cost; at $65 per person for the gondola ride, it’s an expensive hike if you want to bring the family. There discounts available for Mountain Collective passes as well as some other ones.