Craving Views? Try Banff!

Some of us crave champagne truffles or rocky road ice cream (yes, I'm guilty!), others crave salt & vinegar potato chips or fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper.  The good things in life, the things that get us through the hard days.

I had a hard day today.  It made me wish for solitude, for a world with no people and infinite peace.  It made me dream of endless skies, of evergreen trees and snow capped mountains.  A place without people and without obligations.

Luckily Canada has an excellent selection of empty corners I can fly away to.

Banff is a small town located a couple hours outside of Calgary, Alberta in the Rocky Mountains.  It's a town built for skiers, filled with quaint shops and tasty restaurants.  You can use it as a gateway to visit Lake Louise and Jasper, or just go for a weekend and relax in the hot springs.

Plus, if you want to get away from your friends, coworkers or other tourists, the gondola awaits to sweep you up the mountain to a place where the silence is pregnant with speechless awe.

Details:

Transport: A taxi costs ~$8CAD from town and it's a short drive but a bit far for walking.  There is a large parking lot if you have a rental car, and public transit is also available.

Cost: $35+tax per adult

Length of gondola ride: I wasn't timing, but about 5-10 minutes each way.

Total time: Give yourself a couple hours total to wander around at the top, take 1,000 pictures, pause for a hot chocolate, and then take 1,000 more pictures.

Website: http://www.explorerockies.com/banff-gondola/hours-rates.aspx

Best for: All ages.  It's a nice walk, or you can just sit with a cup of tea in the main lodge.  You are at altitude, though not to a degree where it would be troublesome.  Just noticable.

Added benefit: This is located right next door to the Banff Hot Springs.  The parking lots literally back onto each other.  So pack your bathing suit, go for a hike, and when you're either frozen or energized, go relax for a bit in the pools.

Pictures: Just a few to give you a taste of why you should book your flight right now and get away from those evil coworkers who seem to think they know everything but in fact help with nothing.

Gondola up the mountain.

View from the gondola.

The valley and Banff lie far below.  If you look closely, the Fairmont Hotel is the taller building.

The area at the top of the mountain offers a pleasant hike over wooden pathways.

Each turn promises white capped mountains, even in the summer.

And even in the height of summer, if the wind doesn't take your breath away the views will (but still, pack your mittens!).