Sulphur Mountain (True Summit)

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I'm being priced out of my own back yard.

I ruminated on Parks' recently implemented $18 parking rate at Sulphur Mountain, as I cycled up Mountain Ave to the trailhead. I'd made regular use of the switchback trail to maintain some semblance of fitness over the winter, but it looked like that would be coming to a close for the forseeable future.

Not that Parks cares.

The shoulder narrowed up ahead, to the point where I was concerned about being sideswiped by careless motorists. I signalled, then pulled out into the centre of the lane and continued my uphill grind.

Price people out of a popular training spot and then don't even give us the option to access it in a timely manner? Deal with it.

An angry F-150 driver flipped me off as he whizzed past in the opposite lane, giving me plenty of clearance just as I'd intended. The shoulder widened about 50 meters later and I once again signalled and pulled back off the road.

Ha.

A few minutes later I rolled into the upper gondola parking lot, realizing that of course there was no bike rack present.

Oh right. Let's discourage people from using cars and then leave out cycling infrastructure for good measure. Sounds like a plan.

I piloted my two-wheeled steed down to the lower parking lot, locked my bike at the woefully diminutive rack, and started up the wooden stairs just as the Roam bus rolled up - the bus that, of course, not only does not service near my workplace, but that I could not have reached the stop for in time after leaving said workplace.

Yes, I beat the bus on an unpowered bike, with a 200M uphill grind in my way, and while taking my time finding "parking". All it took was finding the gumption to brave a manky gravel shoulder and endure being flipped off by tourists (the horror!)

The good news about getting out into the alpine is that your mood tends to improve quickly. Within a few minutes of starting up the Sulphur Mountain trail, I'd resolved to leave the stewing for my future readers and just enjoy the evening.

I grunted my way up the trail, noting that I was already a bit gassed. 200M of elevation in such a short stretch is a bit much when you haven't been on a bike for four months! This didn't bode particularly well for the evening, but I was pretty convinced it wouldn't be a problem. My headlamp was charged, and I was caught up on sleep so pulling a single late night wouldn't matter too much.

I had decided not to use any form of GPS guidance or review beta from other scramblers for this trip, relying solely on my rapidly improving routefinding skills to pick my way across the ridgeline and towards the summit. Following GPX routes is nice, but that won't develop the skills needed to pull off a few possible FAs I'm going to be chasing this summer!

Before long I found myself approaching the familiar rocky outcrop that had turned me back eight months prior. I took a minute to survey the surrounding rock, and quickly turned up a nice, blocky ramp that lead north and upwards along the obstruction's west face.

The ridgeline obstruction that turned me around in 2025 at upper left. The ridgeline obstruction that turned me around in 2025 at upper left. ✕

The access ramp leads L to R in this photo. The routefinding will either be extremely easy or extremely difficult depending on how experienced you are. The access ramp leads L to R in this photo. The routefinding will either be extremely easy or extremely difficult depending on how experienced you are. ✕

I scrambled up the ramp, quickly finding myself inside a nicely protected little "notch", before clambering up a ~2m bit of vertical terrain to reach the ridgeline. This would turn out to be the hardest part of the entire traverse.

This is the crux of the ascent. It can be bypassed via a nice little ledge to climber's right, albeit with some moderate exposure. This is the crux of the ascent. It can be bypassed via a nice little ledge to climber's right, albeit with some moderate exposure. ✕

Looking back down the ramp. The bypass ledge is clearly visible at close left here. Looking back down the ramp. The bypass ledge is clearly visible at close left here. ✕

I chuckled as I returned to the ridgeline. This turned me around last year? I stopped quickly as I recalled the key issue I've been facing over the last two years: lack of mentorship. Scrambling is hard enough in the Rockies when you have people to show you the ropes, let alone learning almost entirely solo. I still exercise an abundance of caution, and push the limits slowly to avoid getting myself killed - but that limit has grown so much already that it's easy to forget where I started.

I continued along the ridge, following a mixture of off-trail hiking and easy scrambling terrain to reach the next high-point. I trended climber's left along easy scree and rubble slopes, stopping for water at a small stream along the way.

Approaching the second minor high point, sometimes referred to as "Peak II". Approaching the second minor high point, sometimes referred to as "Peak II". ✕

A small stream partway up the high point was the only water source I found on the ridge. A small stream partway up the high point was the only water source I found on the ridge. ✕

Surprisingly, the minor high point was cairned. This seemed extremely odd to me as the next high point along the ridge was clearly higher still. I suspect this may be the stopping point for touristy "guided hikes" up the Suplhur Highline Trail, and gives tourons out of their depth something to celebrate.

The high point is cairned despite the next ridgeline bump being clearly higher. The high point is cairned despite the next ridgeline bump being clearly higher. ✕

Moderate scrambling to the 3rd high point. It may be possible to bypass this on climber's left once dry. Moderate scrambling to the 3rd high point. It may be possible to bypass this on climber's left once dry. ✕

More moderate scrambling led to the next high point, with spectacular views over the townsite and wider Banff area. I was delighted to note that the next high point was the summit, according to my topo map, and equally disgruntled as I looked down and realized just how much elevation I'd be losing traversing to it! I had severely underestimated just how much cycling to the trailhead would take out of my body, and was - to put it mildly - completely gassed at this point.

There was nothing to do but haul my tired body towards the summit, which looked a tad intimidating at first, but broke down up close into easy scrambling on scree and rubble as these things so often do in the Canadian Rockies.

Phenomenal views to the north from the 3rd high point. Phenomenal views to the north from the 3rd high point. ✕

Getting close to the 4th high point and true summit. Getting close to the 4th high point and true summit. ✕

I reached the summit at 2030hrs, and found myself delighted by glorious views in just about every direction, with summits stretching off into the distance over HWY 1 and towards Kananaskis alike. I was equally pleased to note that the next high point was very visibly lower (Vern DeWit concludes similarly in his trip report Sulphur Mountain
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Panoramic views to familiar and remote summits alike.

Panoramic views to familiar and remote summits alike. ✕

I sat down and enjoyed the summit for a good few minutes after capturing its beauty for later with my phone's camera. It was only when I started hiking back down the ridge that I noticed two wood ticks on my person - one on my shin, and one on my hand. Bleah! (And I took a third home to boot.) Reviewing beta after my trip, I noted that a few other scramblers similarly found a lot of ticks on the ridgeline, so I'll consider myself lucky for only picking up three. It's also noteworthy that I am usually quite boring to mosquitoes, ticks, et cetera, so the fact that I picked up any does not bode well for others.

I returned much the same way as I came, stopping regularly to admire the blood-red sunset that is usually completely blocked by the mountains at ground level. I don't miss much about the prairies, but the sunsets are one of those few things that I admire any time I drive back to Edmonton during the right time of day.

I am still extremely obsessed with Sundance Peak. Maybe this year or next I'll bag it... I am still extremely obsessed with Sundance Peak. Maybe this year or next I'll bag it... ✕

The sunset turns the sky blood red as I curse and pull ticks off my body. The sunset turns the sky blood red as I curse and pull ticks off my body. ✕

Dusk falls as I finish the last moderate section and start hiking back to the descent trail. Dusk falls as I finish the last moderate section and start hiking back to the descent trail. ✕

I arrived at the gondola station well after dark, and descended in silence - a welcome relief from the near-perpetual rumble and rattle that the gondola adds to the area during its normal operating hours. I arrived at the parking lot at 2337hrs, hopped on my bike, and enjoyed the breezy ride down to my apartment, travelling as fast as I could without overdriving my headlight.