On Saturday, July 18th, 1959 the Sulphur Mountain Gondola officially opened. It was the first bi-cable gondola in North America and the first gondola of any kind in Canada. Fifty years and over 18 million visitors later, the modernized Banff Gondola...

 is one of the most visited attractions in the Canadian Rockies. Banff celebrated the gondola's 50th anniversary Saturday, July 18th.

These days, the Banff Gondola mountaintop experience begins with an eight minute journey to the summit of SulphurMountain in a modern, fully-enclosed four passenger gondola cabin. The views become more and more spectacular upon arrival at the summit at 2,281m (7,486 ft) above sea level - the departure point for a collection of mountaintop activities awaiting visitors this 2009 season.

One of the most impressive activities is the Banff Skywalk; an easy 1km self-guided interpretive walkway along the summit ridge of Sulphur Mountain that leads to the to the Cosmic Ray Station National Historic Site of Canada and the historic Sanson's Peak Meteorological Station.

Another popular activity is the Giant Interactive Compass, a favourite among visitors that have the opportunity to find out the distance and directi on to home and other cities around the world.

Photo: Brewster Inc./Banff Lake Louise Tourism image gallery