Rockbound Lake

Rockbound Lake sits behind Castle Mountain in Banff National Park. The trail (19km out and back) is a steady climb through a diverse forest toward the cliffs of Castle Mountain. From there, the trail crosses into open meadows alongside Tower Lake. Circumventing Tower Lake, the trail ascends a short cliff band to Rockbound Lake (picture below).

The Hike

To reach the trail-head from Banff, drive for approximately 25mins along hwy 1A. The parking lot for Rockbound lake is well marked. However, it is a popular trail so leave early to ensure you get a parking space.

The first 6km of the trail ascend through forest without any noteworthy views. From roughly the 6km, you'll enter sparse forest mixed with meadows.

As you hike through these areas, you'll see the cliffs along Castle Mountain.

The trail will take you toward Tower Lake.

Tower Lake is spectacular. In the summer, you'll likely see fish rising to the surface of the water for food. You can see Eisenhower Tower on the left side of the photo below.

Beyond Tower Lake, you'll ascend trail leading through a short cliff band. Afterwards, you'll hike through sub-alpine toward Rockbound Lake in the distance (picture below).

Rockbound Lake is beautiful. Helena Ridge/Peak can be seen in the far right of the photo below. By following the trail around the lake, you can hike the scree slopes to the top.

Final Thoughts

While the stats for the trail suggest that it may be a long hike (19km and 1000 metres elevation gain), it never felt particularly difficult. Nestled near Castle Mountain, Rockbound lake is a spectacular. With time permitting, you can continue onward to Helena Ridge/Peak or scramble Castle Mountain.