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, I entered sparse forest mixed with meadows.

As I hiked through these areas, I saw the cliffs along Castle Mountain.

The trail took me toward Tower Lake.

Tower Lake is spectacular. I saw fish rising to the surface of the water for food. I could see Eisenhower Tower on the left side of the photo below.

Beyond Tower Lake, I followed the trail leading through a short cliff band. Afterwards, I hiked 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.

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.