Hiking to Rockbound Lake: What You Need to Know

Rockbound Lake is a gorgeous alpine lake in Banff, set inside the grand Castle Mountain amphitheater. Intrepid hikers with the energy should expect a full-day hike up to the lake. It’s a long approach to reach the lake, which dissuades many hikers, but those who put in the effort are rewarded with a gem that remains fairly quiet in a very busy park.

If you’re looking for a full-day hike that doesn’t involve scrambling or difficult trail conditions, Rockbound is a great option in Banff. Those looking for a truly epic day hike can continue up the headwall of Castle Mountain for views over the lake and a mountain summit.

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Rockbound Lake Trail Description

The day use area and trailhead are just south of Castle Junction on the Bow Valley Parkway. If you’re familiar with the Bow Valley Parkway closure that happens every summer, know that this parking area and trailhead are still accessible during the closure.

At the trailhead, you can find long drop toilets, trash, and a bulletin board. For its difficulty, Rockbound is a surprisingly popular hike, and the parking lot on weekends during the summer often fills up early. The parking lot filling up also has to do with the lot providing access to Silverton Falls, which is an easy family friendly hike in Banff.

Regardless of its popularity, you’ll unlikely see many hikers on the trail given its length. From the parking lot, the trail is a long approach at just under 9 km to reach Rockbound Lake. This does not include any effort to gain better views of the lake or explore its shores.

The trail starts relatively uneventfully, which can be a bit of a grind, especially on the way out. It’s a consistent moderate climb up through the forest for around 5 kilometres with very little to offer in terms of views. As the trail climbs in elevation, it gives up the occasional glimpse of the Eisenhower Tower high above.

At around 5.5 km, the trail finally starts to get interesting as you round the backside of Castle Mountain. There is a small waterfall just off the trail, and views of the Eisenhower Tower really start to appear as the forest begins to thin.

The meadows here are lovely and make for interesting terrain to hike through. Traveling through forest and meadow that is dotted with boulders, streams, wildflowers, and larch trees is wonderful. It’s a serene setting that is well-removed from the crowds of Banff.

The terrain continues like this for another 2 km until you reach Tower Lake, the first significant view along the trail. It’s a small alpine lake that sits directly underneath the Castle Mountains’ rock face. Tower Lake makes for a good spot to stop for a second to take in the view before tackling the crux of the trail.

After 7.5 km of hiking, it’s now time to gain the first headwall to reach Rockbound Lake. You’ll see signs marking the route here. It’s a very steep and loose climb with switchbacks that is pretty short-lived as it’s only 100 meters of elevation gain.

After the climb it’s a short walk through a larch forest to reach Rockbound Lake. The lake’s edge is a made up of huge stone slabs that make for a nice spot to have a picnic. In general the geology around Rockbound Lake is fascinating with an endless amount of unique rock formations.

Of course, the lake is the highlight as it’s surrounded by huge cliffs, talus slopes, and scree. The natural amphitheatre engulfs the rather large alpine lake, which makes for a grand sight! The wild and remote setting is not lost on any hiker who reaches the lake.

Those with strong legs and time can continue past the lake to catch incredible views from the Castle Mountain Amphitheatre and even bag a summit. If you have the energy, head to the right of the lake and follow the very steep informal trail up to a viewpoint that overlooks the lake.

It’s a steep, loose trail with quite a bit of trail braiding as erosion works away at the route. We’d highly recommend having poles to gain and descend this section of the trail. These poles will be helpful on the descent too.

After the steep section, the trail moves northwest towards a broad ridge. From the ridge, you’ll find large alpine meadows and huge talus fields along with staggering views of Rockbound Lake and the Bow Valley further afield. The viewpoint adds another 1.5 km (one way) and 200 meters of elevation gain.

If you’re really feeling strong you can continue to the summit of several peaks by moving along the amphitheatre, but these routes add on significantly more to the hike. On our last hike up to Rockbound, we continued all the way around the amphitheatre to the “summit” (unofficial) of Castle Mountain. Along the way we got some astounding views, but it was a long day. When we summited Castle Mountain, we were on the trail for 9 to 10 hours, climbed 1600 meters, and hiked nearly 30km.

The trail works as an out-and-back, so you’ll need to return the same way you arrived. After a long day on the trail, the last 5 km can be a bit boring. Regardless, Rockbound makes for a fantastic day out on the trail.

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When is the Best Time to Hike This Trail?

The best time to hike to Rockbound Lake is during the summer months. There are also plenty of larch trees around Rockbound Lake, which makes this hike a fantastic trail to enjoy in late September when the larches turn golden. Rockbound Lake is not recommended in the winter, as it’s snowbound at higher elevations and the lake is surrounded by avalanche terrain.

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Trailhead Info

There’s a special parking area for Silverton Falls and Rockbound Lake located right off the Bow Valley Parkway. The best way to get here is to take the Castle Mountain exit and take a right on the Bow Valley Parkway from Castle Mountain Chalets.

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Trail Duration

The trail is long, and a bit boring until you reach Tower Lake. Expect to be on the trail anywhere between 5 and 8 hours, depending on your pace, fitness, and how long you take to enjoy sitting at the beautiful lake!

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How Hard is the Trail?

At 17km round trip with over 700 meters of elevation gain, Rockbound Lake is not an easy day out. You can add more elevation gain and distance to those numbers if you decide to get above the lake for a nice vantage point. As far as lake hikes go, you have to hike far and gain quite a bit of elevation to reach this one. Until you reach Tower Lake, the trail is quite uneventful. However, those who have the time and are willing to put in the work will be well rewarded with two lakes with very few other people around.

We hiked to Rockbound Lake in the middle of August and saw just a handful of other people on the trail. When we actually reached the lake, there was just one other party, and we had the summit of Castle Mountain all to ourselves.

So if you’re willing to hike 17+km to the lake, you’ll be in for a treat. However, there are easier and shorter hikes to lakes nearby (hello Taylor Lake!).