Castle Mountain

One of the most recognizable peaks along the Bow Valley, we decided to scramble the summit of Castle Mountain.

Having been to Rockbound Lake on a few occasions, both in the summer and winter, I was curious to see what the upper reaches of Castle Mountain looked like.

We weren't here long before the mosquitoes drove us away

We made it to Rockbound Lake in a bit over 2.5 hours. The plan was to have lunch and then start the more difficult portion of the day, but clouds of mosquitoes hovered over the area and we decide to get above treeline before stopping again.

View from our relocated lunch spot

Aside from a small section of bushwhacking, the trail was quite good and we were up to the first bench about half an hour later. Here, we had lunch as we admired a different perspective.

A marmot crossing the road

We took the trail heading towards Helena Ridge as it seemed in better condition. This way would be a bit longer as we would have to make a wider circle around Rockbound Lake, but it felt safer as it avoided a couple of tricky looking spots on the lower terrace.

Looking down from the summit

The rock varied greatly along the route, with the last push to the summit being a bit more rotten. We finally got to use our hands a bit, although it was optional, and the view from the summit was spectacular, as long as you faced away from the highway.

Summit cairn

A group of 3 climbers had just reached the top of Eisenhower Tower, so we waved at each other and had a nice break before contemplating the long journey back down.

Tiny water runnels

Heading down

Progress was quick and interesting along the upper terrace, but once we got back to Rockbound Lake it was a long, boring slog through the trees. We ran the last couple of kilometres as the mosquitoes were starting to win and arrived back at the parking lot about 11 hours after we had left.

For anyone who has only done Rockbound Lake, I highly recommend going to the summit of Castle Mountain. It's a long day, but the upper terraces are beautiful and the views are spectacular.

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