One of the best hidden gems in the Rockies when it comes to alpine running!
The Armor peak to Castle Mountain traverse combines a quick approach, kilometres of alpine ridge lines, some scrambling and all the views! Expect some route finding, some loose terrain and some exposure below the Armor-Protection ridge.
From the moment you hit the ridge between Armor Peak and Protection Mountain, the terrain is pretty loose until you reach the ridge that connects Protection Mountain and Stuart Knob. Expect lots of loose and blocky scree and slow travel over that terrain. Once you reach the ridge that connects to Stuart Knob the terrain become very runnable and much less technical. There in an alternate exit once you reach Stuart Knob. It is possible to run straight down the slope under Stuart Knob towards the alpine bench over Rockbound Lake. If you have the skills to travel over that kind of terrain, you have to add this route to your list!
- Distance: 30 to 32 km
- Time: 5 to 9 hours
- Difficulty: Difficult (Includes some sections of very loose rock, occasional hands-on step and some exposure)
- Total Elevation Gain: 2000 m
- Where to park: Drop a car at Castle Junction, then drive up around 10-12 km westbound on the 1A until the pull-out along the road at the base of Armor Peak
- Surface: Technical, lots of loose scree and alpine running.
