Banff Castle Mountain Sunset Reflection View – Where Is It And How Do You Get There?
As you might guess, Castle Mountain is a famous mountain peak and landmark in Banff National Park. Where is Banff National Park? It’s in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta Canada. If you want to see of photograph Castle Mountain and stay in a somewhat larger town, the best places to stay nearby include the town of Banff or Lake Louise. Castle Mountain itself is located at Castle Junction about halfway between the towns of Banff and Jasper along the Bow valley Parkway. If you want to stay right by Castle Mountain, there are a few places right there including the Castle Mountain Chalets. When you stay at the Castle Mountain Chalets there is a small convenience store type place with a gas station. If you need any real food or other goods you’ll want to head over to Banff or Canmore.
From the Castle Mountain chalets you can walk to this photo spot. Just walk out the Castle Mountain Chalet parking lot, cross the bridge across the Bow River, hand a right through a wildlife fence. Make sure you put the chain back so the gate stays locked after you go through it and walk down to the edge of the bow River.
What Makes Castle Mountain A Great Photo Spot In Banff?
Castle Mountain is a distinct landmark in Banff and can be seen from many spots along the Bow Valley Parkway. It has a distinct shape as it towers above the Bow River and the Bow Valley Parkway. It is a photo spot that is fairly well known but does not draw anywhere near the crowds of more famous spots like sunrise at Moraine Lake, Peyto Lake or even Bow Lake all in Banff. Most of the time, Castle Mountain photos are OK but nothing special. The river runs rough and there are no reflections at all. Sunset does cast a glow on the mountain and the skies may catch fire anytime of year. It’s nice but not spectacular. It is a Banff National Park landmark that may help complete your collection of famous photo spots in Banff.
When Should You Go To Castle Mountain For Great Sunset Photos?
The really special time to photograph Castle Mountain is late fall or early winter when the Bow River starts to freeze. If you are lucky, there will be an ice jam in the area that will cause water to form calm, shallow pools along the edge of the Bow River. When that happens, Castle Mountain can reflect in those shallow pools. Throw in a colorful sunset and you’ve got an awesome sunset wall art photo print of Castle Mountain! If the pools along the riverbank aren’t in quite the right spot sometimes you can move some ice chunks around along the edge of the river and get the water to pool right where you want it. When an ice jam clogs up the river and the water and ice back up along the shore it can be difficult to tell what is solid and what isn’t. The water won’t be deep along the riverbank but stepping through the ice could still be a bit perilous.
What Is The Story Behind This Castle Mountain Winter Sunset Wall Art Photo?
A number of years ago I was lucky enough to spend the winter in the Canadian Rockies, Fernie and Golden, BC bouncing around to different ski resorts. In between skiing days I spent lots of time driving and hiking around Banff and Jasper photographing as many incredible sights as I could find. In November and into early December a wicked cold front rolled into Banff and hung around for quite a while. We’re talking temps in the 35 below zero range with highs now more than 10 (f) above zero. It was like a flash freeze and parts of the Bow River quickly froze. For whatever reason it didn’t freeze evenly.
As you can see in the photo lots of ice chunks filled the river, backed it up and caused pools of water to form along the edge of the Bow River and in the middle of it. I spent at least 5 nights at this spot. Every night the light would change, the ice and pools would shift. Sometimes I’d help them by moving some ice chunks that would cause the water pools to shift for a more photogenic look. This was shot with a Canon 5D MK III. This is an easy walk up photo so most any camera setup from a cel phone to a Canon 5DS-R or a mirrorless setup will work just fine. A fairly wide angle lens is good. Something in the 17-40mm range but a 24-105 zoom could be good and provide a little more flexibility. When I was shooting here, I was often the only person. That might be because people didn’t think to go there. Alternatively maybe nobody else wanted to brave the brutal subzero temperatures.
In What Formats Is This Castle Mountain Winter Sunrise Wall Art Print Available?
This Castle Mountain Winter Sunrise print is available is available on metal, paper, acrylic, wood and canvas in sizes up to 40×60. It makes a phenomenal metal or acrylic print that will be quite shiny and reflective and best positioned in an area with diffused light. In a brighter area something with a matte finish on paper or canvas would be better.
It is available on anything from phone cases to shower curtains, jigsaw puzzles and a variety of other home decor items. Get it printed on a weekender tote bag and use it when you shop for groceries at the stores that no longer offer shopping bags!
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