Parks Canada crews are investigating the cause of a rockfall that occurred in Banff National Park on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in the Rundle Rock climbing area. The incident happened around 11 a.m., and all known parties were accounted for with no injuries reported, according to a statement posted to social media by Parks Canada.
“A large amount of rock came down, leaving a rockslide path with a significant number of boulders in the Rundle Rock climbing area,” the statement said. “Parks Canada crews are on scene and will be conducting a geotechnical investigation of the area as soon as possible.”
Witness Account of the Rockfall
Hiker Jordan Toth and her husband were beginning a hike up to the Maclab Slab route when they witnessed the rockfall. “We heard a large crash, and a large section of mountain kind of cleaved off and came crashing down towards the Rundle Rock crag,” she recounted. Their immediate reaction was survival: “We were engulfed in dust, and started running for cover — which is laughable, because there’s no way we would have escaped it if we were in the debris path.”
Once they realized they were safe, they began calling out to check for others. “Given it’s such a popular climbing area, we immediately thought the worst,” Toth said. They found a man and his son, around eight years old, who had been nearby and were unharmed, though the child was shaken. “There was a party of people that were up on the 5.4 graded climbing route called Rundlehorn, and that was the piece of the mountain that came off,” Toth added. “We were calling out for them and didn’t hear anything, and so we’re worried that they had been impacted.”
Emergency Response and Aftermath
EMS arrived within minutes, and according to later reports, everyone made it out unharmed. Toth estimated she and her husband were about 15 to 20 metres from where the debris fell. “It was just a sobering reminder of how unpredictable the mountains can be,” she said. “It’s hard not to think about how differently things could have ended. If it had happened on the weekend, when more people were climbing at the crag, there undoubtedly would have been casualties.”
Helping the other man and his son brought up strong emotions for Toth, who has a young son at home. “My husband and I have a young son at home, and we love to bring him climbing,” she said. “It’s impossible not to think about how quickly a casual day in the mountains can change.”
Area Closure and Investigation
The impacted area, from the Spray River bridge through to the Fairmont Banff Springs golf course loop, will remain closed to the public, including pedestrian access, until the geotechnical assessment is complete. Closures include the area east of Golf Course Road, the unofficial parking lot, and the climbing areas of Rundlehorn, Rundle Rock, Maclab Slab, and Goldrush.
Parks Canada continues to investigate the rockfall, with geotechnical crews on site to assess the stability of the area. No timeline for reopening has been provided.
