TRAIL 4 NORTH TAHOE

      Castle Peak

      TRAIL USE

      Hike, Dogs Allowed

      LENGTH

      9.6 miles, 3 hours

      VERTICAL FEET

      ±2,205

      DIFFICULTY

      – 1 2 3 4 5 +

      TRAIL TYPE

      Out-and-back

      SURFACE TYPE

      Dirt

      FEATURES

      Canyon

      Mountain

      Summit

      Wildflowers

      Great Views

      Photo Opportunity

      FACILITIES

      Restrooms

      Picnic Tables

      Water

      A climb to one of north Tahoe’s highest summits provides summiteers with an expansive view of the northern Sierra, which on clear days includes distant Lassen Peak in the north and the coastal hills to the west.

      Best Time

      Mid-July–early September is the prime time for an ascent. Though this is a favorite winter ascent of backcountry skiers and snowshoers, most of the lingering snowbanks across the trail have disappeared by mid-July.

      Finding the Trail

      West of Donner Summit, take the Castle Peak/Boreal Ridge Road exit from I-80. Drive to the frontage road on the south side of the freeway and proceed east 0.3 mile to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) parking area. The large parking lot has trailer parking, pit toilets, and running water in season.

      Logistics

      Two alternatives will shorten the trip. The first option is to park near the start of the Castle Valley Road, just north of the I-80 ramps, and walk the road to Castle Pass. With a high-clearance vehicle, the second option is to drive the Castle Valley Road to a parking area near the Hole in the Ground Trailhead. From there a shorter hike along the road leads to Castle Pass.

      Trail Description

1 From the parking lot follow a well-signed gravel path to a stone bridge over a seasonal stream and continue on dirt track through lodgepole pines, western white pines, and white firs. Soon encounter a junction with the Glacier Meadow Loop, 2 where you veer right and continue eastbound toward the Pacific Crest Trail. After a short distance you come to a second junction with the Glacier Meadow Loop, 3 where you veer to the right again. Pass by a shallow pond, where mountain hemlocks join the mixed forest, and then make a short descent to the Pacific Crest Trail junction, near the edge of a grass- and willow-filled meadow, 0.5 mile from the trailhead. 4

Head north on the PCT around the fringe of the meadow and pass through a pair of large culverts,