Castle Ridge

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Moonshinedf

2,303 576 1909

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Trail stats

Distance: 4.49 mi
Elevation gain: 745 ft
Technical difficulty: Moderate
Elevation loss: 745 ft
Max elevation: 7,903 ft
TrailRank: 29
Min elevation: 7,131 ft
Trail type: Loop

Moving time: 3 hours 16 minutes
Time: 4 hours 52 minutes
Coordinates: 1449
Uploaded: December 18, 2020
Recorded: December 2020

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near Norden, California (United States)

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Itinerary description

Castle Ridge, take the Boreal/Castle Peak exit from I-80 at Donner Summit. Go east along the frontage road on the north side of the freeway. Park where the pavement ends. From the pavement end, follow the dirt road about ¼ mile to the south end of Castle Valley. Bear left and up, keeping Castle Valley on your right. At about a mile from the end of pavement the road forks; take the left, upward branch. About ½ mile further, you will see signs for the Hole-in-the-Ground (mountain biking) Trail on the left. The road ends at the base of Castle Pass. Climb 200 vertical feet to Castle Pass, where the trail on your right makes an obvious ascent to the top of the peak. From here there are two options: Head east to the final leg of the Castle Peak hike which, while not technical, is quite steep with loose volcanic rubble; or head north another half mile on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) dropping into beautiful Round Valley where you can visit the historic Peter Grubb Hut, which is owned by the Sierra Club. The historic hut was built in 1938-39 by friends and family as a memorial to Peter Grubb, who had just graduated from Galileo High School in San Francisco and was on a bicycling tour of Europe when he died at the age of 18. Hikers who summit Castle Peak are rewarded with panoramic views that include most of the Lake Tahoe peaks, Donner Lake, Sierra Buttes, and (on a clear day) Mount Lassen.