Top Trails: Lake Tahoe. Mike White

      TRAIL 5 NORTH TAHOE

      Castle Valley, Round Valley, and Andesite Peak

      TRAIL USE

      Hike, Run, Bike, Horses, Dogs Allowed, Child Friendly

      LENGTH

      9.6 miles, 6.5 hours

      VERTICAL FEET

      ±1,700

      DIFFICULTY

      – 1 2 3 4 5 +

      TRAIL TYPE

      Loop

      SURFACE TYPE

      Dirt

      FEATURES

      Canyon

      Mountain

      Summit

      Wildflowers

      Wildlife

      Great Views

      Historical Interest

      Camping

      Steep

      FACILITIES

      Restrooms

      Picnic Tables

      Water

      Though most of this route travels outside the proposed Castle Peak Wilderness, plenty of pleasant terrain is encountered along the way, including two picturesque meadows and an excellent view from atop Andesite Peak. Both Castle and Round meadows offer the chance to see raptors in search of prey or deer browsing the tender foliage. Throw in the Peter Grubb Hut for a bit of Tahoe Sierra history and you have the makings of a fine adventure.

      Best Time

      Mid-July–September generally provides snow-free hiking.

      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

      With a pair of durable vehicles you can arrange a shuttle and shave off 1.6 miles of hiking by driving the Castle Valley Road to within 0.1 mile of the Hole in the Ground Trailhead. With a high-clearance vehicle you may be able to get all the way to the trailhead.

      The trip length with a shuttle is 8.0 miles.

      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, underneath the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-80. Beyond the culverts you make a moderate climb to the crossing of a seasonal creek and then come to a well-signed, four-way junction, 1 mile from the trailhead. 5

      Remaining on the Pacific Crest Trail, you proceed straight ahead at the four-way junction, following signed directions to Castle Pass. The PCT rises and then drops to the north shore of a small pond, where you should veer right at an unmarked Y-junction with a path bound for the Donner Summit Rest Area.

       Steep

      Beyond the unmarked junction, you follow mildly graded trail through mixed forest, toward Castle Valley. Eventually the trail brings you alongside the creek for a brief time and then travels just east of the verdant meadows of Castle Valley. Use trails branch away from the PCT at various points, headed toward the creek and meadows. At 2.3 miles from the trailhead you cross a well-traveled dirt road, and then continue upstream through Castle Valley, hopping over a number of lushly lined tributaries along the way. Nearing the head of the valley, the PCT bends to the west on an ascending traverse to a signed three-way junction with a trail from the Castle Valley Road. 6 From there, a short but stiff climb brings you to Castle Pass and a five-way junction, 3.3 miles from the trailhead. 7

       Historical Interest

      At Castle Pass, proceed north on the Pacific Crest Trail, on a traverse across a lightly forested slope. After about 0.5 mile you begin a moderate, switchbacking descent toward Round Valley. Nearing the floor of the valley, a short use trail leads to the Peter Grubb Hut, 8 4.2 miles from the PCT Trailhead. The hut is complete with a wood-burning stove, firewood, gas stove, cooking utensils, table and chairs, a loft with sleeping platforms, and a detached outhouse. Interesting old photos and memorabilia cover the walls and provide a sample of the area’s history.