On a brutally hot Labor Day Weekend, Loralei and I were up in Tahoe to escape the heat. The hope was the higher we went, the cooler it would be. To that end, we planned on a double summit hike of Castle Peak and Basin Peak, a pair of 9,000 foot mountains a bit north of Tahoe itself. While it was cooler at 9,000 feet than it was at lower elevations, this was still a very toasty outing!
Miles/Elevation:
8.9 miles
2,332 feet vertical gain
About Tahoe National Forest:
The setting for this hike is Tahoe National Forest. One of the many national forests in the Sierra Nevada, Tahoe National Forest receives far fewer visitors than the much more famous California national parks, and even though it shares its name with the stunning Lake Tahoe, much of the forest is miles and miles north and west from its namesake lake.
At almost 900,000 acres, Tahoe National Forest contains miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, 4 wheel drive roads, beautiful highways, and high mountain peaks. If you’re looking for a quiet and secluded backpacking trip, you can find it here. If you’re looking for an off road Jeep adventure you can find that here too!
Getting To The Trailhead:
The trailhead for this hike is the Castle Peak Trailhead. To reach the trailhead, follow I-80 from east or west to Donner Summit. Near the crest of the highway, exit onto Boreal Ridge Road. Turn north and continue to the end of the pavement just a few hundred feet from the interstate.
For those with low clearance vehicles, the end of the pavement is probably where you will want to park. However, if you have a high clearance vehicle, the Boreal Ridge Road continues as a gravel road for just over a mile and a half to an advanced parking lot. If your vehicle can make it, you can shave off over a mile and a half each way of uneventful gravel road walking!
Tips:
- The true summit of Castle Peak requires class 3 scrambling. Be prepared if you want to reach the actual summit.
- Hike counterclockwise. The trail up Castle is very steep and very loose. It would be no fun descending.
The Castle and Basin Peak Loop:
To Castle Peak:
From our parking spot at the end of the pavement, we began by first following the gravel road into the woods. This is a legitimate road, and you will likely see cars parked in pull outs along the road as well as at the parking lot at the end. If you have a high clearance vehicle, I would recommend continuing as far as possible!
The first 30 minutes or so of our hike was along the dirt road, and while it went quickly and was fine, it wasn’t the best hiking in the world. There aren’t much for views as the forest here is quite dense, and the passing cars do kick up a fair amount of dust. However, there isn’t much for climbing and the smooth surface makes for quick progress!
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
At the end of the road you’ll reach the furthest parking lot and the beginning of the single track trail. Look to the left and follow the trail up a short but steep incline. Continue straight past the first right turn, and shortly after you will arrive at Castle Pass. At this pass you will have really good looks up towards both Castle Peak and Basin Peak. At the pass, look for the poorly marked use trail on the right and continue towards Castle Peak!
Tahoe is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
The trail up towards Castle Peak starts off pretty nice, but it will quickly become apparent that this path is not maintained. Very quickly, the trail will become narrow, steep, loose, and rocky. On the uphill it’s alright, but coming down this way would not be fun.
The incline up to Castle Peak is legitimately really steep! Fortunately the views are pretty good the whole time up here, so you’ll have plenty of time to stop and enjoy the views which extend in almost every direction!
Follow the trail as it ascends the western arm of the mountain. Once you start reaching the flanks of Castle Peak itself, the terrain becomes wooded, though you will be able to see out through the trees most of the time. Here, the trail is at its steepest!
Stay right and continue climbing at the lone intersection, and push towards the summit. You’ll know when you’re approaching the summit. The trees give way, and the grassy slopes give way to rotten volcanic rock, remnants of this mountain’s long volcanic history.
Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!
Near the summit, the trail will give out all together. You will be faced with a small rocky cliff in front of you and no obvious trail. Here, descend slightly around the right side of the rock, and scramble across the easier terrain slightly below. Then, follow the easy rock back uphill.
Driving up I-80? Make sure you have the Top Down Lifestyle playlist!
Castle Peak is known for its summit block. While this mountain isn’t that high, it has some pretty awesome rock on the summit, and the actual approach to the summit is a class 3 scramble. There are 3 summit blocks, and you’ll quickly reach the first. The first summit is where most people turn around despite not being the highest, and to be fair it’s only a couple of feet lower than the true summit. Your head will basically be above the actual summit of the mountain!
Check out the Stevens Trail in the foothills below Tahoe for great spring hiking!
However, if you want to reach the true summit of Castle Peak, some tougher scrambling is required. Descend down an obvious 10 foot or so class 3 downclimb, and then make your way to the base of the true summit (the most south-easterly one). At the base of the third summit, find the chute and continue up class 3 terrain to the true summit of Castle Peak!
The hike to Fordyce Falls near Spaulding Lake is another good hike in the Sierra foothills!
Whether you continue to the true summit or not (full transparency we didn’t, it was really hot and we were tired from summiting Granite Chief the day before) the views are excellent! I personally think the view south is best! The peaks around Donner Pass, the Granite Chief Wilderness, and far in the distance Tahoe and Desolation make for an epic vista!
The High Meadows to Cold Creek hike is a great moderate option in Tahoe!
However, every direction has its highlights. Views east look toward the more arid Nevada side of the Sierra. Looks north include the far northern Sierra, and on clear days Lassen Peak in the Cascades! To the west, the most obvious features are the Sierra Buttes!
To Basin Peak:
From the summit of Castle Peak, descend down towards the obvious ridge heading north. This ridge connects Castle to Basin Peak about a mile and a half north, and is my favorite section of the entire hike! Just make sure you don’t descend exactly the way you came, but the way forward is pretty obvious!
The descent off Castle onto the ridge is pretty steep, but once onto the ridge, you have a fantastic, long, ridgewalk to enjoy! My favorite type of hiking is ridgewalking. Being on a narrow ridge as the ground drops away on both sides of you is awesome! Even better are the near 360 degree views that ridgewalks provide!
For the most iconic Tahoe hike, you have to check out the Rubicon Trail!
On this ridge, the eastern (right as you hike towards Basin) edge really is a vertical drop. Out a few miles in the distance is Red Mountain, and beyond are the more arid hills dropping into Nevada. On the western (left as you hike to Basin) the grade is more moderate, though it’s still a really steep hill that I would not want to hike up or down!
Check out the Martis Peak Trail for a moderate Tahoe summit hike!
The trail across the ridge is smooth too, just increasing the awesomeness of this bit of trail! Make sure to turn around from time to time as well. The views of Castle Peak are the most dramatic from the north, and on the ridge you’ll have great views of the triple summits! The view from here really shows just how vertical the summit blocks are.
For an even more brutal day, complete a triple summit day of Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak!
Ahead of you is the next goal: Basin Peak. Once across the ridge onto broader terrain, the incline picks up quickly. Though the climb up to Basin Peak isn’t nearly as steep as the climb to Castle, it will still make you work a little. The total climb from the low point of the ridge to the summit of Basin is hardly over 300 feet, but that’s still something!
The hike to Lake Genevieve and Crag Lake is a long but gentle Tahoe area hike!
At the beginning of the climb you will be in mostly open meadows with a few scattered pines. As you continue climbing though, the forest closes in and you’ll spend more time amongst the pines and surrounded by dense brush. Then, close to the summit, the ground becomes rockier and the foliage retreats!
Summit Mt Tallac, one of South Lake Tahoe’s most iconic peaks!
There isn’t really anything that I would call scrambling on this peak, so before long you’ll be at the summit! While the peak itself isn’t as impressive as Castle Peak, the views are just as good if not better! Most views are more or less the same, but Castle Peak is a much better summit to look at compared to Basin!
Hiking Back:
Enjoy the summit of Basin Peak, and when you’re ready to go, continue onwards! Rather than retracing your steps, make this hike a loop by dropping off the north edge of Basin Peak. The trail is steep, but it’s a nice single track and easy to follow. Take it slow and you shouldn’t have much trouble.
The trail drops down the north side of the peak and then wraps around the west face of the mountain. It’s a steep descent at first, but before long the trail really mellows out. There is one more short but steep descent, but the trail then levels out again.
Below Basin Peak, you will pass the large open meadow that you may have noticed on the ridge above. Unfortunately, past the meadows, you will be faced with a final climb. It’s not even 200 feet of climbing, but it definitely sucks this late in the hike!
Atop the final little climb of the day, you will be back at Castle Pass where you veered off onto the Castle Peak summit trail. Continue straight here and descend back down to the gravel road. Once back on the gravel road, it’s an easy mile and a half back to the pavement! The road walk does drag a bit, but keep going and you’ll make it back in no time!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 9/10
This hike honestly has just about everything you could ask for: alpine summits, scrambling, ridge walks, big panoramic views, and mostly good trails. However, I just can’t quite give this loop a 10 because the views simply aren’t of the highest quality and the roadwalk is a bummer.
The northern Sierra Nevada, which these peaks are a part of, isn’t really all that high. These 2 summits are large peaks in this part of the range, and they’re only about 9,000 feet. Yes the panoramas on this hike are excellent, but I just don’t think the views compare to the best of the best, and for that reason I can’t give this a 10/10. Add in 3 miles of road walking and this clearly isn’t a 10.
In all, a great trail, in a good setting.
Pros:
- Good views throughout
- A pair of mountain summits
- Fun scrambling on Castle Peak
- Easily accessible off I-80
- Long ridgewalk
Cons:
- Steep and loose trail up Castle
- Views aren’t world class
- Road walk
Alternative Hikes:
When To Hike Castle and Basin Peak:
While the Lake Tahoe area is a haven for athletes at all times of year, hiking is best done here in the warmer months. Tahoe is famous for its massive snowfall, so trails can be snowed in into the summer.
This hike reaches pretty high elevation, and snow will linger up here later than the nearby lower elevation areas. Most years, expect to still be encountering snow well into June, with conditions becoming reliably snow free in July, though you may be able to hike it without snow earlier. Snow is possible anytime during the year at high elevation, but conditions should be snow free until late September or October.
This hike can be done anytime there isn’t a ton of snow on the ground. However, I would personally recommend this hike between late June and September, and the broader Tahoe area anytime between June and October.
Links For Further Reading:
Castle Peak and Basin Peak Loop | Map, Guide – California | AllTrails
Basin Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost
Castle Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost
