The trail up and out of Basin Peak is clear, and it descends at a generally moderate grade into the meadow in the valley below (also very fun to run!). That said the castle peak trail was amazing. Halfway through the valley, you will find the Peter Grub Hut on the right side before ascending again via switchback back to Castle Peak Pass and the stretch back to the car. The peak is located 11.6 miles (18.7 km) northeast by north (bearing 32°) of the Town of Crested Butte, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide separating Gunnison National Forest and Gunnison County from White River National Forest and Pitkin County. Lots of cars, but comparably not that many ppl on the trails. The first and final 1.7 miles are on a 4X4 dirt road (nothing exciting for those 3.4 miles of the route). Starting at Prosser Ranch Group Campground and finishing at Donner Ski Ranch, runners will climb some 15,000 feet at an average elevation of 7,300 feet. to the Airport: 20 to 30 minutes to the Sea port: 10 to 15 minutes to Ayala Mall: 5 to 7 minutes It should not be attempted late in the summer when the 200 feet (60 m) of loose dirt and scree meet the climber near the top of the Castle-Conundrum saddle. Join us on August 22, 2020! My GPS tracked 9.9 miles and was completed in 4.5 hours. The Northwest Ridge features a moderate snow climb followed by an easy ridge scramble. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, and snowshoeing and is best used from June until October. Castle Peak is a mountain in California's Sierra Nevada near I-80, Donner Pass, and the Nevada border. Short and fun hike with varying neat habitats that offer good opportunities to study the plants as you change elevation. We went counter clockwise. Enjoyed the trail. It is in the Tahoe National Forest not far off the Pacific Crest Trail, and adjacent to Castle Pass. with an elevation of 8,140 feet (2,481 m). Much of this event takes place in Your Tahoe National Forest. You can look down into Round Valley on the left (where you will traverse with this trail), or out towards Frog Lake and Prosser Reseviour to the right. It has two closely spaced summits; the northern is higher, with elevation of 14,040+ feet (4279+ m). Another reason this hike only received 3 stars from me. Basin Peak affords you a phenomenal view of Castle Peak from the North as well as Round Valley. Nice variety on this hike and great views! lots of sun, not too many people until you drop down to the PCT. Facing the brunt of fate. Overall, this is a gorgeous and challenging loop to run or hike! Castle Peak is the ninth highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. Very windy. and the other in Mesa County at 39°16′16″N 108°05′40″W / 39.2710898°N 108.0945204°W / 39.2710898; -108.0945204,[8] Unafraid. The summit of Castle Peak is the highest point of both counties.[1][2][3][4]. Definitely some rock climbing to get to the furthest point on castle peak so we skipped that. Castle Peak takes its name from its castellated summit. 1) definitely go counter clockwise on the loop 2) the ascent to castle peek is very steep and if you’re even just a little bit scared of heights this might be hard to summit, but you can skip the summit and there is a trail that leads around to the ridge trail of the loop The Northeast Ridge features an easy snow climb, but slightly harder scrambling and route-finding once on the ridge. It seemed subtle when I found it today, so I can understand how some folks have reported difficulty accessing this trail. Help. Tried to go on loop but was impossible to find. Enjoy :-). Great trail, steep at times, windy in some parts, but fantastic views. There are two standard routes for ascent.