On Saturday 6/1 I could not lure anyone to go with me so I “free soloed” Castle Peak located off highway 80 just NW of Donner Lake to bag my 2nd peak of the Lake Tahoe 6 Peak Challenge.  

I left my house at about 450am and got to the trail head at 720am. There was one other car parked.  The trail is easy to find and there was plenty of parking. I was prepared for the hike and brought my “heavy duty” spikes. Not micro spikes but just a step below crampons.  

It is a straight shot up the Castle Valley trail to the Castle Peak trail. I gained just over 2000 in elevation in 3 miles.  

I started at 730am, and the snow was firm, but I could tell it was softening up quickly. I put on my spikes within the first ¼ mile and took off my cover. The spikes gave me a little more traction as I moved up the trail and I was getting warm from the activity. Overall, the snow was slushy corn snow. It slowed me down a bit with all the sinking into it at times.  

I could see and hear water melting and running off under the snow. There were a few snow-covered water crossing but it was manageable. 

I ran into a couple who did not go to the summit on their way down from the ridge where the trails connect. They were just checking things out.  

I made it to the top of the ridge and caught the Castle Peak trail which took me the rest of the way. At the ridge I took a quick break and unzipped my pant legs, turning my pants into shorts.  

The weather was fantastic, and the sun was warm. There was a light breeze off and on.     

I avoided most of the snow along the ridge and the last mile to the top was for the most part snow free.  

I hit the summit at about 930am. At the top I went over to the peak and scoped out if I could scramble up to the top. It was not to be for me, especially alone, so I made do. I took my victory pictures and video, had my snack and headed back down at about 10am.  

I finally encountered other hikers coming up. I paused to chat and everyone was asking about the summit. I also saw a solo snowboarder but lost sight of him. It appeared that he was hiking into the back country to hopefully catch one more ride before the snow was gone.  

I made it back to my car about 1140am and the parking lot had a dozen or so cars in it. In total I hiked 6.33 miles, gained 2063 in elevation, in about 4 hours.   

  It was a fantastic day to hike Castle Peak and bag my 2nd peak of the Lake Tahoe 6 peak challenge.   I have posted all pictures here and there is a link to the All-Trails route I took. If you would like to ask more questions about my hikes, please feel free to message me and I will share all my info. If you are interested in my hikes, you can follow me on my Facebook page Jason’s Hiking Adventures, Bay Are Hikers, Instagram @jasonshikingadventures, Social Hiker, and All Trails. Thanks for reading! 

All Trails Map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/nevada-county-hiking-6a4d595-2