24 Miles Weekend Backpacking at Red Castle in August

[natylka]

Back in August, a group of us decided to go backpack in Uinta. Take Wyoming State Highway 410 South out of Mountain View about 8 miles. Where the highway makes a sharp right turn to the west go straight on to Uinta County Road 283 (gravel) and continue to Forest Service Road 072. Follow the signs past the Stateline Campground and past the China Meadows Campground to the China Meadows trailhead. It was such a beautiful drive. Luckily it did not rain or snow. Thank you Mother Nature for holding the weather down.

With a summit at 12,600 feet, and the valley floor below around 11,000 feet, Red Castle Peak is one of the most breathtaking destinations in the Western United States. Yes, it is true. It is breathtaking for its phenomenal beauty, but also for its elevation, where any significant physical activity will take your breath away. Nestled in the highest area in the Uinta Mountains, it is one of only a handful of unclimbed peaks in the Rockies. Staring at Red Castle’s crumbling class 5 slopes makes it easy to see why. The highest mountain in Utah, King’s Peak, is just a few miles away. I will hopefully summit it by next summer.

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[Vegan.Hiker]

What is the story with those big domino looking slabs of rock? That's wild. Love the picture of the dogs sleeping. Great report.

 

[natylka]

The dogs were tired. They did not want to move. I wasn't able to find any information on big domino looking slabs of rock. We took the off-trail route on the way to hit the upper Red Castle and came across this area.

 

[Parma]

How many people did you come across? I've never been there but always hear lots of people go there.
It looks awesome!

 

[natylka]

We only came across 2 people who were on the horses. We were there for the whole weekend. It was a fun trip.

 

[Ben]

nice

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Nestled in the highest area in the Uinta Mountains, it is one of only a handful of unclimbed peaks in the Rockies.

Just an FYI- Red Castle was climbed for the first time in June of 2014.

 

[natylka]

That's amazing! Who climbed it? I should have jumped on the wagon and climbed it in May 2014.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

http://www.peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=428662

 

[natylka]

I'm jealous.