Backpacking The Red Castle Loop

Sam and I arrived at the China Meadows trailhead in the afternoon. The weather was dark and forboding. Thunder boomed in the distance as we packed our bags. This was to be the start of a week long trek in Utah’s High Uinta range. Our first destination was Lower Red Castle Lake about 10 miles away. As we prepared to leave, we were hit with a strong rain downpour and decided to wait it out in the car before embarking on our trip. The weather forcast was a mixed bag. Sunny at times with intermittent thunderstorms. The rain was a bit disheartening but I know from experience that thunderstorms often provide spectacular photo oppurtunites. Finally the rain disappated and we started off on the muddy trail, donning our rain gear. The trail was easy and flat but extremely muddy partially due to the cattle grazing in the area. The trail loosely followed the East Fork of the Smiths Fork river as it meandered through the meadows. One of the first things you notice about the Uintas unfortunately are the dead trees. Almost all of the mature pine trees have been killed by the invasive Western Bark Beetle. We passed many cows as we continued, some of them standing in the trail. Their moos were ever present as we hiked. Though I knew our destination near the Red Castle rock formation would be spectacular, the hike to it was a little lack luster. The endless expanse of dead trees and the slippery muddy path was less than ideal. The scenery however would only improve.

After about 4 hours of trudging through the mud we reached a clearing and got our first glimpse of Red Castle in the distance. After a few minutes Sam spotted a couple female moose off the trail to our left. After admiring the moose, we continued. We arrived at Lower Red Casle Lake and after some searching found a nice spot near the Lake’s outlet. There were quite a few people camped at the lake. The rain had abated but it was very windy. We were treated to a nice sunbreak which illuminated the majestic Red Castle in sunlight just before the sun set. It was a welcome change from the dreary weather. After eating dinner we went to bed, eager to explore the other lakes up in the Upper Red Castle Basin.

We awoke to a crisp sunny morning. We had a leisurely breakfast and set off, skirting Lower Red Castle Lake on our way up to check out the other lakes. As we gained elevation the trees were healthier, seemingly out of reach of the destructive Western Bark beetle. The trail took us near the base of majestic Red Castle Rock. Our surroundings became increasingly scenic as we reached a small unnamed lake at the base of Red Castle. This lake offered more protection from the wind than the higher Lakes above and it also provided a glorious view of Red Castle, the star attraction of this trip. We found a great camp spot and made our selves at home. We had a lazy afternoon by the lake, untill the rain clouds rolled in, banishing us to the tent for the rest of the day. Luckily we had planned for a layover day which would give us plenty of time to exlore the Upper basin.

We awoke to sunny skies at our picturesque camp. After some breakfast and coffee we decided to venture up to Red Castle Lake above us. We followed the trail up and out of our sheltered lake, and up to the wind swept basin above the treeline. The views were epic and we were treated to a lull in the wind which made for a nice pack rafting oppurtunity. We boated around the large Red Castle Lake and enjoyed some wine. After a few hours of enjoyment, the white fluffy coulds began to thicken and darken which was our cue to descend back to camp and seek shelter from the imminent thunder storm. The rain picked up as we retreated down to our camp. We took refuge under a tree and began to cook some lunch. Thunder started booming up in the basin above. The downpour came to a climax as lightening and thunder erupted on top of us. Eventually the thunderstorm moved on and we hid in the tent for a few hours to escape the residual rain.

The rain eventually stopped and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunny afternoon. Sam and I decided to return to the basin above and explore the pass above Upper Red Castle Lake. I grabbed my camera and we returned to the wide open basin. The afternoon light, and white fluffy light made for some great pictures as we traversed the grassy slopes. Finally after a long climb, we reached the desolate mountain pass. We were rewarded with views of the wide open basin on the other side, as well as an awesome vantage of the Red Castle Lakes we came from.

After taking in the view we began our return trip down the pass and continued to enjoy the magical scenery of the Red Castle Basin. The basin got even more photogenic as the evening went on. I got a great panoramic shot of Red Castle with a spectacular pink cloud display above it. This had been a very memorable day in the High Uintas.

After our morning routine we packed up camp. Our stay in the Red Castle Basin had been awe inspiring but we still had much more to see on our journey. We ventured back down the trail past Lower Castle Lake until we arrived at a junction. We took the trail headed for Smiths Fork Pass. The trail took us into the forest which contained sporadic meadows. We decided to check out East Red Castle Lake and stop for lunch. On our way up to the lake, we spotted a large female moose resting in the grass next to a small tarn.

East Castle Lake was a beautiful greenish blue color and surrounded by red cliffs. We had our lunch, purified some water and continued on towards our next stop, Smiths Fork Pass Lake. After more scenic hiking, we rose above the treeline and reached the large windy alpine basin which contained Smiths Fork Pass Lake. Our goal was to make it up over Smiths Fork Pass and camp at a large unnamed lake on the other side. However, once again the weather took a turn for the ominous. Large thunderclouds converged over the pass, making us hesitant to continue up. We set up a makeshift shelter in a small stand of trees and waited for the weather to improve. As foreboding as the clouds were, a thunderstorm never materialized and the clouds scattered after a while. We figured it was now or never so we put on our packs and started following the faint trail up the pass.

We powered up the trail huffing the thin alpine air until we reached the top of Smiths Fork Pass. The pass yielded great expansive views of the sprawling alpine meadows and mountains beyond. We got our first views of Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah. This would be our guiding beacon for the next several miles.

I had chosen a descent sized, unnamed lake on the map as our camping destination. We headed across the grassy tree-less terrain towards the lake. It was growing late in the evening and the suns light and abundant clouds made for some excellent photos. We finally arrived at the lake and set up our tent. By now the scene was breath taking as the golden rays of the evening sun illuminated Kings Peak and the surrounding mountains. Thunderclouds above Kings peak further enhanced the drama of the moment. I postponed my dinner and ran around like a mad man trying to capture all the unfolding drama. Looking back towards Smiths Fork Pass from where we had come, there were beautiful backlit clouds. As the evening grew on, the clouds were splashed with pink and magenta hues. Moments like this reaffirm my love for wilderness backpacking and photography. I took some final photos of a growing thunderhead in the late blue evening light before finally eating dinner and going to sleep. It had been another fantastic day in the Uintas.

We emerged from the tent to clear morning skies. The grass was wet with dew but would soon dry with the rising sun. After enjoying our morning coffee we set out for Anderson Pass on the shoulder of Kings Peak. We had lost the trail shortly after Smiths Fork Pass, but navigation was easy on the treeless alpine terrain. With Kings Peak as our giant trail marker we made a B line for it. After some leisurely scenic hiking, we joined the Uinta Highline trail at the bottom of our Anderson Pass approach. We took a short snack break and headed up the switchbacks to the highest point of our trip. I arrived at the top of Anderson Pass first and took a much needed rest as I waited for Sam. The views were great at the pass but the best views were to be found at the summit of Kings Peak a few hundred feet above. I couldn’t resist climbing Utah’s highest peak. Sam was too gassed to come with me so I set out alone, climbing the up the steep rocky slopes. There were a few other people headed up but when I summited Kings Peak I had it to myself. The views did not disapoint and showcased the vastness and beauty of the High Uinta Wilderness. The wind was incredibly strong and would knock me off balance at times. After much picture taking I started my descent as the clouds began to darken.

I met back up with Sam and we continued down the trail to the next basin. The trail took us down from the barren rocky slopes of Kings Peak and into grassy meadows and ponds of the Painters Basin. We took a lunch break and made some water near one of these ponds before continuing up to our next destination which was Gunsight Pass. Hiking up the pass we spotted some horses and a rider at the top. From Gunsight Pass we took a break to check out the cool views of the massive Painters Basin we had trekked from.

We continued on down to Henrys Fork Basin. After some downhill switchbacks we passed a decent sized lake at the base of a mountain. The mountains in this basin were adorned with the stripes of their various geological layers. They reminded my a bit of the Painted Hills in Oregon only much larger. In the late afternoon sun we skirted a hill and headed towards the Southern most walls of the basin’s rim. Our destination for the night was yet another nameless lake at the base of the massive cliff walls. As we neared our nameless lake we heard strange sounds on the wind. Soon we spotted a large herd of sheep in the distance being sheparded by a man on a horse and a dog. After some searching we found a suitable camp site that provided some shelter from the wind. The golden walls of the surrounding mountains darkened as the day came to an end and we retired from a long and scenic day of hiking.

We slept in to recooperate from the previous days long trek. Our destination for the day was Cliff Lake which was just a few miles away. After finishing our morning routine we headed out again on the trailless grassy terrain. We gradually climbed in elevation, losely skirting the cliff walls untill we arrived at Cliff Lake. The weather had deteriorated at this point and we found a suitable camp spot to hide from the rain. The day proved to be very rainy and windy. We spent much of the afternoon in our tent listening to pocasts and napping to pass the time.

Finally the weather improved in the late afternoon and we emerged from our cocoon to have a look about. We hiked out away from the lake to a knoll which offered a great vantage point of the Henrys Fork Basin. The mountains surrounding the basin were lit orange in the evening light. After taking some pictures into the evening I returned to our camp had some dinner and went to bed.

I awoke early to get some photos of the sunrise. It was my 38th birthday and I figured I would try and get the most out of the day. There had been the beginnings of a thunderstorm churning above us throughout the night. There were some fireworks from the sunrise but they were mostly obscurred by the forebodding clouds above. After some pictures I returned to camp in time for the rain. We still had another night left on our trip but the weather had been less than ideal. The lack of trees in this basin coupled with the intense wind and rain made for very poor camping conditions. We decided to play it by ear and were floating the idea of ending our trip a day early. With a break in the rain, we packed up camp and headed toward Castle Lake on the other side of the basin, hoping for some better shelter. The wind was relentless, and the threat of a downpour was ever present as we traversed the shelterless landscape. We dropped down to large Lake Blanchard which offered no reprieve from the elements. We continued uphill for a short while till we arrived at Castle Lake.

While the lake was pretty, the weather harshed the vibe and there proved to be very poor camping options. We set up the tent in an undesirable spot out of necessity to hide from the rain. Looking back towards Cliff Lake where we came from, we could same see the growing massive dark cloud formation which was threatening to let loose on us. It was at this point we decided it would be best to cut the trip a bit short and escape the extreme weather. We packed up and bailed out. We made an off trail route down some steep slopes toward Island Lake below. There were still some sunbreaks and great photo ops as we raced the leading edge of the storm. We escaped the wind as we dropped into the treeline. We came across a porcupine on our downhill scramble.

Our journey led us out of the trees and near the edge of the wind swept Island Lake. To our suprise we got to see a large female moose feeding on aquatic plants in the lake. I took some photos of the stoic moose braving the unrelenting elements before we continued on. The thunderstorm was nipping at out heels as we followed the trail out of the Henrys Fork Basin. The trail took us up to the top of a large plateau which offered some great views of the Henrys Fork Basin behind us. I took some moody photos of the basin before the approaching storm scared us off. Sporting our raingear we followed the unmaintained trail into the relative protection of the dead pine forest. Distant thunder continued to grow closer until it boomed overhead. The hiking was a bit miserable as we struggled to navigate the old trail in the rain, ducking and hopping over the many deadfalls obscurring our path. The old trail eventually took us way down to the junction with our path home. After more miles trudging in the mud, we were rewarded with a large brilliant rainbow shortly before arriving at the trailhead and the safety of our car. The choice to leave was the correct one. The entire Uinta mountain range had become engulfed in fearsome, dark thunder storms. I was a bit dismayed that our trip had been cut short but it had been a very memorable days hike and I was thrilled to sleep in a real bed instead of being pummeleled by another relentless thunder storm.

The Uintas had proved to be everything that I’d hoped they would be. One of the most unique mountain landscapes I have been to. The huge red mountains and the massive alpine basins delivered incredible scenery and solitude. Besides Kings Peak, and Lower Red Castle Lake, we enjoyed almost complete solitude for the duration of our trip which can be very hard to come by these days. The thunderstorms though often terrifying, made up for their inconvenience by providing excellent photo oppurtunitues.