Castle Peak

Take Castle Creek from the roundabout just west of the center of Aspen. Drive 12.5 miles (paved) to the Castle Creek trailhead. To the right, Forest Road (FR) 102 continues all all the way to 12,800'. Good-clearance passenger cars can drive about 1 mile up this road to reach the dispersed camp sites along the road. If you want to shorten your hike by parking higher, you must have a 4WD vehicle with good clearance. From the lower trailhead parking area, proceed to a river crossing, at 1.3 miles. In spring and early summer, this crossing is a challenge for some 4WD vehicles. At 3 miles, reach the Pearl Pass junction and stay right on the Castle Creek 102 road. If you drove up this far, there are a few parking spots near the junction. The road gets worse as it ascends into Montezuma Basin all the way to 12,800'.

From the 2WD trailhead, drive up the Castle Creek (FR 102) road, where you'll find marked camping spots along the first 1.25 miles. At approximately 10,200' and 1.3 miles up the road, you'll reach a creek crossing with a footbridge ( 1). If the road ahead is open and you're driving a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, you may continue higher. Low-clearance vehicles should NOT attempt this crossing, particularly in early summer when the water flow is high. If you plan to drive across, it's a smart idea to first walk over the footbridge to assess the conditions. Drive/walk nearly 2 more miles to the Pearl Pass road junction , at 11,150' ( 2). Turn right and continue on the main road as it ascends into Montezuma Basin ( 3,  4, and  5). Pass the Montezuma Mine and continue for another 0.5 mile until you reach the end of the road , at 12,800' ( 6).

From the end of the road, your view will be dominated by a slope/headwall that often retains snow into late summer. If the slope is dry, most hikers opt to ascend on the right side. Choose your line carefully and ascend 500 feet up the slope ( 7 and  8). Near 13,300', you'll enter the upper basin between Castle and Conundrum ( 9). Look sharply to your left to locate a defined trail at the base of the northeast ridge, and follow it toward this ridge crest ( 10). Gain over 300 feet to reach the crest near 13,700' ( 11).

From this point, the route becomes more challenging, though it should not exceed Difficult Class 2, provided you remain on-route. Initially, bypass obstacles on the right before continuing along the ridge crest ( 12 and  13). Near 13,900', bypass another section to your right, but do not to descend too far to get around it. Return to the ridge crest and proceed ( 14). Stay near the ridge crest as you continue climbing ( 15 and  16). Around 14,000', you'll arrive at a point where you can preview the final 250 feet to the summit ( 17). Descend to a small saddle and begin ascending the final pitch ( 18). This section includes some rocky obstacles, which require a bit of route-finding. Continue up this steep, loose section ( 19) to finally reach the summit ( 20 and  21).

If you don't have a good-clearance 4WD vehicle, park below the creek crossing. If you continue above the crossing, there are small pull-offs near 11,000' and the Pearl Pass road junction. IMPORTANT: This route enters the Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness area. Designated wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.