Paradise Lake via the Pacific Crest Trail ~ 15 miles RT

Trip Info/Details –
(Please read thoroughly as I make a big effort to include as much useable information as possible for these trips.)

Pack your bags for paradise...lake that is! Paradise Lake rests in the Truckee Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest.
Known for its phenomenal sunsets, this moody mountain paradise is the perfect destination for a fall backpacking trip!

That’s right…fall, in the Sierra. Right before the great sleep comes to the mountains, allowing even the trees and rocks the respite they deserve. This is honestly my favorite time in the mountains – chilly mornings with warm coffee, moody lighting, changing trees, and autumn alpenglow with a touch of whiskey to stave off the chill while tucking into a warm, comforting, down cocoon of bliss.

It will be chilly. Expect frost at night, though I don’t expect any type of hard freeze at this time of year. Hats, light gloves, puffy jackets, layers, and the usual. This is NOT a winter backpacking trip – as we will be planning on bare ground, no snow, no climbing, and nothing else technical.

With that, this is the time of year everything begins to shift in the mountains. If it looks like we will be having weather this weekend, we will certainly reevaluate. What I would encourage folks to do is bring an extra comfort item or two as the sun will be heading down sooner this time of year.

This is going to be an excellent intermediate backpacking trip, but you do not need to be incredibly experienced to take something like this on. I think that with the right attitude and conditioning, this could easily be taken on by a beginning backpacker.

Since this one is fairly local to me, I am going to set a meeting place of Briar Patch Food Co-Op in Grass Valley for Saturday morning. This will allow us all to meet, grab some breakfast and/or very last minute food items, and head on up the hill via the 20 to the 80. If there are vehicles that will have to be condensed and parked somewhere to accommodate carpooling, we can easily do this – we just won’t know for certain until people sign up.

***Nominal RSVP fee has been added. This helps run the group. Your spot will not be reserved until payment arrangements have been made. Additionally, I hate gatekeepers and this fee is not meant to do anything like that. Instead, it is there to make sure that someone who RSVPs for a trip actually shows up. If you want to attend a trip but you CANNOT PAY for whatever reason, but still have all of the other means to go, please reach out to me directly and we can get you squared away.

Day 1 – Castle Peak Trailhead to Paradise Lake – 7.9 miles – Elevation Gain: 1,129ft. – AEG: 1,537ft.

After getting to the trailhead, where we will be starting at roughly 7,200ft, we will start our 7.3 mile hike up towards Paradise Lake. Initially we will be close to a 4wd road until breaking right to link up with the PCT which comes in right at the 1 mile mark.

From the PCT junction, we head north as we skirt the eastern edge of Castle Valley. Before too long (just over a mile) we reach Castle Pass, which gives us our first incredibly big views of the terrain stretched out before us.

From Castle Pass, we continue north along the PCT, passing an incredible meadow (Round Valley) and the Peter Grubb Hut. Continuing on, we follow the PCT and start to lose some elevation as we head into Paradise Valley before linking up with an old 4WD road that fizzles out and takes us right up to Paradise Lake.

We will set camp at Paradise Lake.
Saturday Estimated Hiking Time – 4-4.5 hours

Day 2 – Paradise Lake to Castle Peak Trailhead – 7.3 miles – Elevation Gain: 656ft. – AEG: 1,053ft.

Sunday morning, we will wake, break fast, and then break camp. No big hurry on this morning unless there was to be some sort of weather coming in. Super mellow elevation profile today, mainly the same as yesterday, just a bit less.

We will be taking the same route out, through Paradise Valley, past Basin Peak, past the Peter Grubb Hut and Round Valley, then back to Castle Pass at roughly the 5.7 mile mark. Once we are at the pass, we are going to just sit, take a moment, and look back towards the ocean of granite that makes this place so special – the very same that will be fully blanketed in a quilt of snow for the next 6-8 months.

Nice and pretty gentle downhill all the way from Castle Pass to the parking lot. Once back at the vehicle(s), we can chat about where we might want to go grab a bite and some refreshment. This can’t be known before we are all there deciding, as it is fully dependent on who shows up and who drives.
Sunday Estimated Hiking Time – 3-3.5 hours