Castle Peak by Full Moon Rising rises in northwest Pasayten Wilderness. Monument 78-83 Trail in Manning Park offers direct access to this remote mountain. Meanwhile, the nearest taller peak, Jack Mountain, sits 15 miles away.
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Castle Peak at a Glance
Access: Monument 78-83 Trailhead
Round Trip: 27.1 miles
Elevation Range: 3700′-8306′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the trail
The Preface
We wrapped up the season with Castle Peak. Friends and I discussed going to Hozomeen Campground when we climbed West McMillan Spire. So they would go up Hozomeen Mountain while I came here via Freezeout Creek.
But the terrible weather over Labor Day weekend changed our plans. The last week in September looked promising, but my friends weren’t available. Since the $350 boat fare was a bit much for one person, the pup and I went in from the north.
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Monument 78-83 Trail
Monument 78 Trail was in excellent shape, with only one washed-out section. The washout had plenty of flagging guiding the way. Besides the birds chirping, there wasn’t much to see along the lonely trail.
We sometimes viewed Windy Joe Mountain as the path wrapped around the south side. Not sure if we could see Frosty Mountain from the trail, but I didn’t bother looking for it. Soon, we reached the border camp and took a break.
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International Crop Line
Next to the camp was a bridge over Castle Creek, where Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) continued north. But after we crossed the water, we went south through the brush. Pole-vaulting over down trees reminded me of similar Bulger List trips.
The pup and I moved through the trees and soon reached the broad international crop line. Two people, likely PCT finishers, stood by the northern terminus to the east. Two more clearings over the wetland gave a brief relief.
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En Route to Castle Creek Basin
The terrain was flat until Castle Creek turned west at 4500′, where we started going uphill. At the same time, we tried creative ways to bypass the down trees. A report I found suggested not staying too high north of the creek.
Of course, we did the opposite and soon swam in the endless alder. But we eventually reached 5500′ and soon found water plus a decent spot to set up the tent. Our camp also came with a full view of the basin.
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Castle Peak Climb
It rained overnight, and clouds had hovered over Castle Peak when morning came. Since we likely wouldn’t have had any views at the top, I contemplated leaving. But soon as I remembered the unpleasant approach, I let go of the idea.
We left camp soon after breakfast and went to the bottom of the wide gully on the south. Then the weather looked to be taking a turn for the better. It was promising as the sun had seeped through the dense clouds.
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Castle Peak Summit Minus the Views
We went into the northeast gully at 6800′ and aimed for the 7400′ notch. But we somehow ended up at 7600′ and continued through the ridgeline. Soon, we crossed granite slabs, boulders, and snow patches to the south of the summit.
A short scramble soon put us atop Castle Peak, minus the views. Too bad since I had looked forward to seeing Canada and the neighboring peaks. Hozomeen Mountain would’ve been spectacular from here. Alas, another time.
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Back to Castle Creek Basin Camp
On the return, we took the southwest ridge for a quick glimpse of the Freezeout Creek Basin. It looked impressive as the mists drifted away briefly! Glad to have some valley views on this trip despite the cloudy weather.
I later checked out the terrain on Castle Peak’s south face, which looked doable. There were lots of the typical Cascade choss. Soon at 6800′, we joined our up track and safely landed in camp at 1300′ below.
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Leaving Castle Creek Basin
After packing, we stayed south of Castle Creek and avoided the alder swath altogether. Then at 5400′, we found a decent spot to cross the creek. It put us north of the water and soon bypassed the cliffs at 5300′.
Below the cliffs, we moved northeast to 5000′ and soon joined our up route. Afterward, we returned to 4500′, where Castle Creek turned north. Then we went through the same things but in reverse.
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Outro
We returned to the border camp after dark. Then the following day, we walked south on Monument 78 Trail to check out the PCT northern terminus monument. Two thru-hikers who had journeyed from the Mexican border showed up shortly.
An hour later, back at camp, we packed and hiked out on a sunny Monday morning. The drive west through BC Manning Provincial Park and Sunshine Valley was quite scenic. The gorgeous views of Canadian peaks were at every turn.
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Hello,
I am with the BCMC and we did Scimitar Knoll in winter last year but got turned around due to adverse weather conditions. We were thinking of linking up Scimitar Knoll to Full Moon Rising to Castle Peak (all on the ridge). From what you recall how was the ridge from Full Moon rising to Castle Peak? It looks fairly exposed on some maps; however, I cannot find any trip reports on this ridge traverse (winter or summer). Any help would be appreciated!
Hiya, I haven’t read or heard of a ridge traverse from FMR to Castle Peak. It didn’t look condusive to doing so in person, but my mind was on the wildfires then. It’ll likely save you time via the southwest ridge from the top of Freezeout Basin. I hope it helps!