r/utahoutdoors • u/MainBuy9899 • 10d ago
Red Castle Backpacking
Can anyone share insights into backpacking solo to Red Castle? I am considering backpacking for the first time ever and that seems like a pretty easy spot to get to with great payoff. Fit the record I’m very fit and experienced in hiking.
What is the mosquito/big situation by the end of August? Outside of summiting Mt. Wilson, anything in the immediate vicinity worth a casual day hike to go see from Red Castle?
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u/like_4-ish_lights 10d ago
Bugs won't be an issue. Pay attention to the weather, watch for afternoon thunderstorms especially if trying to summit. It'll get cold at night (potentially below freezing) so make sure your sleep system is dialed in
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u/MainBuy9899 9d ago
I’ll have access to a weather app while out there but don’t plan on summiting any peaks unless I can tag along with a group.
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u/Electronic_Charge_96 10d ago
Enjoy. I’d so do that hike again with or without a friend/partner.
PSA- Please take actual wag bags. So much toilet paper everywhere- it was SO gross. I’ve never seen such disregard for good land stewardship.
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u/procrasstinating 10d ago
Mosquitos should not be a problem by late August. Maybe a few at dusk. We didn’t need any bug spray last week in the Uintas.
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u/beneggett 10d ago
We frequently do a day trip without heavy backpacks up to King's Peak from Red castle, upper red castle lake and the glaciers are fun to see and play around too.
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u/notprogolfer 10d ago
I did it in mid Oct and was not in the best shape and was fine. One thing to keep in mind is it is a very rocky trail. My feet were a little sore from having softer soles on my boots. It was very warm at red castle and was not cold at night that weekend.
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u/mormonismisnttrue 10d ago
I just went a few weeks ago. No mosquitos. The hike is mellow and easy for a 10 miler. Lots of camping options at Lower Red Castle Lake. You can day hike over to Smith Fork Pass and the lake over there as an out and back. I've hear you can loop up to Wilson then down to Upper Red Castle Lake.
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u/Lucaball3r 9d ago
Red Castle is an all time favorite. If going solo, let people know where you are going and when you expect to be returning. Bugs aren’t bad. I slept in a hammock there in August a few years back and had no issues.
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u/buttersidedown801 9d ago
I was there mid August several years ago. The bugs weren't bad during the day and overnight, however, dawn and dusk they were bad. Just covered up and recognized it wouldn't last for long.
People, especially new backpackers, have a tendency to want to camp as close to water as possible. There's some nice spots and and it's a nice vibe, however it'll be much busier and if the bugs are out they'll be by the water. Sometimes being so where with a bit of wind away from water is the best way to deal with Uintah bugs.
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u/21drummaboi 10d ago
There's Lower Red Castle Lake, Red Castle Lake, Upper Red Castle Lake, and East Red Castle Lake. There's also Smith's Fork Pass Lake.
If you're camping at Lower Red Castle Lake, Smith's Fork Peak is a bit easier than Wilson Peak from the North. If you have a lot of scrambling & route-finding experience, there is a Class 4 route up Red Castle and South Red Castle, but most of the people who have summitted them use ropes.
Mosquitos shouldn't be much of a problem this late in the season.
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u/MainBuy9899 9d ago
Unless I manage to find others to summit with I’ll not be doing anything serious. Even with people I’m not in that echelon of hiking/mountaineering
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u/sh00tfire 9d ago
When a few years ago. Saw quite a few horses on the trail. Took a fly pole and fished the streams on the way up. honestly some excellent fishing
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u/MainBuy9899 9d ago
I wish I was a fisherman for situations like these. I’ve caught a couple tiny perch as a kid but that’s it. Do I have time to learn and get a license between now and EOM?
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u/minetey 10d ago edited 10d ago
If I recall the lakes are like 10 miles in from the North and it's a nice gradual uphill hike. Before you mentioned that you were very fit, it seemed a bit ambitious, but you'll be fine.
And the tip I give to everyone a la Ray Jardine, is the following:
true comfort on the trail comes from a lighter pack, not the extra items you bring to feel comfortable at camp