Castle Creek Trailhead Preparation

Trailhead condition requests, questions, alerts, etc.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
User avatar
Summit Stomper
Posts: 146
Joined: 10/31/2006
14ers: 40 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Castle Creek Trailhead Preparation

Post by Summit Stomper »

Mad Matt. So a 4 wheel drive pickup with good clearance should have no problem crossing the creek and at least getting to the Pearl Pass Junction?
Teeth to the wind!
User avatar
madmattd
Posts: 238
Joined: 12/2/2017
14ers: 37  14 
13ers: 81 4
Trip Reports (2)
 

Re: Castle Creek Trailhead Preparation

Post by madmattd »

Summit Stomper wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:08 am So Mad Matt......Those 4 wheeler drove to the upper trailhead then? No problems? I imagine the creek crossing would be much lower this time of year?
I assume they drove all the way to the upper TH, yes. We ran into them on our way down near treeline, but no reason they couldn't have made it. There was a Jeep or 2 at the upper TH that day.

It was around this time of the year we were there, and overall probably a wetter year (given melt-out was mid-July in a lot of places). Creek crossing was 5-6" deep for the most part I'd say. The entry/departure was a bigger deal than the water level.
Summit Stomper wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:09 am Mad Matt. So a 4 wheel drive pickup with good clearance should have no problem crossing the creek and at least getting to the Pearl Pass Junction?
I would think so. Saw plenty of trucks past the creek crossing. You might want to stop near the bridge shortly before the Pearl Pass Junction, I recall the last bit to the junction being very rough, but easy enough to decide on the spot.
User avatar
two lunches
Posts: 1328
Joined: 5/30/2014
14ers: 37  2 
13ers: 59
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Castle Creek Trailhead Preparation

Post by two lunches »

Summit Stomper wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:09 am Mad Matt. So a 4 wheel drive pickup with good clearance should have no problem crossing the creek and at least getting to the Pearl Pass Junction?
I recall someone complaining about Cap's truck up there "taking up too much space" in the parking area (whatever that means) so it sounds like a stock 4WD p/u would do just fine. you might have one tight switchback that requires a multi-point turn in a full-size truck but in my experience there's quite a lot to be said for driver skill on 4x4 roads these days.
“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
User avatar
ncxhjhgvbi
Posts: 88
Joined: 6/16/2017
14ers: 58  1 
13ers: 58 2
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Castle Creek Trailhead Preparation

Post by ncxhjhgvbi »

I was there in July 2019 right after the avalanche so the road was impassible past the crossing, however I remember the road between the crossing and the pearl pass junction (which was *mostly unaffected and uncovered at the time) as not being too bad up to the switchbacks Daway mentioned. There are a few large rocks on the road before the crossing, but I remember them being mostly avoidable as the road isn't too narrow. Definitely a few rough sections. I would say if you can make it past the crossing, you should be able to do the road up to those switchbacks and should park around 11,000'
jlawer
Posts: 3
Joined: 5/25/2020
14ers: 47 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Castle Creek Trailhead Preparation

Post by jlawer »

I made it past the creek and up to within a roughly a mile of the top before pulling off in the dark to park last August. Was in a 2007 Nissan Murano. No damage to my car. Compared to some of the other bad roads on these mountains I didn’t think this one was bad.
User avatar
kkinzli
Posts: 6
Joined: 8/30/2018
14ers: 45 
13ers: 42
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Castle Creek Trailhead Preparation

Post by kkinzli »

Was up there last week and saw a stock 4 runner at the upper trailhead. I parked my TRD Sport Tacoma right at the Pearl Pass junction. I have about 9 inches of clearance with off road tires. If you can make it up the Colony Road you should have no problem making it to the Pearl Pass turnoff.
Post Reply