Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Utah / High Uintas

Red Castle Lakes

High Uintas Wilderness, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Mountain View Ranger District)

Red Castle Peak rises above a chain of lakes in the East Fork Smiths Fork drainage on the north slope of the High Uintas. CleverHiker describes the trip as a two- or three-day out-and-back from the China Meadows Trailhead, with camp at Lower Red Castle Lake.

It’s a long walk, and The Outbound says the steepest climbing comes in the last mile before the lower lake.

The hike

China Meadows Trailhead is reached from Mountain View, Wyoming, on gravel county and Forest Service roads past Stateline and China Meadows campgrounds, according to CleverHiker. The trail heads south up the East Fork Smiths Fork drainage. The Outbound says it runs about 8 miles through lodgepole pine forest and meadows, with bridges over the worst of the boggy mud. UtahWild places the Lake Hessie junction about 4 miles in and says a bridge at Broadbent Meadow gives the first view of Red Castle Peak.

The Outbound describes about a mile of steep switchbacks before Lower Red Castle Lake, after which the trail levels near 11,295 feet with Red Castle in view. Most campsites are in the forest around the lower lake, CleverHiker says. From there, a day hike climbs to Red Castle Lake itself, directly beneath the peak. CleverHiker notes that the lake has a few possible sites but sits above treeline, fully exposed and often very windy. Upper Red Castle Lake is beyond it, and reaching it takes an off-trail traverse over boulder fields and scree that CleverHiker recommends only for confident experts.

CleverHiker’s three-day version comes back down the East Fork to the Highline “A” North Slope trail and spends a night at Lake Hessie before returning to China Meadows. UtahWild describes a longer, roughly 32-mile loop that continues over Smiths Fork Pass, Anderson Pass and Gunsight Pass toward Kings Peak and Henrys Fork before returning by Lake Hessie. CleverHiker warns that the trails linking Red Castle and Henrys Fork are hard to follow or missing in places.

Girl on a Hike took a different approach in 2019, starting at the East Fork Blacks Fork trailhead and crossing Bald Mountain (11,776 feet) on an exposed ridge. She counted 10 miles one way to Lower Red Castle Lake, saw almost no one, and caught 10- to 13-inch trout at Upper Red Castle Lake.

Tips

Camping

No permit is needed. Under the 2026 High Uintas order, camp at least 200 feet from any occupied campsite, trail, lake, pond, stream, spring, or other water source where terrain allows; groups are limited to 14 people and 15 stock; and stays are limited to 14 days in one drainage. Campfires and wood stoves are banned within 1/4 mile of Lower Red Castle Lake and other listed lakes in the East Fork Smiths Fork, so bring a stove.

Inside Intel: The Outbound’s guide says Lower Red Castle Lake has plenty of sites but more traffic, and recommends Red Castle Lake for solitude, with lighter use. CleverHiker counters that Red Castle Lake is exposed and windy, so pick it only in settled weather.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Cooking below Red Castle:

Fires are banned within a quarter mile of Lower Red Castle Lake, so a small, reliable stove does all the cooking at camp. See the stoves testers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.