Red Castle Lakes Backpacking Guide – High Uintas

Gorgeous alpine meadows and pitch-perfect backcountry camping make the Red Castle Lakes a wonderland – especially at sunset. This wilderness area in Utah’s High Uintas mountains gets its name from the red castle-like peaks that stand like a fortress above the basin. If you’re looking to backpack this unbelievably scenic area, don’t forget your camera – and make sure to read this guide to plan your Red Castle Lakes backpacking trip.

Highlights

• Wildlife, including owls, elk, moose, mule deer 
• Fascinating geology 
• Fantastic photo opps
• Beautiful lakes and streams
• Beautiful meadows and wildflowers
• Nicely graded trail, never too steep
• Great fishing opportunities
• Dogs allowed (leashed)

Lowlights

• Can be busy on weekends
• Rough rock strewn landscape
• Muddy, rocky trails
• Seasonal mosquitos
• Cold lakes makes swimming tempting but challenging
• Giardia and campylobacter are prevalent in the streams and lakes

Best Time to Travel

July to September offers the best temperatures in the High Uintas Wilderness. Daytime highs are typically in the high 70s, and night temperatures during summer range between 30-40 degrees. Afternoon thunderstorms are fairly typical and lightning is always a serious threat above treeline. 

August is the busiest month for backpacking in the high country, specifically in the basins. To avoid the crowds, we recommend visiting this area mid-week, if possible. 

Prior to any trip into the backcountry, check the National Weather Service for the local forecast.

Difficulty

We rate most backpacking trips in this area as moderate due to rocky, sometimes muddy trails and the high elevation. As always, difficulty ratings depend on the route you choose, experience, physical fitness, pack weight, and weather conditions.

Although most routes in Uintas are not technically demanding, you should always plan thoroughly, train properly, know your limitations, brush up on your skills, and dial in your gear. Doing so will make for a more safe and enjoyable adventure.

Permits

No permits required for backpacking Red Castle Lakes. Overnight parking at the trailhead is $3.00 per vehicle, per day and is self-issued. 

Trailhead 

You’ll begin this hike at the China Meadows Trailhead. For those looking to get an early start the following day, there’s also a fee campground at China Meadows.

To get to the trailhead, take Wyoming State Highway 410 South out of Mountain View for about 8 miles. The highway makes a sharp right turn to the west. Go straight on to Uinta County Road 283 (unpaved, gravel) and continue to Forest Service Road 072. Follow the signs past the Stateline Campground and past the China Meadows Campground to the China Meadows trailhead. 

Campsites

Campsites are first come, first serve and most abundant around Lower Red Castle Lake in forested areas. There are a few possible camps higher at Red Castle Lake, but this area is completely above treeline, fully exposed, and can get extremely windy.

Possible Itineraries 

Most people complete this backpacking trip in 2-3 days.

There is an option to connect Henry Forks Lake Loop to Red Castle Lakes for a longer trip. That said, the connecting trails can be very hard to follow and non-existent at times. It’ll require excellent navigation skills, following cairns/blazes, and using GPS as you hike past the Lake Hessie turnout. The view from the top of this pass is stunning, but we would only recommend this route for experienced backpackers. 

Lower Red Castle Lake and Red Castle Lake are beautiful and fairly accessible via well traveled trails. There is an option to continue even farther to Upper Red Castle Lake, but that will require a very challenging traverse over boulder fields and loose scree along the west slope of Red Castle Lake. There are a few cairns and signs from other hikers, but for the most part the route to Upper Red Castle Lake is completely off trail, and we really only recommend it to confident experts. 

Two Day Itinerary

Starting trailhead: China Meadows Trailhead

Ending trailhead: China Meadows Trailhead

• Day 1 – Hike to Lower Red Castle, Camp (day hike up to Red Castle)
• Day 2 – Return to China Meadows Trailhead

Total mileage: 20 miles 

Three Day Itinerary

Starting trailhead: China Meadows Trailhead

Ending trailhead: China Meadows Trailhead

• Day 1 – Hike to Lower Red Castle, Camp (day hike up to Red Castle)
• Day 2 – Hike back down E. Fork Smiths Fork to Junction with the Highline “A” North Slope (also called the Henrys Fork Junction). Go 2.5 miles east, then southeast on this trail to the Junction with Lake Hessie, go west for a ¼-mile and camp at the lake.
• Day 3 – Retrace back China Meadows Trailhead

Total mileage: 25.5 miles

More Red Castle Lakes Photos

Maps & Guidebooks

• Hiking Utah’s High Uintas: A Guide to the Region’s Greatest Hikes by Brett Prettyman, an outdoors editor for the Salt Lake City Tribune. This guide includes descriptions of 99 routes throughout the backcountry wilderness of Utah’s Uinta Mountains and High Uintas Wilderness, including easy day hikes to great fishing spots, adventurous treks to remote campsites, and extended backpacking trips for intrepid wilderness travelers.
• National Geographic High Uintas Wilderness Trails Illustrated Map This map covers the High Uintas Wilderness, as well as the Ashley and Wasatch-Cache National Forests. It features key points of interest and is printed on “Backcountry Tough” waterproof, tear-resistant paper. A full UTM grid is printed on the map to aid with GPS navigation.
• 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City by Greg Witt. This book includes many of the best hikes in the Western Uintas with detailed trail descriptions that range from easy strolls to challenging backpacks. Extensive key-at-a-glance information makes it easier to choose a hike based on length, difficulty, or scenery. 
• Gaia Phone app GPS and Caltopo Mapping Software – We use both these services for many of our backpacking trips to assist with route planning (Caltopo) and on-trail navigation (Gaia). 

Water

Water is plentiful along the trail to Red Castle Lakes and accessible from small streams and lakes. Though many sources look pure, Giardia and Campylobacter are present in this area so we recommend using a lightweight water filter (here’s a list of our faves). To take the extra step of purifying your drinking water, we often use the SteriPen Ultra and Aquamira Drops.

Regulations

For a full list of wilderness regulations in this area, visit the official government website. But in, general, the following apply:

• Stay on designated trails and do not cut switchbacks.
• Select a campsite 200 feet from trails or streams.
• Wash yourself and dishes away from water sources and only use biodegradable soap when necessary.
• Bury human waste and fish entrails 6-8″ deep and 200 feet away from water sources.

Campfires are prohibited near most lakes in this area, so please be respectful of this. Rangers can and will ticket offenders. The following lakes prohibit campfires: 

• Lower Red Castle Lake 
• Hessie Lake

Critters & Food Storage

Black bears are present in this area, but there are no food storage requirements. That said, you should always protect your food against rodents and small critters, which actually tend to cause many more problems than bears. We recommend packaging all your food and scented products the Ursack AllMitey – the only Ursack rated for both bears and rodents.

Bugs

Mosquitos are present along this route and can be pretty vicious, especially early in the season and near bogs and water sources. Hiking later in the season is often bug-free. Use a combination of permethrin on your clothing and bring a small bottle of picaridin or DEET for exposed skin to provide full protection.

Backpacking Gear

We prefer lightweight backpacking because it’s more comfortable and it allows us to cover more ground with less effort. For recommendations on our favorite lightweight backpacking equipment, check out the CleverHiker Backpacking Gear Guide and our Top Backpacking Gear Picks page. 

More Red Castle Lakes Photos