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Castle Peak
Castle Peak from Andesite Peak
Highest point
Elevation	9,109 ft (2,776 m) NAVD 88
Prominence	1,343 ft (409 m)
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section
Coordinates	39°21′56″N 120°20′57″W / 39.365485408°N 120.349175794°W / 39.365485408; -120.349175794
Geography
Castle PeakLocation in CaliforniaShow map of CaliforniaCastle PeakCastle Peak (the United States)Show map of the United States
Location	Nevada County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Norden
Climbing
Easiest route	Exposed scramble (class 3)

Castle Peak is a mountain in California's Sierra Nevada near I-80, Donner Pass, and the Nevada border. It is in the Tahoe National Forest not far off the Pacific Crest Trail, and adjacent to Castle Pass. It was originally named Mount Stanford by the Whitney Survey of 1860–1874.

Castle Peak takes its name from its conical shape.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Castle Peak is located in an alpine climate zone. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Donner Pass averages 51.6 inches (1,310 mm) of precipitation per year, and with an average of 411.5 inches (10.45 m) of snow per year, it is one of the snowiest places in the contiguous United States.

Gallery

• Castle Peak from the south ridge. The highest summit is on the left.
• South-southeast aspect
• View of Castle Peak's summit, from terminus of the Castle Peak Summit Trail.

See also

• Sierra Nevada subalpine zone — habitat and forest surrounding peak.

References

1. ^ "Castle Peak". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
2. ^ "Castle Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
3. ^ "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 71.
5. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
6. "Climate Summary of Donner Summit, California 1870–2001". Journal of the Sierra College Natural History Museum. 2 (1). Winter 2009. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
7. "Donner Summit Snowfall and Snowpack 1879–2011". Central Sierra Snow Laboratory. University of California, Berkeley.

External links

• "Castle Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
• "Castle Peak". SummitPost.org.
• "Castle Peak Trail". Trailspotting. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
• "Alpine Ski Tours - Lake Tahoe: North - Backcountry Ski Maps". April 3, 2024.

v t e Sierra Nevada
Mountains	Peaks >14,000 ft Whitney Williamson North Palisade Sill Russell Split Langley Tyndall Muir Middle Palisade Northern peaks Lola Castle Granite Chief Rose Tallac Pyramid Freel Central peaks Red Lake Round Top Mokelumne Sonora Leavitt Dana Lyell Banner Ritter Mammoth Southern peaks Humphreys Tom Bear Creek Spire Darwin Agassiz Kaweah Brewer Olancha Kern Double Climbing Peak list First ascents
Passes	Fredonyer Beckwourth Yuba Donner Mt. Rose Spooner Echo Carson Monitor Ebbetts Sonora Tioga Minaret Kaweah Sherman Tehachapi
Rivers	Feather Yuba Bear American Mokelumne Cosumnes Calaveras Stanislaus Tuolumne Merced Chowchilla Fresno San Joaquin Kings Kaweah Tule Kern Truckee Carson Walker Owens
Lakes	Tahoe Aloha Echo Fallen Leaf Spooner Mono Almanor Oroville Isabella Donner Independence Shaver Huntington Florence Edison Wishon Courtright Tenaya Mammoth Bass Crowley Convict Hell for Sure
Protected areas	National parks and monuments Kings Canyon Sequoia Yosemite Devils Postpile Giant Sequoia National forests Eldorado Humboldt–Toiyabe Inyo Lake Tahoe Basin Lassen Plumas Sequoia Sierra Stanislaus Tahoe Wilderness areas Ansel Adams Bright Star Bucks Lake Carson–Iceberg Chimney Peak Dinkey Lakes Domeland Emigrant Golden Trout Hoover Ishi Jennie Lakes John Krebs John Muir Kaiser Kiavah Mokelumne Monarch Mount Rose Owens Peak Owens River Headwaters Sacatar Trail Sequoia-Kings Canyon Yosemite State parks Burton Creek Calaveras Big Trees D. L. Bliss Donner Memorial Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point Emerald Bay Grover Hot Springs Lake Tahoe Nevada Plumas-Eureka South Yuba River Van Sickle
Communities	Angels Camp Auburn Bridgeport Chester Colfax Grass Valley Incline Village Jackson Kernville Loyalton Mammoth Lakes Mariposa Markleeville Nevada City Oakhurst Paradise Placerville Portola Quincy San Andreas Sonora South Lake Tahoe Susanville Sutter Creek Tahoe City Tehachapi Truckee
Ski areas	Alpine Meadows Badger Pass Bear Valley Boreal China Peak Dodge Ridge Donner Ski Ranch Heavenly Homewood June Mountain Kirkwood Mammoth Mountain Northstar Sierra at Tahoe Palisades Tahoe Sugar Bowl Tahoe Donner
Trails	High Sierra Trail John Muir Trail Pacific Crest Trail Sierra High Route

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