Castle Rock Trail 1W03

Parking and the lack of a crosswalk are the hardest things about the trail. crossing the highway is a little like playing Russian roulette as some of the cars travel quite fast with a difficult turn to see around . About the hike itself: the initial assent is difficult with some nice views of Big Bear lake. However the real pleasure is not going to Castle Rock but beyond. At the top of the castle rock trail (where it meats one of the 4x4 roads) after a short 1.5 mile hike you get to a pristine meadow and small little protected pond. Beautiful and incredibly relaxing. However it isn't for the faint if heart as the trail is steep in the begining.

Great hike during spring. Went all the way up past the castle rock. Views were great. Wasn't too crowded. Probably because parking is really scarce. Rock pillars line the paths pretty good. The trail has some easy and moderate difficulty. Glad to see most who visit keep it clean other than some tagging on rocks unfortunately. No restrooms btw.

Quick but slightly spicy trail (meaning worked up a brief sweat), great view of the lake at the top. Went when the trail had some snow & ice cover but it was still manageable and worthwhile. Not very crowded (went middle of day on a Monday), let my dog off leash which was great, he enjoyed it.

Nice, difficult, but we did it