I am planning to go back packing up to Red Castle Lake in the Uintas towards the end of this month. I have never been up there but have heard that the best way to get there is from the China Meadows trailhead. Is there another trail from the Mirror Lake byway to get there, or is China Meadows the way to go?
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Info about the other trail (NOT China Meadows) can be found here: [url "http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGS320-009"]http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGS320-009[/url]
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You can certainly get there from the Mirror Lake Highway starting at the Highline Trial Head at Butterfly Lake, about 5 to 6 days of hiking, but a great trip, best done the other way. You can jump the ridge easily from Upper Red Castle to the south slope and then join the Highline Trail.
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I have only been in to Red Castle on the trail from China meadows. I have seen a trail on the map that parallels the trail from China meadows on the west, but it looks like it has a lot of elevation change. I have been over from Upper Red Castle to the Highline trail (about Porcupine Pass) as referred to by Uintaman. I have never been the other way and he is right it is a long way from the Mirror Lake highway.
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The China meadow trail is by far the eaiser way to go, the trail; to the West starts on East fork of the Blacksfork, and goes over Bald Mt. a tough climb. When you get to Red Castle there is a lake in front of it (North), but the better fishing is usually in the two lakes to the East. The lake to the West is almost always infested with Boy Scouts.
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