Castle Rock
Castle Rock is a prominent landmark near the south-west end of Big Bear Lake in California. From the top of the rocks there are great views of the lake and surrounding valley. Hiking Castle Rock from Highway 18 is only about 2 miles round trip but there is around a 600 feet elevation gain and at the 6,750 foot elevation of Big Bear can get your blood pumping.
The top of Castle Rock is seen from Boulder Bay which is about a mile from the trailhead.
The trailhead is reachable pretty much year round and is a very popular hike. Over time people have made side paths leading everywhere making the trail hard to follow in places. To help in navigation there are rock cairns like the one in the center of the picture.
The trail winds through magnificent stands of pine, fir, and cedar trees which add to the beauty. Along the way there are different views of Big Bear Lake through the trees.
Eventually there is this T in the trail. The main trail goes to the left and what this leads to is in my post The Champion Lodgepole Pine and Bluff Lake. Take the trail to the right to go to Castle Rock.
This tree has a Castle Rock sign and an arrow pointing the way.
I thought it was interesting how the little tree in the foreground found a spot in the rocks to grow.
A little of Big Bear Lake between the trees.
Another view close to Castle Rock.
This is the back side of Castle Rock. The approach to the left has less steep rocks to scramble up.
A view Northeast of Big Bear Lake from Castle Rock.
A Northwest view of the mountains.
I went a little higher for this view. I did not go clear to the peak top as the last bit is more technical.
The Serrano Indians lived in Big Bear Valley many years ago and there is a legend about Castle Rock. At that time the name for Big Bear was Yuhavait which means “pine place.” The story goes there was a beautiful young Indian girl named Wyhnemah who once lived there. All the young men of the tribe were constantly competing with each other for her attention, but she only cared for one young brave named Pahwek. He was a hunter and whenever he was gone on hunting trips to get food for the tribe, Wyhnemah would climb to the top of Castle Rock and watch for his return. When she would see him in the distance, she would climb down and run to meet him. On one such trip, Pahwek did not return when he was supposed to. As the days and weeks went by, Wyhnemah came to realize that something was terribly wrong and that he would never be coming home. Not wanting to live her life without her true love, she climbed to the top of Castle Rock one evening and stepped off the edge to join Pahwek forever in the happy hunting ground.
A little closer view of a portion of Big Bear lake.
This windswept tree shows the harsh environment the trees must endure.
Another less exposed tree with one of our explorers to show the size of the tree as he photographs it.
This was originally posted on May 26, 2014 from a hike in May 2011. It has been updated with more pictures and information from a hike in September 2021.
More Information:
Forest Service Castle Rock trail information
Hiking blog post on Castle Rock, Champion Lodgepole Pine, and Bluff Lake
