Castle Rock Trail

Lovely trail

Nice hike great views , dont miss the lake in the end.

Fun hike. Not hard but it’s up hill most of the way so you definitely get a workout. The views of the lake at the top are incredible!

Nice short hike. Beautiful view from the top of castle rock

I think it was a bit harder then moderate.
Had to take up slow.
Somehow I found a really quick way down.

Really beautiful views at the top. It started off a little challenging but after the first mile or so it levels out. The trail splits off in many places, but there are blue trackers to keep you on path. Beautiful view of the lake from the top of the peak.
If you keep going you will end up at a small lake. It took us about 2.6 hours round trip going from the main road to the lake and back. My Fitbit counted 6 miles and 13,050 steps. The trail is dog friendly but make sure you check their paws because there are a lot of small rocks and sharp pine needles.

Use this trail to go on pacific coast trail.

great trail! with mind blowing experience at the top!

nice little hike. good workout on the legs for the first couple hundred yards.

Did this hike the week following Memorial Day weekend so it was super empty. We also didn't start the hike at the trailhead and clamored up to some boulders on a random hill first and then lost signal and kind of wandered up and down two big hills before finding the wooden steps. From there we explored some boulders and then got lost trying to find the signs again. Without any people on the trail, getting lost is fairly easy to do. Luckily we saw a lone hiker making their way back down and made it to the top. The hike is really fun, but challenging. The views are awesome and the bouldering is GREAT. I would highly recommend it.

Great little hike, however, grade very high!

So crowded over the memorial weekend. Beautiful views and the rivals and and trees were beautiful. So glad we went.

I went with my husband and our 5 and 6 year old daughters. We all loved this trail. It was steep, but our daughters did awesome. They have been hiking for the past year and this was their most difficult hike. Once we finished, they asked to do it again!

This trail started out fine. It was pretty dang steep, so we were glad we didn't have small children with us. The problems came when we were about a third a mile up. The path was so worn down by heavy foot traffic that you could no longer tell where the trail was at all! I even tried using the map from the app. No go. We wandered around for an hour then headed in the general direction of the lake. Eventually we found the trail about where we left it. The whole thing was frustrating. Counting all the steep terrain, and the unclear path, this is a difficult hike, and not pleasant.

Went with my husband, 7yr old daughter and 10 yr old son. It was amazing!

Worth the hike...

A moderately difficult hike with some steep parts, but with a beautiful view of Big Bear Lake from the top of the boulders. Parking can be difficult past 9:30-10am because there are limited parking spaces along Hwy 18.

I highly recommend that you continue on Castle Rock Trail to Bluff Lake Reserve further south (view my photos to see why). It's actually my favorite part of the hike because it's tranquil, quiet, and a really nice break from the crowded Castle Rock.

Great trail for kids, pets and beginners. Has a stunning view of Big Bear lake. For the more experienced hiker, this trail connects to another unmarked trail that leads to Bluff lake, which is roughly 2.5 mi round trip.

Nice little outting. We did this hike after arriving in town mid-afternoon and finished in time to grab dinner then head back to camp as the sun was disappearing

Did this hike with my kids after school. It was a great little hike for them. Plan on going back soon.

Amazing first moderate hiking experience for this older lady. Going up was a little challenging because I don’t exercise enough, but my 11yo son was like a gazelle and having a great time. Regardless it was beautiful and I’m so glad we made it to up to Castle Rock. The views were glorious. Going down was obviously much easier :D. Have fun and bring water.

It’s a b***h the first 0.40 miles with dramatic increased elevation. Once you past 0.40 it’s a steady increase with more smooth terrain, several small streams, and castle rock at the top. Much smaller “castle” + “rock” then I expected but still a great hike.

great view, totally worth it

My husband and I hiked this trail after it snowed. The trail was well marked from previous hikers, otherwise it would have been difficult to navigate through with the snow covered paths. Most of the incline is at the first 1/3 of the trail but then tapers off. Once we got to the top to overlook the lake, we took the opportunity to climb on the boulders at the top to get a better view. It was absolutely stunning!! The hardest part of the hike was parking and avoiding being hit by oncoming traffic on the road! I highly recommend this trail for its surprise once you reach the top!

This is an awesome trail great all year round. Beautiful scenery of the lake. Amazing during the snow. Parking is a bit of hassle, but it’s well worth it once you find parking.

Parking is an issue because this trail is very popular and you have to park in a turn out, which depending on the time/day you go will most likely be full. I went on a Saturday around 10 am and there were so many people hiking this trail it was a bit overwhelming. If your intention is to simply reach the view then the hike is short are relatively easy, it is fairly steep but not for long. If you are continuing the hike there are more trails to do so.
We had to wait about 15-20 minutes to get a chance to take a photo on the rock with the best view of the lake, but it was totally worth it the view is amazing and we got some pretty cool pictures.

1. Parking: To park you need to pull into a turn out off the highway. There are about 6 spots or more depending on how people park. Some people also park right off the highway. You have to cross the highway to make it to the trailhead. We arrived at 9:00 am and found parking without a problem.

2. People: There are a lot of people on this hike. There are many families and people with dogs. People seem to be responsible about picking up dog poop and keeping them on leashes.

3. The trail: The trail is a bit steep in the beginning and was tough for me with my asthma. It lightens up a bit. In the beginning there are clear signs and then there are contradictory arrows making the trail difficult to follow. We ended at a dead end. We asked four separate groups where the trail went and no one knew. Everyone we saw was lost. People begin to wander off the trail which is still nice because it is scenic and there are tons of photo opportunities.

Overall it's a nice hike. You get great views and there are many boulders to climb for cool photos. It's a busy busy trail so if you are looking for a peaceful hike this is not for you. To be fair, we went on a Saturday.

Happy hiking!!!

Quick hike, had a great time, especially taking in the view and climbing on the rocks along the trail. Early Jan, not much snow quite yet!

Real short hike with an awesome view of Big Bear Lake

Love this trail-- a good challenge-and-reward for kiddo's, scrambling up the final rocks to get that view of the lake is a must! Went in December and no snow and caught a pretty sunset.