Sand Ridge Lake–Castle Valley North Road, 3 sights is a 10.2-mile out-and-back near Norden, CA. The route reaches Sand Ridge Lake at the turnaround, 5.1 miles in. It climbs 1,551 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 61/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Sand Ridge Lake–Castle Valley North Road, 3 sights
10.2 mi · ▲ 1,551 ft · 4 hr 11 min
Elevation 7,273–8,064 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: Castle Valley North Road · 39.34100, -120.34760
Weather Aug 4: Clear, high 79°F / low 52° · precip 0% · wind 8 mph · sunrise 6:05 AM · sunset 8:12 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Castle Valley North Road, heading NW.
- 0.9 miTurn left onto Hole in the Ground, heading W.
- 1.2 miBear right, heading N.
- 2.8 miContinue straight onto Sand Ridge Trail, heading W.
- 0.2 miReach Sand Ridge Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Hole in the Ground, heading E.
- 4 miTurn right onto Castle Valley North Road, heading N.
- 0.9 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.0 mi in (~71 min). Leave by 6:41 PM for the 8:12 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:15 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from Castle Valley North Road Trailhead
- West Lakes–Castle Valley East OHV Trail, 3 sights 4.1 mi · ▲ 361 ft
- Andesite Peak & Castle Valley North Road 4.5 mi · ▲ 916 ft
- Castle Valley East OHV Trail–Castle Valley North Road, 3 sights 4.6 mi · ▲ 794 ft
- Castle Peak–Castle Peak Trail, 5 sights 6.3 mi · ▲ 2,048 ft
- Snowshed East Face–Snowshed, 11 lakes 10.6 mi · ▲ 1,177 ft
- Signal Hill–Lake Angela, 9 lakes 11.3 mi · ▲ 1,390 ft
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