CANCELLED: Snowshoe to Castle Pass Register

Date and Time:
Sun, Mar 1, 2026; 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM  (Pacific)

Organized By: Sierra Nevada Group

Cancellation Reason: Avalanche danger and forecasted snowfall

Join the Sierra Club on a 4 mile-roundtrip snowshoe hike to Castle Pass on Sunday, March 1! All are welcome to join us; you do not need to be a Sierra Club member. Enjoy snow-covered trees and meadows with a lovely vista from the pass, including views of the peak above us. The hike begins gently, tracking a service road and giving us plenty of time to get comfortable on our snowshoes; it then ascends about 800 ft over a little more than a mile to Castle Pass where we’ll take a lunch break. We’ll discuss snowshoeing tips and winter outdoor basics, including winter leave-no-trace. The exact duration will vary depending on snow conditions, but plan to be out about 4 hours. 

Level of Difficulty: This hike is intermediate. You do not need to have previously snowshoed to join, but you do need to be in good shape (rule of thumb: you’re comfortable summer hiking 7-8 miles). Mileage in snow can be deceiving as the level-of-difficulty depends on how recent snowfall has been, depth, and temperature. The hike plan above is tentative depending on conditions and the experience level of the group as a whole; we will discuss day-of and adapt the distance as needed. 

Logistics: Meet up at 8:00 am at the Donner Summit SnoPark (https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23055). To park, you must purchase a SnoPark Day Pass ($15) either online or at a participating vendor (https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30500).  We’ll spend about 4 hours snowshoeing including several snack breaks and a lunch break at Castle Pass to enjoy the views of the snow-covered Sierra Nevada. We should be back at the cars by mid-afternoon (weather/snow conditions dependent).  

Don’t have snowshoes? You can rent them locally. In Grass Valley, Mountain Recreation (https://www.mtnrec.com/rentals-services/) rents snowshoes and poles for $25/day (you can pick them up after 3pm the prior day and drop them off the next day before 11am). There are also multiple spots in Truckee with rentals. 

Note on cancellation/rescheduling: This trip is weather-dependent, so we will review the weather and avalanche forecasts and will notify any registrants of changes in plans.

Please reach out with any questions!

Signup Instructions: Please sign up at least one week in advance so that we can communicate about any gear questions.

Bring: Bring at least a liter of water per person; lots of snacks; snowshoes and poles, waterproof pants, insulating thermal layers (non cotton), extra layers (mid layer and puffy), gloves, hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. A week prior to the hike, we will send an email detailing what gear we bring on winter trips as an example. Also, please bring a heat-proof cup as we'll make hot cocoa and chai during our lunch break.