Castle Peak

Included in this area are the two peaks, Castle and Basin, the intervening ridge, Round Valley, and numerous small meadows and wet "stringers". The primary plant community is a fine example of northern Sierra Nevada subalpine forest. The dominant trees are western white pine, Pinus monticola, and mountain hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana. There are fine stands of the red fir, Abies magnifica, and a limited amount of lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana. An isolated stand of the whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, is found here, perhaps the most northern in the Sierra, though it is found in the Cascades.

Dominant shrubs include Artemisia spp., Eriogonum spp. Chrysothamnus nauseosus, Haplopappus spp. and, in the wet areas, Salix spp. Two rare plants, Eriogonum umbellatum var. torreyanum and Lewisia longipetala, are found here, as is the uncommon Lewisia kelloggii.

There are numerous small spring or snow-fed meadows. The peaks are composed of volcanic pyroclastic and basaltic rocks of Tertiary origin, intruding in the surrounding Mesozoic granites.

Integrity: Relatively undisturbed save for a few "deer hunter camps," a mountain shelter and trails. The area to the south has been logged.

Use: Public lands, research, educational, observational, light recreation; remainder, private.

Ref: True, Gordon, 1973. The Ferns and Seed Plants of Nevada County. Mimeo. Calif. Acad. Sci. 62 pp.

December 1975