Haskell Peak
Place Name: Sierra County
Place Description: State: California
Date: 07/30/2020
Elevation: 8,107 Feet
Prominence: 1,427 Feet
Miles: 3.6
Elevation Gain: 1,253 Feet
Lists: Tahoe-Ogul, Western States Climbers List
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Difficulty
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Solitude
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Kid Friendly
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Summit Views
Nice Stroll In The Northern Sierras
Haskell Peak is a nice trail through the woods of the northern Sierras. The trail is easy to follow and great for kids!
Overall
2.5Pros
- Good dirt road
- Nice trail, easy to follow
- Fantastic views
Cons
- Out of the way
- No views along trail
- Logging in the area
The Tahoe-Ogul Peaks List has some random peaks in areas that literally have nothing to do with Lake Tahoe. Haskell Peak is one of those, as are the other four in the same general vicinity. Saying that, Haskell Peak is a worthy peak to hike. With over 1000 feet of prominence and nothing much around it, the views are plentiful. The trail is nice, well maintained and easy to follow.
Getting There
Honestly, the longest part of the trip is getting there. Haskell Peak is in Sierra county north of Highway 49. There is a signed trail head along National Forest Road 9 (NF-9). Driving in is rather easy. If you are coming from Sierra City or the Sierra Buttes, take the Gold Lake Highway to the north and turn right on NF-9. From here, it is approximately 8 miles to the trail on high speed gravel. You can drive 30mph and any vehicle could get there. Coming from Yuba Pass on Highway 49, you can turn right on NF-9 and follow it to the trail. There are a few junctions, but they are well signed. It’s approximately 6 miles and all good road again. Please note that there is active logging going on back here, so you may run into these vehicles along the way.
The sign marking the Trailhead on NF-9.
The Trail
If a nice single track through the forest and meadows is your cup of tea, then this trail is for you. It is only 1.5 miles to the summit and gains around 1,100 feet. I found the trail to be very peaceful and was kid friendly. There were a couple other groups on the trail, however, compared to Sierra Buttes, there is a lot of solitude.
The Haskell Peak Trail curves through the forest.
You can tell the trail is maintained and it is almost impossible to not follow. There is an overabundance of cairns along the way. The summit is a large open pile of talus that has a summit register and fantastic views. One can see Lassen Peak, Mount Rose, Castle Peak, Pyramid Peak, English Mountain, Mount Lola, and dozens of others extending from Nevada to Mount Diablo on a clear day. The Sierra Buttes just 7 miles away are impressive to the west.
Sierra Buttes.
On the way down, we even crossed paths with a rubber boa snake, the first I’ve ever seen.
Rubber Boa along the Haskell Peak Trail.
The Final Report
Haskell Peak is very worthy from a peak bagger’s perspective and a perfect hike if you have a short amount of time. We combined it with Sierra Buttes earlier in the day. This is a very family friendly trail and a nice peak to start the young ones on. This was my first trip hiking in Sierra County, and it will not be my last.
