The Windy Point Trail is an excellent way to spend half an hour while you are visiting Scotty's Castle. The trail starts just past the castle museum entrance. It winds around the bottom of a hill, providing views of both the main castle building and the clock tower. As you continue to climb, you can look down into Tie Canyon to see thousands of railroad ties, several abandoned vehicles, and other remnants leftover from the castle's construction. Once you've gained 160 feet in elevation and wrapped all the way around the small hill, you arrive at the summit. The Windy Point Trail is named for Scotty's dog Windy, not just because it is usually windy up at the summit.
This is the starting point for the Windy Point trail:
If you look closely, you can see the top of the hill in the background which is Windy Point. But make sure you don't take a shortcut to get there, stay on the trail:
Signs remind you to stay on the path:
View of Scotty's Castle as you are still close to the beginning of the trail:
Another view which includes the clock tower and the mountains in the background:
You walk right by the clock tower, before the trail makes an abrupt turn around the hillside:
Looking down into Tie Canyon, you can see the thousands of leftover railroad ties which were bought for one cent each:
The trail climbs steadily, but the whole hike should only take you about 10-12 minutes each way:
One of the classic vehicles which is sitting in Tie Canyon, along with castle building materials:
Even more railroad ties can be seen in the foreground of this picture:
Daria looking out at the view just prior to reaching the actual summit:
The final path to the summit of Windy Point:
Overlook at Windy Point, which includes some nice benches to rest on after the very short hike:
Death Valley Scotty's grave is up here:
A close-up of the grave marker:
This is a nice monument which recalls Scotty's four things to live by:
View from the grave and monument looking down at the castle:
Steve at the summit of the Windy Point trail:
Windy's grave marker:
Windy was Scotty's dog and loyal friend:
One final photograph of the view from Windy Point: