We drove for many kilometers on backroads to get to Bonaparte Plateau Provincial Park.    For 28 km we drove up the Jamieson Creek Forest Service Road, then turned onto the Windy Lake FSR for 15 km.  We passed the Rec Site on Windy Lake, and followed a narrow, bumpy road to the Skoatl Point trailhead.   We hiked to the base of the volcanic spire and scrambled to the top.

The trail winds through burned forest down to Adler Lake.    The wetter area by the lake was not burned.     After going around the west side of the lake, we started to climb through burned forest, winding up to the southeast corner of Skoatl Point.

The route up is all scrambling and requires zig-zagging up a series of ledges, with a number of spots needing both hands and both feet.    A route is flagged at this time and it avoids exposure for the most part, but it is never an easy climb.

Skoatl Point is a volcanic plug.    Fused basalt columns still stand even though the outside part of the cone has eroded away.     It is sheer on 3 sides.    From the top we can see many lakes on the Bonaparte Plateau.    On a clear day we can spot Dunn Peak, Raft Mountain, the Trophy Mountains and some distant peaks.    This day had forest fir smoke haze so we could see the Plateau area only.

We carefully climbed down the same route, then hiked back.    The hike was 9.5 km and took about 3.5 hours.     The best time to hike this trail is mid-summer to mid-fall.    Before that it can be wet and buggy.    This is remote backcountry so taking all the usual precautions is advised.

It was a warm day so we were happy to be back to our vehicles and start the long drive home.

I have done Skoatl Point a number of times and in each of the last three years.  I hiked it solo in fall last  year, but I promised myself not to do that again.    Here is the video I made of the 2024 hike:

 

• More Information – There are more posts on hiking this area on this website, on RambleOn, and on our YouTube Channel.