Tag Archives: Red Plateau

Dead Coyote – Three Amigos Loop

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There are a number of trails that climb from the Dewdrop Range up the Red Plateau Escarpment to the rim of Red Plateau.    We can combine any two of the trails into a loop route.    Most hikers go up the Dewdrop Trail from the east end of the Dewdrop Range.    The Dead Coyote Trail and the Three Amigos Trail were both developed by mountain bikers as downhill trails from the Red Plateau Traverse route.    The uphill route was from the Tranquille – Criss Creek Road near the Pimple, winding up and around Jag Hill, then continuing west along existing hiking trails west along the plateau.   Alternately, cyclists could bike up the Red Plateau Forest Service Road then use old double tracks to connect to the Traverse route.    Hikers can also use the trails and one good loop route is to go up the Dead Coyote Trail and across the rim, then down the Three Amigos Trail.

The Bluebird Trail goes east – west and can be picked up from the Dewdrop Upper Road after it splits from the Frederick Road (at N50 45.571 W120 35.671 or 1.6 km farther west ).    Hikers will need to watch for single tracks heading northwest.   There is a sign designating the Dead Coyote Trail which bears north of the Bluebird Trail.  The trail winds up the Escarpment, climbing 476m in elevation (1561 ft) over 2.5 km.

Open views to the south show the Dewdrop Range and Kamloops Lake south and below the Escarpment.

At the Dewdrop Traverse Trail (unsigned), bear west and follow the single track trail for 2.25 km.

A junction (N50 47.282 W120 37.740) with the Three Amigos Trail is reached with the descent route on the left, angling down toward a broad gully.

The route down Three Amigos has some steep sections, and in 4.4 km the junction with Dead Coyote is reached.   The single track trail which is the extension of the Bluebird Trail, leads back to the start.     This is a demanding loop route of 11 – 13 km depending on the start point.   The route is rugged, scenic, and remote.    It requires some navigation skills and sure feet on slippery or steep sections.    In spite of the challenges, it is a memorable hike for the intrepid.

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

 

Up the Red Plateau Escarpment

Kamloops Trails Posted on by  

On a hot (34 degrees C) end-of-May day, we drove into the Dewdrop Range and parked at the Dewdrop Trailhead area.    We got an early start and hiked steadily up the steep trail, climbing a series of ridges on the Red Plateau Escarpment.     There are a number of viewpoints and possible end points along the way, but for this day, we continued along the rim, traversing west to the top of the Ragged Red Ridge, our lunch and turn-around point.   We enjoyed the open views and explored the lava flow formations a bit, then we headed back down, retracing our steps, hiking back the way we came up. The climb from the Dewdrop Range up to the rim … Continue reading →