Lava flows covered the north side of Kamloops Lake forming Red Plateau and the Dewdrop Range.   The basalt lava flow on the Dewdrop Range was a sill, a tabular sheet intrusion in/on sedimentary layers.  In places where the basalt cooled on a slope gradient, columns formed and with thousands of years of erosion, the columns stand as cliffs over talus slopes.

There are 3 sets of basalt bluffs between Frederick Road and Battle Bluff.   The Upper East set is right below the top of the ridge overlooking Kamloops Lake.   It is 350m wide in a straight line and the cliffs are an average of about 11m high.   The Upper West set are about 700m wide in an arc, but the cliff face is not as columnar.   The cliffs range in height up to 45m.   The most striking set of basalt bluffs are the Lower West set that are 480m wide in an arc and the cliffs are about 25m high with distinct basalt columns.

The hiking route took us above and below all 3 sets of basalt bluffs.   Columns form from vertical fractures and in some of the crevices, a few plants and small trees take hold.

The route we took was to go over the top of the ridge, bearing east to come down through a break in the cliffs.   We then went west under the cliffs and then traversed over along a bench under the second set of bluffs.   At the far wet end, we scrambled down to the lower set and went out and back before returning back to the top of the ridge to complete the loop.   This is about 6k of hiking which includes some side routes for closer inspection of the bluffs and points of interest.

At the start of the hike, the whole area was enveloped in a fog, but a young group of male bighorn sheep spotted us from atop the ridge.

From the top of the ridge, Mount Mara, Mt. Peter, and a few of the upper ridges were clear above the valley fog.

The mists started to clear as I traversed at the foot of the first set of bluffs.   At the base of the bluffs was a sedimentary layer and where layers had broken off, there is an opportunity to look for fossils.   With a bit of searching, I found two imprints.   The best fossil area is about 500m below.   On the west end there was also some agates which come from a seam just below the basalt.

On the traverse across a bench, we are afforded fine views down the lake and up the river.

On the edge of the cliffs a number of trees survive the exposure to the elements, but are shaped by them too.

Standing to the north of the Dewdrop Range are the 600 m high Red Plateau cliffs, a breccia lava flow from the Eocene Epoch, now eroded and weathered for the last 33 million years.

The sun broke through and dissipated the mists as we explored above and below the cliffs on a mild February day.    Kamloops Lake, the South Thompson River, Red Plateau, and the Dewdrop Rangelands were all visible from the viewpoints.

 

 

There are no trails on this route, but the Lower West set of bluffs can be accessed from the Battle Bluff Trail with a bit of scrambling up the scree slope.   Better yet, take a half day and just explore the whole area looking for agates, fossils, bonsai-style trees, snags, bighorn sheep, bones, and the open views of the Dewdrop Range.