The hike on Estekwalan Mountain is one of the best in the Interior of BC.    It is steep up and down and has great views for much of the hike.   To get to the trailhead, drive to Falkland and turn onto Wetaskawin Road.   Pass the dump and start climbing this narrow high clearance road (Rob Roy FSR) for 8 km to a bench area below the cliffs.     There is a sign on the north side of the road and parking on the lower side.

The signed trail enters the forest and works its way north into a gully, then starts a steep trail up a ridge, bearing east.

The forest thins as elevation is gained.   A route goes up through the cliffs with some light scrambling required.

The final uphill goes along the top of the cliffs and there are wide views east, south, and west.  In the distance (100 km east) we could see that the Monashees already had fresh snow in September.

 

To the northwest, the Jordan Range rises between the Perry River and Lake Revelstoke.

Immediately east we can see the valley below with the Fly Hills above.

The Falkland – Chase Road  winds through the valley on the northeast side.

The cliffs on the east side have a sheer drop of 100 vertical feet.   The trail winds its way over a narrow and rocky ridge before bearing west along the top of an open ridge.

The circle route follows the bluffs to the west with open views of the arc of cliffs.   A well-designed trail provides good hiking with open views.

Far below near Falkland is the Salmon River.

As the trail progresses along the bluffs, we can look back at our route to the top.

 

The trail descends the western ridge into a gully then climbs through the forest to the south side of the mountain.

The route down through the south-facing bluffs is a difficult one.   There were 9 long ropes in place (probably installed by the Vernon Outdoor Club) to help hikers with the steep descent.   Usually this section has lots of loose material underfoot and the ropes help to avoiding sliding or falling.   On this day, the slopes were muddy and very slippery so the ropes were much appreciated, but this part of the trail is a lot of fun too.

There are larch trees on the lower slopes below the cliffs and a couple were turning color from soft green to gold.

Once down off the trail, the return to the trailhead is a 1.5 km hike along the Forest Service Road.   The cliffs of Estekwalan Mountain stand above some colorful second growth slopes on the final section of the route.

There are several posts on hiking Estekwalan Mountain on this site.     Use the Search Bar for more information.