We hike to Skoatl Point almost every year.   The road in to the trailhead and the trail has changed a lot over the years.   The good news is that the trail is in good shape.   The bad news is that logging is going on close to the edge of the park and to get to the trailhead, you will be driving through an active logging area.

Drive up the Jamieson Creek Forest Service Road and near KM 29, turn west onto the Windy Lake Road.    Follow this road for another 8.6 km past the Windy Lake Recreation Site and turn on the next right onto a side road and stay right on a minor side road, which is now becoming grown over and rough.   The trailhead is at the end of this road.   Not easy to find.

The trail is in good shape and is a pleasant forest hike past Adler Lake and up to the base of Skoatl Point, a core of an old volcano rising above the Bonaparte Plateau.  We only hike here in August and September because there are wet sections along the route that dry out by late summer and the area can be very buggy (all of the Bonaparte Plateau is mosquito-infested in June and July).

As we approach the basalt-edged monolith, the route becomes rocky and steep.   The cliffs rise above.  The trail ends just past a junction with the Dagger Lake Trail.   From this point, the route is a steep scramble to the top.

The way up is by a series of ledges, zigzagging to the top. As we climb, views expand to the lakes of the plateau.

The top is a flattish rocky area, perfect for lunch.    The Bonaparte Plateau is famous for its fly fishing.   From Skoatl we can look down at the surrounding lakes, mostly accessible by float-plane or 4WD tracks

The hike is an out-and-back route, a 9km return hike.   We skirt Adler Lake on the way back, always a nice spot, then climb gently through the forest back to the trailhead.

We recommend this hike into Skoatl Point, but if you go on these active logging roads, get a radio for your vehicle, and schedule your hike for the late season.

Coordinates:

Trailhead – N51 07.435 W120 26.838

Skoatl Point Summit – N51 09.257 W120 25.816