Many of the trails on the Bonaparte Plateau are old roads, logging skid tracks, or fishing routes, but there also a few established trails.   The Tsinsunko Lake Loop is one of the nicer trails systems in the Tsintsunko/Bonaparte Provincial Parks.

To find the trails, drive up the Jamieson Creek Road and watch for the turn-off just past Km 28.   Turn onto the Shelley Lake-Beaverhut Road.   Follow the route staying left at the intersection with the Deadman Creek Road (at 12 km).   At about 14km, you will cross a creek over a bridge and climb a hill.   Watch for the trailhead sign on your left.   We parked down the road, about 100 feet away.

The trail winds up then down to Jolly Lake, and then follows the shoreline.   We came to a junction that  split the trail and chose the left fork.   We rejoined the other fork at the shoreline of Tsinstunko Lake so it appears that hikers can choose either route.    The left fork then comes to another signed fork with a choice to hike down a good trail to Caribou Lake and from reports, it then comes out on the Bob Lake Road.   We turned right to come around the end of Tsintsunko Lake.   We found this section overgrown and not well-marked, but short enough.   Once we got to the main camping areas beside the west side of the lake, the trail was wide and clear.   There is an old cabin and a newer one in the woods there and quad routes into the bush.

Across Tsintsunko Lake we saw an island and a pointed rock in the channel, with waterlilies in the bays.   This would be a fine spot to bring a boat.

We followed a quad track out to the road and hiked the 3km back to our vehicle along the road.   This is a good trail for a nice day, after the bugs are gone.   It could be combined with another hike like the Shelley Lake Trail, which is further back along the same road.