We returned to hike to Skoatl Point in October of 2016.   We have done this hike many times and from our experiences we prefer to hike the trail sometime between mid-August and mid-October.   Before then, the trail can be quite wet.   Early on, deadfall can be an issue and in June and July, bugs are another problem.   By the end of summer, the meadow crossings have dried out and the mosquitoes have disappeared.   With such a wet end-of-summer and fall in 2016, the trail was muddy.

The Jamieson Creek Forest Service Road was in good shape and there was no active logging that day.   Just past Whitewood Lake, we turned onto the Windy Lake Road, using a mobile radio to call out our progress and listen for other trucks on the backroads.  The road was good for a while, but there were many potholes as we approached Windy Lake,   Past Windy Lake the road is getting brushed in and with no signage, the route in can be a bit confusing.   There is one deep water bar in the last kilometer that requires high clearance.   On this day we were able to drive right to the trailhead.

The trail is a good one, going through the forest to Adler Lake.  It is a gradual descent on a rooty path.   The trail passes by Adler Lake which looks like a great place to fish (a 2 km hike).

From the end of Adler Lake the trail crosses wet meadows and marshy areas.   Parks has added a number of walkways, but it can still be a wet area.   From the end of Adler Lake, the trail climbs through an old burn to Skoatl Point.

Skoatl is an old volcanic core which stands above the Bonaparte Plateau.   Basalt columns turned sideways bulge out right above the trail.   The trail turns to the right and winds up to the east shoulder crossing boulder fields.

The final approach is a scramble, up a series of ledges to the top.

From the top dozens of lakes on the forested Bonaparte Plateau can be spotted.   Dagger Lake lies directly north of Skoatl.

Estelle Lake lies northeast of the summit.

The segmented heads of basalt columns make up the summit on the west end.

We watched rains approaching from the south toward Adler Lake so we finished our lunches and climbed back down to the trail.

It rained a bit, but we dried quickly and hiked the 4km trail back out to our vehicle.   As we drove out of Bonaparte Provincial Park into some logging cutblocks, we could see Skoatl Point to our northwest in the midst of dark, wet conditions.

We will return to hike Skoatl Point again in 2017, probably in late August (note – there are several more articles on this hike).

More Information:

• Skoatl (2015)
• Skoatl Point 2014
• Skoatl Point 2013
• Skoatl Point (2011)
• Skoatl Point (2010)