Bastion Mountain
At the head of the Salmon Arm of Shuswap Lake, Bastion Mountain’s cliffs loom over the lake. From the top of the bluffs there is an unimpeded view of Sunnybrae, Skimikin, Shuswap Lake, Mount Ida, the Fly Hills, and the Salmon River Valley. To get up to the top of Bastion Mountain, take the Bastion Mountain FSR at the east end of SunnyBrae. Wind around the lower slopes underneath the bluffs then back into the Reinecker Creek Valley. At a prominent junction, climb and continue up the switchbacks. The best view is at the towers on top of the bluffs. Either park and walk out to the viewpoint, or drive the rough road through the gates (at N50 47.741 W119 14.781). After checking out the viewpoint, continue climbing to the top. Bastion Mountain is a large treed plateau and even though the road traverses the top from south to north, there are large waterbars that will challenge your vehicle. After crossing a few in our 4WD, we parked and hiked across to the north side taking in views of the other arm of Shuswap Lake, Blind Bay, Pukeshun Mountain, the Monashees, and even SunPeaks to the northwest. The forest is thick on top, so stick to the double track, returning by the same route.