Opax Mountain is a sprawling high plateau sitting northwest of Lac du Bois.    The sides are steep and a lava cliff fringes the south, west, and east sides, but there are two routes up and some good hiking, biking, and exploring to do.  

Earlier articles listed two of these routes:

• West Opax
• West Opax approach
• East Opax (on the snow)

We spent some time trying to link these routes and managed to do so with a combination of 4WD, hiking, and biking.   The map provided here requires some explanation.

• The West Opax route from Hanging Valley is the nicest of the routes, and the double track is gated making this a perfect route for hiking, running, or biking.   The return trip is about 15 km.
• The east double track starts at the Mud Lake kiosk.   It is a rough 4WD road for high-clearance vehicles.   It has rough sections, deep puddles, downed trees to go around, and some narrow, overgrown sections.   This is also a good hike or bike, but can be driven in dry conditions.   We enjoy this route on the snow.   The other routes down are all gated so you must return by the same rough route.  
• The track up from Pass Lake is the best road, but it is gated at both ends.   It makes a good mountain bike route, but is not as interesting as the other two routes.  
• The section at the southwest corner does not link easily.   A narrow, rough section with deadfall does provide a link, but it can be difficult to spot and is definitely 4WD.   The intersection is at N50 47.714 W120 30.159.
• People have gotten lost on Opax.   Pick good weather.   Bring bear spray and bug spray.   A GPS with a basemap is recommended.
• Route-finding skills are important for this area, but it is worth the effort.