Opax Mountain is a sprawling forested high plateau (1100 to 1350 m) in the northwest corner of Lac du Bois Protected Area.   There are 2 or 3 routes up the mountain and a maze of old tracks, but our favorite route is an old access track from Hanging Valley.   It was probably used for horse logging when Lac du Bois and Hanging Valley were homesteaded from 1873 – 1920.   In fact there was a stationary sawmill at the west end of Lac du Bois.   We found some evidence of an old portable mill up on the mountain very close to our trail.   The old track has been cleared a bit over the years when it was used by hunters, ranchers, and 4WDers, but now a long section is part of the Nature Conservancy of Canada so it is gated below and signed above.   We followed it up over the rim and then headed west.

Most of Oapx is treed-in, but there are lava-flow cliffs on the south and west sides of the mountain.   It is 7.5 km of hiking to this point, a good spot for lunch.

The main views are southwest into Tranquille Canyon.

With a little scrambling, hikers can get below the upper band of cliffs.   There are lots of drop-offs in this area.   The cliffs can easily be spotted from the Red Lake Road across the canyon.

On the last day of summer in September,  the aspens were starting to turn yellow and there were a few wildflowers still in bloom.

This hike is 15 km return from Lac du Bois.   There are some challenges in route-finding with many old tracks along the way, so a map and GPS are recommended.   Some waypoints are provided here:

• start at Lac du Bois and hike along the north side of the lake
• turn uphill from Hanging Valley – N50 48.129 W120 28.524
• follow the double track then turn west at N50 47.846 W120 30.042
• follow the double track, but turn left to go up a short ridge at N50 47.621 W120 30.852
• follow the open slope down the viewpoint anywhere near N50 47.408 W120 30.972
• follow your route back