Rugged, steep, and interesting, an adventure every time we hike Estekwalan Mountain.  In July we drove from Falkland up the Rob Roy FSR which turned out to be quite rough after a season of rain.   We have done this hike quite a few times so we knew what to expect – steep terrain with some light scrambling.   The hike up ascends 572 m (1876 feet) in 3.4 km.   The upper part requires some scrambling on rock.

A ring of cliffs looms above the parking area.   We climbed to the rim and followed the edge in a loop route.

The trail cleverly winds/switchbacks through the forest to get to a ridge which can be hiked to the rim.

The ascent ridge could be seen from above.

The upper part of the mountain is forested, but the trail stays on the edge of the bluffs, providing fine views for most of the hike.

We followed the rim of the bluffs for 2 km before dropping into a gully and then up the other side, emerging on top of the bluffs on the south side of the mountain.

Wildflowers were in bloom along the whole route, like this mat of saxifrage.

The route down is very steep and there are a number of fixed ropes to assist hikers on the loose trail surface.     The descent is 2 km to the forest service road and the return walk along the road is another 1.5 km for a total distance of 9.7 km.   The Estekwalan hike is hard, but rewarding so we will continue to return for another hike up the mountain.

More Information:

• Estekwalan Mountain (2018)