The Dewdrop trail has long been a favorite, the best of the trails in our area.   It was originally built by Forestry when they had Outdoor Recreation staff.   The trail has eroded over the years and now it is part of the Lac Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area (BC Parks).   The Kamloops Thompson Trails Alliance and BC Parks worked on the lower end of the trail in 2012, clearing fallen trees, improving the trail surface in eroded areas, and completing the spur trail to the lookout at the 2km mark.

The name Dewdrop Trail doesn't properly describe the trail.   It starts in the Dewdrop Range and climbs gullies and ridges to the top of the Red Plateau Escarpment.   Once the trail crests the escarpment, it winds along the rim, past Castle Butte and "officially" ends at a large gully, 6.5 km from the start.   At this point, there is a rough trail down the gully to the Upper Dewdrop Road, enabling a loop route.   There is also an informal flagged trail that continues along the Escarpment for few more kilometres.   Hikers usually climb the trail and stop for lunch at one of the many viewpoints and return by the same route.   Mountain bikers use this trail too by riding up the Red Plateau Forest Service Road, then they follow a maze of old skid/access roads over to connect with the Dewdrop Trail, finishing their loop by riding down the steep trail.   This is not an ideal bike route since the trail is steep and narrow.

We usually hike up and back once a year in the spring but we also drive up the Red Plateau FSR and hike over to the Castle Butte area and back for an easier, shorter hike later in the season.

Red Plateau has many volcanic features – lava flows, ragged outcrops, lava pockets, standing boulders, gargoyles, caves, arches, fissures, pumice fields, and collapsed min-craters.   Much is now hidden in the forest, but on the rim, we can see the exposed rock formations and with a little exploration, "moonscapes" can be found.

The ridges are hot in the sun and dry with junipers filling in the spaces between lava outcrops.   Behind the Escarpment, the forests of Red Plateau have Douglas firs, meadows, ponds, gullies and hills.   The area to the west outside the Park has been heavily logged.   The hike up the ridge to the top and along the Rim is the premier hike of our area.   Bring lots of water, a good pair of hiking shoes/boots, and your camera.