We returned to hike the Skoatl Point Trail in September this year.   We have hiked this fine trail every year and there are several articles already on the site (type Skoatl into the Search Bar) for further information.

We drove up the Jamieson Creek FSR, then onto the Windy Lake Road.   The trailhead is a bit hard to find and the road is getting worse, grown in, potholed, and has one deep waterbar.

The trail is in good shape, winding through the forest, past Adler Lake, and up the lower volcanic slopes of Skoatl.   It was a cool, wet day, but it cleared up for the hike back out.

The final stage is up the volcanic plug on a series of ledges and rock shelves to the top, not for everyone’s taste, especially in wet conditions.   The top has a flat section, perfect for a wide view and lunch.   Dagger Lake lies directly north with the hills overlooking Bonaparte Lake beyond.

The views used to look out over beetle-killed forest, with a sea of red needles everywhere, but now those trees stand bare or have fallen so the forest has a green-brown look.   We enjoyed the view and came back down the rock carefully.   On the trail back to the start, we took our time, appreciating the end-of-summer forest with its berries and mushrooms.

The hike takes about 3 hours (plus breaks) and is best done in late summer or early fall.   It is a remote spot so come well-prepared.   We will return in 2015.