Red Plateau is line of a volcanic hills and ridges rising up above the Dewdrop Range.    the steep cliffs comprise the Red Plateau Escarpment.    We can get to the rim of the escarpment from below, hiking up a variety of routes, or we can drive up the Red Plateau Forest Service Road.    There are many possible combinations of trails which can be hiked, but the best choices include the Rim Trail, the extension of the Dewdrop Trail which starts just off Frederick Road.   Whether we start from the Dewdrop Range or if we start on top of the plateau, we always want to hike along the rim for the fine views, the reddish rocky cliffs, and many volcanic features, a few of which are shared here.

From the upper end of the Dewdrop Trail we can look across to the Ragged Red Ridge, a rough hiking route.   Red Canyon below is the deepest canyon into the Escarpment.

Much of the trail along the Escarpment Rim is a single track, winding through open forests.   Behind (north) of the rim trail the forest is much more dense and there are a number of marshes.

From various spots on the Rim Trail, we can look down to Dewdrop Arch, directly below Castle Butte.   We have hiked above the arch and by scrambling carefully, we have gone up through the arch.

At the top of the ridge leading to Castle Butte is a volcanic boulder we call Mushroom Rock.

Farther along the ridge is another small arch that is easier to hike through.    It is a bit below the rim so may be harder to spot.

Castle Butte juts out from the plateau with wide views over to Kamloops Lake.

The Rim Trail (sometimes called the Dewdrop Traverse) continues west for many kilometers so it is possible to do a loop route down to the Dewdrop and back or a loop back on old double tracks on top of Red Plateau.    there are dozens of route options, but very little signage, so explorers will need to navigate more complicated routes.

On one of these loop routes, we traversed the rim, then came down a steep trail to the Dewdrop Range, and then we hiked back to a vehicle dropped off below the foot of Castle Butte.

We usually hike the Escarpment Rim area twice a year so watch for future posts.