Logging-road approach climbs into alpine terrain beneath Wapitik Mountain. Established tent pads, food storage and toilet are described.
Sources reviewed . This is a research date, not a trail inspection.
Full round trip · approximately 11.1 km mapped
Approximate terrain elevation. Mapped distance may differ from the published hike distance.
Approximate ground elevation from a 90 m terrain model. Distance follows the mapped itinerary and may differ from published walking distance. This is a terrain-model profile, not a surveyed measurement. Any ascent total is identified separately with its own source or estimation method.
The source chain starts exactly at the independently tagged WNMS Bootski Lake trailhead. Its far endpoint lies on the alpine lake shoreline polygon and matches the lake objective at the end of the5.548km named trail. The steward’s11km return description establishes the retraced return via the cairn and forest junction.
Route source 1Route source 2Route source 3Route source 4Route source 5Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · checked 2026-10-18 · CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework. Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/197475936. Sampled and rounded for display.
Published alongside the named trail guide; check the file’s start, endpoint and branches against your selected outing.
Publisher’s source page · checked 2026-10-17http://assets.wnms.ca/brochures/bootski-lake-jan-2025.pdf
Published alongside the named trail guide; check the file’s start, endpoint and branches against your selected outing.
Publisher’s source page · checked 2026-10-17http://assets.wnms.ca/gpx-files/bootski-lake.gpx
Complete mapped outing from Bootski Lake trailhead at the road barrier, including the return on the same route. Line source (opens original source).
From Tumbler Ridge, take Highway 52E south for 48 km, then turn right onto Ojay Main Road.
Follow Ojay Main for 25 km and take the right fork onto Wapiti Forest Service Road (2500 Road).
Cross the Wapiti River near road km 5. At km 12.1, turn right onto the small signed road and park.
Parking: Park by the signed minor-road turnoff at Wapiti Forest Service Road km 12.1. The walking route follows a deactivated road beyond this point.
Travel south from Tumbler Ridge on Highway 52/Boundary Road for about 48 km and turn right onto Ojay Main Road. Follow this industrial road for roughly 25 km, then take the right branch onto Wapiti Forest Service Road. Cross the Wapiti River near road kilometre 5 and continue to kilometre 12.1, where a small road turns right and provides the recommended parking start. The continuation is deactivated with creek crossings and deep drainage ditches. Follow posted radio channels and road rules; do not assume a high-clearance vehicle can bypass every obstruction.
Map position: 54.58705, -120.62298 · trailhead. WNMS publishes this exact coordinate pair in its Directions to Trailhead link.
Follow the deactivated road from parking to the unbridged creek crossing around 650 m. High water can make it impassable; turn back if there is no safe crossing.
At about 3 km, leave the road at the sign and climb through the remaining cutblock into forest.
Climb through the old burned area, using the route markers. Near 4 km, emerge from the trees and find the cairn and sign on the ridge.
Turn left along the ridge and continue to Bootski Lake below Wapitik Mountain. The lake is the ordinary turnaround.
Walk the deactivated road and assess the creek crossing about 650 m from the start; high water may require abandoning the crossing. Climb through the cutblock to the signed trail departure around kilometre 3, then ascend through forest and the old burn, watching for flagging. Above the stunted trees near kilometre 4, reach a cairn and sign on the ridge and turn left toward Bootski Lake below Wapitik Mountain. Mark this return junction before continuing. The lake basin is the normal destination. Nearby ridges involve steep loose rock and exposure; the eastern scramble cannot safely be turned into a descent toward the saddle because a cliff blocks that line.
Radio-controlled Ojay Main industrial road; confirm current channels and traffic before travel.
Creek at approximately 650 m may require wading during high water.
Follow the ridge back to the cairn and sign, then turn right down into the forest. Missing this turn can take you away from the approach. Retrace the road and creek crossing to parking. The eastern summit scramble is an additional exposed route, not an alternative descent.
Terrain: exposure · creek crossings · alpine.
Source comparison: Bootski Lake; 11 km; 550 m ascent; return scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.
Snowmelt fills the lake in spring and its level falls through summer as it drains underground. High creek water, wind and low cloud can alter access and navigation. The exposed ridge scramble is specifically unsuitable in wet or windy weather.
These are dated research notes. Open the trip planner for current available weather and advisory feeds; no alert found does not establish that a trail or road is open.
A designated lake camp has eight tent pads, a bear-resistant food cache, a cooking table and an outhouse, installed in autumn 2024 according to the January 2025 WNMS brochure. Use the established pads and facilities and pack out rubbish. The reviewed guide does not state a reservation requirement or guarantee that a pad will be available.
A photograph with confirmed reuse permission has not yet been added to this guide.
These galleries stay on their photographers’ original websites.
Choose a trip pack or an available individual sheet for your map case.
Descriptions are written for this guide from the linked evidence. Source review dates, published reports and field observations can differ. Photographs and route lines retain their own attribution and reuse terms.
These contributor-mapped features support the map geometry. They are separate from the written access and route sources.
Remote backpacking trail along the Wapiti River and lakes. Motorized off-road vehicles are prohibited in the park.
19 km · one way onlyRead guide →A waterfall viewpoint reached by a short side path after a substantial walk along the remote Wapiti River trail.
0.2 km · one way onlyRead guide →Old exploration roads lead into the alpine, where a ridge walk crosses successive rises above the Kinuseo valley. Return by the same route and expect to share the lower approach…
10 km round tripRead guide →Reach a section of the historic Monkman highway by paddling across Stony Lake, then walk west from the signed landing. Plan both the retraced walk and the return water crossing,…
4 km round tripRead guide →Official Monkman map marks camp at trail km 15; these are route-chainage values, not road distances.
15 km point to point / Approx. 300 m gain · terrain estimateRead guide →Official Monkman map marks camp at trail km 22; these are route-chainage values, not road distances.
22 km point to point / Approx. 410 m gain · terrain estimateRead guide →