Two hikers climbing the second highest peak in California last week made a bone-chilling discovery when they stumbled upon a mysterious human skeleton.

Tyler Hofer and his pal had ventured off the beaten path on their Oct. 7 ascent of Mount Williamson when they first caught sight of a fractured human skull among a boulder field.

The remains were fully revealed — along with a pair of leather shoes and a belt— when they moved aside some rocks.

The skeleton was laid out on its back with its arms crossed over the chest.

Hofer phoned the grim discovery into police — then continued to the 14,374-foot summit before visiting investigators the next day.

“The average person who was hiking to Williamson wouldn’t have gone the route we went because we were a little bit lost, a little bit off course,” Hofer said. “So it made sense that nobody would have stumbled across the body.”

The discovery has local authorities scratching their heads — especially since they’ve gone back through decades of missing persons reports from the Inyo National Forest with no matches.

“This is a huge mystery to us,” said Inyo County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Carma Roper.

But, she added, there’s no evidence to suggest foul play.

Investigators plan to use DNA to try to identify the remains, which they believe could be decades old because of their condition.

Based on the skeleton’s placement, Hofer said he believes the remains were placed their intentionally.

“It wasn’t in a position of distress or curled up,” Hofer said. “It was definitely a burial because it was very strategically covered with rocks.”

He also believes the person was a rock climber based on the leather shoes.

But the sheriff’s office wasn’t making a ruling just yet.

“I can’t say whether it’s intentional or not, but it’s not an area that would be prone to rockfall,” said Sgt. Nate Derr.

With Post wires