Often people ask me where my favorite place to hike in BC is and more often than not I say Chilliwack. I feel like it’s so underrated! So instead of heading to the Sea to Sky Corridor this weekend, try driving the opposite way. A lot of the best hikes in Chilliwack are tough, about moderate to hard in ranking, so pay attention to the trail stats before going so you are prepared. Here are some of the best hikes in Chilliwack for your next adventure!

Read This Before You Hike

David Attenborough has said, “no one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced” and I couldn’t agree more. While there’s no doubt that social media, specifically Instagram, has led to certain outdoor spots being negatively impacted (overcrowded, vandalized, trashed, etc.), I choose to believe that social media, and the internet in general, can be a place where education and environmentalism can thrive. Online resources that include more information than just a geotag, like this blog post, allow for the outdoors to become more accessible, inclusive, and diverse.

When visiting these spots, following the Leave No Trace Principles is crucial to minimizing impacts when recreating outside. The principles are seven things that will help preserve the environment for generations to come. For example, it’s incredibly important to pack out what you pack in. This means taking all your garbage with you—including natural things like banana peels or apple cores. Even though they may decompose, it takes a long time (especially in colder temperatures) and it attracts animals. Check out the Leave No Trace Principles below:

• Plan Ahead & Prepare.
• Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces.
• Dispose of Waste Properly.
• Leave What You Find.
• Minimize Campfire Impacts.
• Respect Wildlife.
• Be Considerate of Other Visitors.

If you’d like to learn more, which I hope that you do, take a couple of minutes to read this.

Some of My Must-Have Gear

Now that you know how to act in the outdoors, thanks to the LNT principles, let’s make sure you know what to bring to be prepared! You don’t need new, top-of-the-line, pretty, or trendy gear… you just need gear that works. Below are some of my must-haves for these hikes in Chilliwack.

Flora Peak

Length: 11.4 km roundtrip | Elevation Gain: 1307m | Difficulty: hard

This trail is a fork off of the trail to Lindeman Lake and gets you right to Flora Peak. You won’t see a lot in the first half of the trail. It’s a grind but it’ll be worth it. It gets pretty exposed near the end so if it’s sunny be sure to hydrate and cover up. I loved being up there a few hours before sunset as the light flooding through was beautiful. This really is one of the best hikes in Chilliwack.

Find trail info via AllTrails here.

Lindeman Lake

Length: 3.5 km roundtrip | Elevation Gain: 238m | Difficulty: easy

While it’s super popular, this is one of the best hikes in Chilliwack. It’s a relatively easy trail but still has some incline in a short time. I like to walk over the logs on the lake to get to the other side of the lake where there’s a boulder field to hang out when it’s busy. The water is freezing but definitely worth a dip! I saw an otter the last time I went so keep your eyes peeled. It’s also worth checking out Greendrop Lake and Flora Lake which are both on the same trail past Lindeman Lake.

Find trail info via AllTrails here.

Cheam Peak

Length: 8.4 km roundtrip | Elevation Gain: 668m | Difficulty: moderate

The hardest part about Cheam Peak is getting to the trailhead. The logging road to the trailhead is a rough road that can only be accessed with a true 4×4 vehicle. Do not take an SUV here. It will not get there. If you have a true 4×4 (or a friend who has one), you’re in luck! You drive so high up the mountain the effort you put into hiking seems so low for the views you get.

Find trail info via AllTrails here.

Goat Ridge

Length: 5.6 km roundtrip | Elevation Gain: 969m | Difficulty: moderate

If you like scrambling, heights, and ropes, this hike is for you! Goat Ridge is a really fun hike that brings you high above Lindeman Lake and Chilliwack Lake. The stats listed here will bring you to the first viewpoint above Lindeman Lake. If you want to go further, which I personally did, views of Chilliwack Lake and the entire valley will start to open up the hiker you go. I hiked about an hour past the first viewpoint to reach the views from the photos below. I was so gassed from the hike I didn’t check the stats on how long it was to get there, apologies!

Find trail info via AllTrails here.

Mount MacFarlane

Length: 17.2 km roundtrip | Elevation Gain: 1,840m | Difficulty: hard

My knees still hurt from this hike… but it’s still one of the best hikes in Chilliwack because you get so many different views (and photo ops!). The trail has steep sections in the forest and opens up to two lakes along the way—Lower and Upper Pierce Lake. I camped at the base of Upper Pierce Lake in a spot that has been previously camped on and then hiked the rest of the way to the summit for sunset and sunrise. Upper Pierce Lake was one of the coldest lakes I’ve swam in but it was so needed. Please follow LNT so your kids, and their kids and their kids (etc), can experience this place the way we are today.

Find trail info via AllTrails here.

Elk Mountain

Length: 8.2 km roundtrip | Elevation Gain: 788m | Difficulty: moderate

Elk Mountain is one of the best hikes in Chilliwack if you’re wanting to do a sunset hike. It’s a pretty popular trail but there’s a lot of space up there so people are usually spread out. The first half is in the trees and then it opens up a bit. It’s quite steep the entire time so get ready to sweat! If you’re up to it, you can keep hiking to Mount Thurston.

Find trail info via AllTrails here.

Other hikes in the Chilliwack area you could explore:

• Mount McGuire
• Thompson Peak
• Williams Peak
• Mount Lindeman
• Lady Peak