Elk Mountain

Date: August 11, 2024

Distance: 8.4km

Elevation gain: 790m

GPS: Link

Elk Mountain is a classic Fraser Valley hike, offering good views of Chilliwack and the Chilliwack Valley on a well-maintained trail. It's basically Chilliwack's version of Hollyburn Mountain. I’d classify it as beginner/intermediate level in BC and intermediate anywhere else. 

The trail continues east to Mount Thurston, offering some more views along the way, but we chose not to keep going. Peakbaggers can continue even further to Mount Mercer, but apparently there aren’t any views there to make the extra distance worthwile. 

Michal and I were in town for a few days and decided to go hiking. He hadn’t been to Chilliwack yet so Elk Mountain seemed like a good option. We drove east, through several winding mountain roads, and parked at the trailhead off Elk View Road. This trailhead is 2WD accessible and fills up quickly in the summer, especially on weekends.

The first couple kilometres switchback uphill through scenic second-growth forest. At about 850m elevation, the trail reaches the upper parking lot, accessed by a logging road branching off Elk View Road (https://backroadstatus.com/road/ften-547871). A few Jeeps and similar vehicles were parked there. Past the road, the trail continues uphill, soon reaching the ridge of Elk Mountain.

From here the trail ascends eastward up the ridge, switchbacking in places. There were several steep sections that provided a good workout. At 1300m, the trail briefly emerges from the trees. This spot would have nice views of Chilliwack, but clouds blocked the view. 

Another short and steep ascent led us to the summit of Elk Mountain, which features a large open meadow with good views of the giants across the Chilliwack Valley, such as Slesse and McGuire. There was a temperature inversion and clouds covered the lower reaches of the valley, adding to the view. This area is often used by paragliders.

Given the weather and time, we didn’t feel like continuing to Mount Thurston, so we returned the way we came. As usual, the descent was faster than the ascent. Near the trailhead, we noticed some Indian pipe/ghost plant stems. These eerie-looking plants derive energy from nearby mushrooms, instead of photosynthesis, and are a ghostly grey colour. 

We returned to Chilliwack, had pizza and beer at Fieldhouse, then tried to return home. The traffic was awful and we had to take a convoluted shortcut through Aldergrove to avoid closed roads. Michal really got the classic Fraser Valley hiking experience. 

Overall, this was a fun outing and I’d recommend it to beginner/intermediate hikers looking to discover the Chilliwack area.