Hiking Goetz Peak in the Chilliwack River Valley
Contents
Goetz Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 18.80Km
Elevation Gain: 1,521m
Highest Elevation: 2,027m
Average Gradient: 16.18%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 9 – 11 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 9 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Would make it easier
Scrambling / Exposure: Short, easy Class 3 at the end with little exposure.
Goetz Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°06’26.3″N 121°34’47.9″W
Goetz Peak Overview
Goetz Peak is a lesser frequented summit in the Chilliwack River Valley, situated slightly north of Williams Peak and typically accessed from the same trail. The hike follows the defined Williams Ridge trail before parties will need to self-navigate to the summit, which involves a lot of route finding through undulating backcountry terrain. While Williams Peak is well regarded as one of the tougher hikes in the Chilliwack Valley, Goetz Peak is arguably even tougher, mostly due to the incessant undulation and the additional time spent navigating boulder fields and finicky ridges.
Like Williams, hiking Goetz Peak leaves you exposed to the sun for the majority of the day, and there’s also no water sources along the route. As such, make sure to bring plenty of water (3L minimum, possibly even 4L) and sun protection for the long day.
The majority of parties will begin this hike from the bottom of Chilliwack Lake Road, however it is possible to begin from the end of Ford Mountain FSR if you have a capable 4×4 (coordinates below go to the end of the FSR). This shaves off 600m of elevation gain from the day by avoiding most of the steep ascent up to Williams Ridge. The stats above assume you are starting from the end of Ford Mountain FSR as that’s where we began, so if you are starting from Chilliwack Lake Road, you’ll have to add another 600m of gain, making this a truly gruelling day out.
In terms of seasonality, most people will do this hike during the summer as it’s such a massive day. While technically possible in snow (you’ll find some trip reports if you look for it), most parties will take two days in winter, camping along the ridge before the summit. There’s also added complexity thanks to cornices and steep snow slopes. As such, it’s definitely easier to stick to summer, ideally July – October.
Goetz Peak is pet friendly, though there is extensive travel along a boulder field, which most dogs likely won’t be fond of. The long day of sun exposure is also not ideal for dogs, so I’d probably suggest leaving the pup at home.
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Is Goetz Peak worthwhile?
Goetz Peak offers stunning views, however the cost of admission is pretty steep. This is a hike for experienced parties that have done all of the usual peaks in the Chilliwack River Valley and want to try something different. If you haven’t done Williams Peak yet, I’d sooner choose that over Goetz as it’s a little less involved and offers comparable, if not better views. That being said, Goetz is still a fantastic hike, it’s just a long and at times tedious day, especially if you start from Chilliwack Lake Road.
How difficult is the hike to Goetz Peak?
The stats above assume you begin the hike from the end of Ford Mountain FSR, so this is as easy as they day can be. The elevation gain might be slightly overstated, but it certainly does feel like a slog when you’re out there. If you have to begin from Chilliwack Lake Road then you’re looking at a 2,000m+ elevation gain day, which is truly monstrous, even by the high standards in the Chilliwack Valley. This hike is on par with, if not tougher than the likes of MacFarlane, Williams and MacDonald Peak.
Technically speaking the biggest challenge of the day is likely route finding once you depart the Williams Ridge trail. You’ll need to navigate across a boulder field before ascending a ramp up to the north ridge of Williams Peak. From there, you follow the ridge along to the summit, which involves a lot of route finding to find a way that goes, as well as plenty of up and down. The final summit block includes a short Class 3 scramble with little exposure. It looks a little tricky from a distance but turns out to be quite easy when you do it. Most parties should be fine with this.
Goetz Peak Route Information
The trailhead for Goetz Peak is from a small pull out from Chilliwack Lake Road. Any car can reach this just fine. The alternative route (and the route described here) from Ford Mountain FSR involves driving up the FSR to the very end at around 1,150m. From here hikers will need to self-navigate up to the official Williams Ridge trail. This FSR requires a 4×4 high clearance, though conditions of course change. This route is also popular since it reduces elevation gain by around 600m.
If you’re starting from the trailhead off Chilliwack Lake Road, the hike will begin by following an obvious trail through an opening in the forest with some dense foliage at the base of the ridge climb. Once you enter the forest the ridge climb begins and doesn’t cease until you’ve made it all the way up. There’s not a lot to note about this section of the hike other than to get it out of the way as fast as possible. It’s about a 900m gain just to get to the ridge.
If you’re starting from the end of Ford Mountain FSR, you’ll shave off around 600m of gain right away. You’ll need to then hike to the end of the FSR before entering the forest. There is a faint, flagged route up to the ridge from here, however it’s easy to lose and is still very steep. Thankfully the forest is quite open, so you can easily navigate yourself if needed. It’s around 200m of gain before you’ll connect to the Ford Mountain trail, after which you’ll need to follow that briefly before you’ll connect with the junction where those beginning from Chilliwack Lake Road will gain the ridge. From here on the route is the same regardless of where you began the day.
The trail along the ridge is easy to follow. The gradient eases off entirely and now becomes a very mellow ridge walk. You’re still in the forest for now so there’s still not a lot to see, but you do get a very nice viewpoint looking out towards Mount Slesse & Rexford at around the 1,420m elevation mark.
Continuing along the ridge it remains fairly straightforward and easy to navigate, though there are quite a few ups and downs along the way. At around the 1,500m mark you’ll break out of the forest and into some scenic meadows, then shortly ahead you will reach the notch where you can either drop into the boulder field towards Williams Peak, or continue up and along the ridge. You’ll want to do the latter at this point.
Continue following the trail towards the boulder field between Williams Peak and the bump west of it. You should see an obvious notch between the two, which is what you’re aiming for. You can continue following the trail (which will eventually drop down onto the boulder field), or alternatively make a direct beeline for the boulder field by traversing across the slopes.
Once on the boulders you’ll simply hop across them in the direction of this notch. Once you get there you will see your general route across to the north ridge of Williams Peak. You’ll now drop down from this notch, again on boulders, before traversing across to the ridge. You’ll want to try and stay high here to avoid unnecessary gain. There’s also some steep sidehilling, and if you drop lower down you may end up on some very slick, sandy slopes that may be difficult to traverse. Higher up should just be boulders, which are easy to cross.
To gain the ridge you should be able to locate a faint trail at the other end of the boulder traverse. This was well flagged for us, but that can’t be guaranteed for such a low traffic hike. Your GPX should be reliable if not. The route here is a bit finicky, but you should be able to find a way up without much difficulty. Once on the ridge the remainder of the route is very obvious, thankfully.
You’ll now have to ascend a subpeak along the ridge, with ever improving views of both Goetz and Williams, before dropping off the other side. While the general route is obvious, the micro terrain along the entire ridge can be quite tedious. You’ll constantly be zigzagging around looking for weaknesses, but there should never be any exposure or difficult scrambling, so if you find it, there’s likely an easier route.
From the subsummit you’ll descend around 150m in order to reach the low point on the ridge, after which you’ll need to climb back up another ~250m in order to reach the summit. The terrain is generally the same throughout, a combination of open heather, trees and bluffs. Eventually you will reach the summit block, and from afar it looks a little intimidating. Once you get up to it, it’s actually quite straightforward. As you approach the ascent, looking climbers left and you’ll find an easy Class 3 scramble up through the trees with little exposure. It’s likely only 20m or so of scrambling, after which you’ll crest the summit and be rewarded with 360 degree views (not that they’ve been too shabby already).
To the north will lie Mount Northgraves, to the east will lie Silvertip and Goat Ridge, south will lie a plethora of Chilliwack classic (Williams, Webb, MacDonald, Rexford, Slesse etc.) and west will be the Cheam range, notably Welch and Foley. You’ll also be able to see Chilliwack Lake, albeit quite far away. All in all, the views are magnificent.
After a good long rest on the top, your return back is the same route. While you may be tempted to bypass climbing back up the subsummit on the return journey, this usually ends up in tricky terrain, so it’s likely easier to just suck it up and reclimb it. It’s a bit of a slog back out unfortunately, but there’s no choice but to get on with it!
When should I hike Goetz Peak?
Goetz Peak is best saved for when the snow has fully melted, as lingering patches may make dropping off the notch below Williams and gaining the ridge thereafter quite tricky. With that said, mid-July to October is the best time to visit.
Top Tip
Some very capable parties combine Goetz Peak with Williams Peak in one enormous day. Believe it or not, you can scramble up/down the north face of Williams Peak and directly connect the Goetz ridge with Williams. This is Class 4 scrambling though, so not for the faint of heart.
If you can drive up Ford Mountain FSR you’ll make this a much more manageable affair. Starting from Chilliwack Lake Road will be a huge day.
Bring lots of water, at least 3L but likely more. Most parties will take 8 – 10 hours for this, much of which is fully exposed to the sun.
You could theoretically camp on the ridge between Goetz and Williams if you’d prefer to do this over two days, just make sure to bring enough water (or ensure there’s still snow to melt up there).
