Hiking Knight, Stewart and Baby Munday Peak near Chilliwack
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Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 16.60Km
Elevation Gain: 1,900m
Highest Elevation: 2,238m
Average Gradient: 22.89%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 9 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 8 – 9 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Optional
Scrambling / Exposure: Mostly Class 2
Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°08’12.9″N 121°36’43.2″W
Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday Peak Overview
Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday are a trio of summits in the Cheam range near Chilliwack. All three summits feature in Scrambles in SWBC and form a scenic link up for those looking for a big day. Alternatively, some parties opt to complete this as an overnight, potentially adding on another peak in the zone, such as The Still.
As usual in the Cheam range, the views from these summits, and for much of the hike between them, is stunning. Given the access difficulties parties now need to face in reaching this zone, it’s also a quiet hike with few groups tackling this in a given year. While most of the approach follows an established route, once you reach the alpine you are on your own in terms of navigating between each of the peaks, and the terrain can be somewhat intimidating. That said, most of the route is actually not that technical, and anybody that’s comfortable navigating the backcountry and relatively straightforward scrambling will likely love this hike.
Back in the day, accessing this zone used to be more straightforward, however over time things have become more challenging. The standard route approaches from Airplane Creek FSR, which has unfortunately deteriorated into one of the roughest FSR’s I have ever driven, so much so that I would not advise driving it unless you possess a particularly capable, customized, 4×4 off-road vehicle. Most parties will need to begin this hike at a creek crossing around at 590m along the FSR, or alternatively beginning at the very bottom of Airplane Creek and hiking up. The point of which I began this hike is more or less as far as you can drive even in a high clearance 4×4 vehicle, and even then it was a gut churning drive. If you begin lower down the FSR you’ll need to add the distance/gain to the stats noted here, making an already big day even bigger.
In terms of seasonality, these peaks more or less require a snow free approach. As such, the season is generally only during the peak of summer, thus July to October. Capable parties might manage with lingering snow, however I would try to avoid it if possible.
Dogs are welcome in the area, though this would be a huge and technical trip for the average dog.
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Are Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday Peak worthwhile?
This looped hike is one of the finest trips in the Chilliwack River Valley. The views are outstanding and the route is engaging and fun without being overly technical. It’s a shame that access is so difficult nowadays as this would be very popular if it were easier, but if you can get into the zone you will absolutely not regret it. If you intend to begin even lower on the FSR than I did, you may want to consider making this an overnight trip.
How difficult is the hike to Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday Peak?
Physically speaking this is obviously a demanding day, with almost 2,000m of gain (more if you begin lower down). The approach to the alpine is incredibly steep forest, at times requiring clambering up roots and rocks with hands. There’s also some loose/sandy terrain on the forest ascent. Once in the alpine the gradient eases off slightly but still remains steep all the way up to Knight Peak. Once you reach the first peak things get easier as the traverse between the three summits is physically simple enough, though technically more involved.
Technically, while these peaks are all in the Scrambles book, they are largely straightforward. Knight Peak is just steep hiking on rock with no real scrambling, then to reach Baby Munday you ascend a steep, talus/scree filled gully (likely the trickiest part of the day) before a simple Class 2 scramble up Baby Munday North. Traversing to Stewart Peak is just hiking once more, then climbing Stewart (via the east ridge) is again mostly Class 2 scrambling, perhaps with a step or two of unexposed Class 3. I was surprised how easy this was as I was expecting more challenging scrambling, especially on Stewart. For those wanting more of a challenge, the west ridge of Stewart would be more involved. Some parties scramble up one ridge and down the other on Stewart, but if you prefer to keep it easy, stick to the east ridge.
Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday Route Information
This hike begins from an old trailhead (the Baby Munday trail) at around ~970m on Airplane Creek FSR. You used to be able to drive to this trailhead, but the FSR has unfortunately deteriorated significantly, and the average vehicle should not even consider driving this. Capable off-road vehicles may reach the point where I began, but even that was very intense off-roading and I personally wouldn’t do it again. Most vehicles will want to stop at the massive cross ditch around ~590m on the FSR, which will add several kilometers and a few hundred meters to the stats above. Even reaching the cross ditch is quite rough and will require a higher clearance SUV as a minimum. If you don’t want to face even that, you’ll have to start at the bottom of Airplane Creek where it meets Foley Creek FSR.
Wherever you park, the first challenge is hiking up to the trailhead at ~970m, where the road takes a large switchback. You’ll spot a trail here leading into the treeline, at which point you’ll face the first obstacle of the day, the valley traverse above Airplane Creek. This traverse follows a trail that sidehills across steep slopes for almost 2.5km, much of which is overgrown. The first few hundred meters are not too bad, but the further you travel the worse it gets, and by the end it gets a bit rough. There’s a few creek crossings on this traverse as well, but they were quite straightforward, at least in the late summer. Many parties have experienced damp foliage during this traverse, and if that is the case for you, you will be completely soaked by the time you reach the end of it. Fortunately for me it was mostly dry and this was not an issue.
After traversing high above the valley you’ll drop down steeply to the valley floor, before crossing over Airplane Creek. Again, in late summer this was a piece of cake with some simple rock hopping. In early summer it might be a bit more involved, though there was a log there that appeared to be an option if the water was higher.
Once across the creek, the forest on the other side is initially a bit of a mess thanks to blowdown. It’s fairly short lived, but staying on trail was challenging here and there. Thankfully once you reach the slopes on the other side of the valley floor, the trail again becomes obvious. While obvious, however, it’s ridiculously steep. Over ~1.5km you will ascend a full 550m, an average gradient of almost 37%. That is steeper than the Grouse Grind, as a reference. The first hundred meters or so of this gain is steep enough that you will be using your hands to clamber up roots and rocks, at times with loose footing thanks to the dusty footbed. There isn’t much to do but get on with it!
Mercifully, at around 1,625m the forest canopy fades away and you’re greeted with the first views of the day in the subalpine meadows. It’s not uncommon for bears to be around these areas as it’s filled with berry bushes, so keep that in mind as you continue along.
Assuming you follow the loop in a clockwise manner, your first objective will be Knight Peak. The trail remains quite evident as you continue to climb up through the meadows, with ever improving views behind you of the opposite side of the Chilliwack River Valley and Mount Baker. Soon enough the meadows begin to give way as you climb steeply to the rocky slopes of Knight Peak, with any semblance of trail disappearing. You’ll soon traverse beneath the imposing southern cliffs of Baby Munday, likely wondering how on earth you’re going to get up there.
Continuing along you’ll have a section of annoying sidehilling on talus before dropping down and crossing a creek bed that descends from the Knight – Baby Munday col. After crossing this creek bed it’s a pick-your-path route to the top of Knight, with endless options for getting up. It should never require scrambling, nor any exposure. Knight itself is more of a ridge, and while the views are of course great, they’re nowhere near as nice as the other peaks.
After resting up, to reach Baby Munday North you now need to move your attention to the gully between Baby Munday North and South. From afar this gully looks impossibly steep, and I questioned whether I would be able to make it at all. That said, I know from experience that things tend to look easier once you get there, so don’t make a decision until you do. You’ll now retrace your steps down Knight before heading to the Knight – Baby Munday col and working your way over to the gully.
While definitely steep, the gully isn’t anywhere near as bad as it seems from afar. That said, it is quite loose and annoying, and if you’re traveling in a group you may want helmets due to rock fall risk from members ahead. My suggestion in the gully is to try and stick to larger rocks as anything small will just slide back down. Even the larger rocks will slide at times, but not as frequently. You can slowly work your way up the gully and try to reach the cliff where you can use your hands for stabilization. It’s certainly not a pleasant section of the hike, but it’s actually fairly short lived and never really felt exposed as any fall would easily be stopped.
Eventually you will reach the top, and at that point I would say the hardest part of the day is behind you. From the saddle between the north and south summit of Baby Munday you will find a faint route leading up to the north. This route is a simple Class 2 scramble with little to no exposure if you go the correct way. The view from Baby Munday North is outstanding, with the insanely pointed south spire right ahead, and the pointed Stewart Peak looking impressive as well. Foley, Welch and the Still will also look amazing, as will Jones Lake down below.
Stewart Peak again looks imposing from here, but again just head over and you’ll see it’s not bad at all. The hike between Baby Munday and Stewart is a lovely little ridge walk with minimal elevation loss. Once you reach the eastern ridge of Stewart you will see the route is not all that bad. Starting heading up, it should be fairly intuitive, with the majority simple Class 2, with perhaps one or two very easy, unexposed Class 3 steps towards the summit. I was pleasantly surprised how simple this was as I was expecting it to be the hardest part of the day. Again, the views from Stewart are insanely good.
From the summit of Stewart you now need to head back down to subalpine meadows near the forest exit. This involves navigating down some rocky gulleys towards a lovely little lake/tarn below Baby Munday. After crossing the outflow of the tarn, make sure you find the “trail” through the bushes that continues the descent as the terrain now becomes very, very steep. You’ll drop around 200m in next to no distance. Even on trail this was steep and required care, and I was thankful to be descending this rather than climbing it.
At around 1,750m the steepness eases off and you should see a more obvious trail through the meadows that leads back to the main trail you climbed up earlier. (Sidenote, these meadows are stunning in the autumn). Once back on the main trail, the rest of the route back to the car is retracing your steps down the steep forest (expect some sections on your butt), before crossing back over Airplane Creek, climbing up the other side and working your way back along the high valley trail (hopefully no longer damp). I have no doubt you’ll be exhausted by the time you reach your car.
When should I hike Knight, Stewart & Baby Munday Peak?
Most parties will want to avoid snow on this route as it is very steep in various parts and snow will only make things complicated. That realistically means the season to go is peak summer when the snow has melted, with mid-July to early October the peak season.
Top Tip
If you are expecting the high valley traverse to be damp you may want to consider wearing gaiters or even bringing a change of pants/socks/footwear if necessary. It’s not pleasant being soaked right away and having to spend the entire hike in wet gear.
Most parties will want to hike up the FSR from the large washout at ~590m. Only confident off-road drivers in extremely capable vehicles should consider driving past the washout.
Personally I would not do this hike for Knight Peak alone. While a nice summit, the other two are way nicer and the arduous approach to get there would not make Knight alone that worthwhile.
Some parties like to do this route counter clockwise to enable descending the Baby Munday gully rather than ascending. There is likely merit to this, however I personally like to get the easier/less scenic peak (Knight) out of the way first and save the best for last. The gully was not that bad, just tedious.
If you are expecting snow when you, you will want an ice axe and crampons for the Baby Munday gully especially.
Bears are common in the meadows, I saw one when I went and (as usual) it just ran away. Prepare accordingly.
