Hiking Flora Peak in the Fraser Valley
Contents
Flora Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 13Km
Elevation Gain: 1,400m
Highest Elevation: 1,953m
Average Gradient: 21.54%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 8 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: July to mid-October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: No scrambling, some mild exposure traversing across a steep hill.
Flora Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°05’48.7″N 121°27’22.2″W
Flora Peak Overview
Flora Peak is a summit in Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park in the Fraser Valley. While this hike is somewhat popular, due to the challenging nature of the trail you can expect to see far fewer people than many hikes of similar quality.
The views from the peak, and for much of the latter half of the hike, are incredible. In particular the views above Chilliwack Lake are jaw-dropping, but the sheer number of iconic mountains you can see from the summit are endless. Williams Peak, Welch Peak, Foley Peak, Mount Lindeman, Mount Webb, MacDonald Peak, Slesse Mountain, Mount Baker and Mount Redoubt dominate the skyline from the summit. This hike also benefits from wildflowers, with many sections of trail passing through colorful alpine meadows in the middle of summer.
The hike to Flora Peak is no doubt a challenging one, with an average gradient above 20%, making for a steep ascent that proves just as challenging downhill as it does uphill. Much of the trail is on dry, loose dirt, making for some tentative travel that puts additional stress on your legs, as it is difficult to trust the grip on your boots.
As this hike is in a provincial park, it is well marked throughout and easy to follow. There is no real scrambling or exposure, it’s just steep throughout.
Flora Peak is a summer only hike due to the sheer steepness of the hike. Many parts of this trail would be treacherous in snow, so it’s best to save this for when the snow is fully melted throughout, typically July – October. Once the snow has melted the wildflowers won’t be far behind and will usually peak between mid-July to mid-August.
Adventurous people can continue along the trail to Flora Lake, and even complete a full loop to include Greendrop Lake and Lindeman Lake. Many people opt to do this loop as an overnight trip due to the length and difficulty.
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Is Flora Peak worthwhile?
Flora Peak is no doubt a challenging, steep trail that will test even the fittest of hikers, but the payoff is well worth it. Once you break out of the treeline the views are absolutely stunning and only continue to improve as you climb higher and higher. The summit itself is spacious and has 360 degree views. You could really spend hours on the summit soaking it in. This is no doubt one of the best hikes in the Chilliwack River Valley, especially given the fact it’s accessible to all vehicles from the Lindeman Lake parking lot.
How difficult is the hike to Flora Peak?
Obviously Flora Peak is a physically challenging hike given the steep and consistent gradient. You will be climbing basically the entire time, with a few small respites here and there. Some comparable hikes could be Mount Harvey, Brunswick Mountain or Brandywine Mountain in terms of difficulty.
Technically Flora Peak isn’t too challenging. At no point will you be scrambling, nor should you ever really be exposed to any fall. There is one section of the trail (that is stunning!) where you traverse across a hill along a narrow trail, with a steep drop on one side. The views from here are breathtaking, but if you are particularly nervy with heights you might be somewhat challenged here. I think most people will be absolutely fine though.
Flora Peak Route Information
The hike begins at the popular Lindeman Lake parking lot, which is large and suitable for all vehicles. However, on a sunny summer weekend this parking lot can fill up very quickly, so an early start is strongly recommended. Also, this lot is renowned for vehicle break-ins, so please ensure you leave absolutely nothing in your vehicle if you want to prevent that possibility.
The trail begins on the Lindeman Lake trail, but immediately after passing the washroom you will reach a junction, where you will want to turn right, while most other people will continue straight. The next couple of hundred meters are a fairly mellow stroll in the forest. You’ll pass a couple of junctions with other small offshoot trails, just ignore these and continue on the main path.
You’ll soon reach the beginning of the real climb as the gradient increases fairly quickly, but for the most part it stays a consistent but manageable grade. Over the next few kilometers the trail continues at this consistent gradient, with little of note in terms of things to see. For the most part the trail is straightforward, easy to follow and well marked with orange markers. You’ll cross over a few creeks (good for topping up water bottles), but overall you just want to keep a consistent pace.
At around the 2km mark you’ll hit a couple of switchbacks, the second of which provides a bit of a respite and your first view of the day, a small lookout over Chilliwack Lake and Mount Webb. Still, it’s nothing on what’s to come, so don’t stick around long.
The respite doesn’t last long as the relentless grind continues. Over the next kilometer the trail remains consistently steep and trees begin to thin, offering some peek-a-boo views but nothing major. You’ll soon hit a few more steep switchbacks, after which you will finally break out of the treeline, at around the 1,470m mark. This is where the views really start to impress.
Over the next 500m or so the trail narrows, transitions to dry, loose dirt and traverses across a steep slope. The views to your right will be astonishing of Chilliwack Lake and its surrounding peaks, and I personally found this section of the hike one of the best parts of the day. This section might be a little unnerving for anyone with a more acute fear of heights, but it should be fine if you take your time with your footing (poles help a lot as well).
After crossing a few creeks you’ll be at the end of this traverse and the gradient will pick up once again. You’ll briefly enter the treeline before coming out again, now entering the alpine meadows. In mid-summer these meadows will be full of flowers, and the constant backdrop of Chilliwack Lake makes for an amazing scene.
The remainder of the trail up to the saddle will basically be through alpine meadows and sparse trees. You’ll soon lose your views of Chilliwack Lake as you approach the saddle, passing by a small boulder field. Soon you will see Flora Peak directly in front of you and eventually you will reach the saddle between Flora Peak to your left and the Flora Lake Lookout, to your right. Some people opt to add the Flora Lake Lookout to their trip if you want to make this even harder than it already is.
As you reach the saddle you should see markers to your left, and a small trail leading up Flora Peak. If you continue on the same trail you are on, you will start to descend towards Flora Lake, so do not make this mistake. At no point should you be descending on the trip to the peak.
The trail now becomes much steeper and you’ll soon be traveling on some boulder fields. Still, while steep, you will never be scrambling and you should not be exposed to any significant drop. If you are, you have gone the wrong way. Following the markers is very straightforward, and the trail just continues to climb steeply, transitioning from rocks to loose dirt constantly. It can be slippery at times and poles certainly help with balance, but overall it’s just steep.
As you climb to the peak, the views behind you of Flora Lake Lookout are stunning, and soon enough you’ll get views to the east of Flora Lake and its mountain backdrop. There’ll be a few lookout spots that make for a great photo on the way, but for the most part now is the time to just grind it to the top and rest there. It’s not far, only 500m from the saddle in total.
Once you reach the summit it will be marked with a large cairn, and the views now will be endless in every direction. The summit area is very spacious and you could walk around for a long time taking photos, or just find a spot to rest (you’ll probably need it). I ended up descending somewhat towards Chilliwack Lake to get some incredible views in that direction, but really the views in all directions are staggering, with tons of good photo spots on rocky cliffs.
After finishing up at the top you simply head back down to the saddle via the same route, taking care with footing on the loose dirt. If you are just heading back to the car, you go the same way back. If you are continuing to Flora Lake you would now continue along the trail that you departed when you reached the saddle. You could even hike up the Flora Lake Lookout if you want, I didn’t go as the views seemed similar to that of Flora Peak.
Unfortunately the trip back to the trailhead is a challenging one as well. The relentless descending really does a number on your legs, made worse by the loose dirt trail requiring you to put pressure on your legs/knees rather than into your feet. You will be thankful for the end of this hike, let’s put it that way.
When should I hike Flora Peak?
As mentioned Flora Peak is really a summer only hike, and you’ll likely want to do it without any snow on the trail. The final ascent is very steep, with snow added it could be pretty sketchy. Usually by July the snow should be mostly gone, so I’d time it for July to mid-October or so.
Top Tip
Poles are very helpful on this hike if you want to take some pressure off your legs on the descent. Good, grippy hiking boots are useful on the loose dirt trail as well.
One thing to note is that hiking in summer in Chilliwack is always a battle with the temperatures/sun and this is no different. You’ll want to start and finish early to avoid the peak sun as much as possible, and of course take all the usual sun protection.
