Hiking Klesilkwa Mountain near Chilliwack
Contents
Klesilkwa Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 13.30Km
Elevation Gain: 1,150m
Highest Elevation: 2,075m
Average Gradient: 17.29%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 7 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 7 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~April to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: Steep snow climb / Class 2 scramble.
Klesilkwa Mountain Trail
Below coordinates lead to the stat of Paleface FSR. You’ll need to drive up the FSR as far as possible before beginning the hike.
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°02’48.6″N 121°23’53.2″W
Disclaimer: Winter hiking (snowshoeing) involves significantly more risk than summer hiking. Hikers should be prepared with appropriate education, training and equipment for all possibilities, including but not limited to avalanches. A mistake such as going off trail, getting lost or injured can be far more dangerous in winter than summer. You are responsible for your own safety, and while I am happy to give my opinion on this website as to the avalanche risk of a specific hike, do not take this as fact and please do your own research. Everybody has different risk tolerances and mine might be different to yours.
Klesilkwa Mountain Overview
Klesilkwa Mountain is a summit situated slightly east of Chilliwack Lake, accessed via Paleface Creek FSR, which branches off of Chilliwack Lake FSR. In capable vehicles (4×4 high clearance) you can drive a full 1,200m+ elevation up Paleface Creek FSR, making Klesilkwa a fairly short but steep outing.
Given there is no trail to Klesilkwa, most summits occur in the spring once you are able to drive high enough on the FSR yet still benefit from a healthy snowpack covering the bush. Without a snowpack you can expect to encounter plenty of bushwhacking along the way, though given you can walk the FSR to almost 1,450m, it’s not actually that far until you break out of the treeline, so summer ascents aren’t out of the question.
Historically there have been a few routes up Klesilkwa Mountain as described below:
- Ascending the valley between Klesilkwa Mountain and Custer Ridge, followed by a stiff, exposed scramble on Klesilkwa’s east ridge to the summit.
- Ascending the same valley as above, however, rather than connecting to the east ridge, ascend a ~300m south facing couloir (unofficially named the Silk Panties Couloir) directly to the summit. This will only work in the right conditions and obviously requires mountaineering expertise/equipment. I would not consider this route a “hike”.
- Bushwhack directly up and over “Foe Peak” from the FSR, then follow the SW ridge of Klesilkwa Mountain to the summit. This bushwhack is reportedly extremely steep, bushy and bluffy, with generally negative feedback from anyone that has done it. Given #4 below, I don’t see any reason to take this route anymore.
- Ascend the same valley as that of #1 and #2, however connect to the SW ridge slightly beyond “Foe Peak”. This avoids the bushwhack over Foe Peak, and as far as I’m aware is the least technical & least sufferable option to summiting Klesilkwa. This is the route described here, and as far as I know our group was the first to document this route and I would say it should probably become the standard route for those wanting to summit in the easiest manner possible. That’s not to say this route is “easy” as it still involves some very steep travel along the SW ridge.
As noted, in terms of seasonality hikers will benefit from a decent snowpack regardless of the route they take, so most people will ascend Klesilkwa in spring, typically between April and May, or potentially a little earlier/later depending on the year’s snowpack. You can still summit later in the year, just be prepared to deal with bushwhacking. A winter approach isn’t typically feasible as the road will be snow covered to low elevation.
This is a dog friendly hike for experienced canine companions.
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Is Klesilkwa Mountain worthwhile?
Klesilkwa Mountain offers fantastic views and an enjoyable hike if you time it well. It makes for an excellent spring outing in the right conditions, especially if you can park high up the FSR.
The stats provided above assume you park at 1,000m, however you can still drive beyond this if the snowline allows, with the hike potentially being reduced to ~9km and 950m elevation gain. Given those meager stats Klesilkwa offers a very high bang for buck effort.
How difficult is the hike to Klesilkwa Mountain?
Physically speaking, Klesilkwa Mountain is a fairly straightforward, albeit steep climb up. If you can park at 1,200m this hike can be completed fairly quickly. Still, it’s a steep affair with an average gradient of over 17%.
Technically Klesilkwa Mountain has a few minor challenges, though the route here is about as easy as it can get. The hike begins following an FSR before departing into a valley between Klesilkwa and Custer Ridge. Travel through the valley is mellow, but eventually you cross a creek and begin a steep climb up to the SW ridge. The ridge is cliffed almost all around, however there is a small patch of trees you can climb beside that connects fairly readily. Once on the ridge you merely follow it to the summit. The final climb up is very steep, though in the right conditions manageable in snowshoes alone. Without snow there may be some straightforward, probably Class 2 scrambling. Some people may prefer bootpacking up instead though. There isn’t really any exposure on the route, you’d just be in for a short, steep and snowy slide into some trees at worst.
Klesilkwa Mountain Route Information
The hike begins from the highest point you can drive on Paleface Creek FSR. The linked GPX begins at 1,000m due to snow, however you can drive higher than this without. Paleface Creek FSR branches off of the Chilliwack River FSR and includes numerous cross ditches of varying depths that will likely stop most SUV’s and certainly any low clearance vehicle. 4×4 HC strongly recommended.
From wherever you park, follow the FSR to around 1,430m where the road ends. You can actually shave off a small part of the FSR in snow by hiking through a recent cutblock, otherwise just follow the road.
Once you reach the road’s end you will enter the forest and continue hiking through the valley, keeping east of a creek. Travel should be mellow with a good snowpack, but if you go later in the summer this bit could be quite bushy. You’ll continue hiking through the valley for around a kilometer, gaining around 150m in the process. At this point you’ll need to find a way across the creek you’ve been running parallel to. In the spring this could be somewhat tricky as you’ll need to find a snowbridge or a gap that can be jumped across. This didn’t take much looking around for us and I’m sure it will be fine with some searching.
Once you’re on the other side of the creek you’ll want to follow the GPX as you climb steeply through the forest towards the SW ridge of Klesilkwa. Travel should be quite smooth in open forest. After around 200m of ascending the trees will thin out and the views will really start to open up, and shortly ahead you’ll reach a bit of a plateau beneath the ridge.
The vast majority of the ridge is cliffed, but you should note a small patch of trees. It might look challenging, but if you hug the left hand side of this patch of trees you will find it connects to the ridge without much issue, though naturally it is steep. Once on the ridge the remaining route is obvious.
You’re now quite close to “Foe Peak”, so if you plan on ascending this as well you could easily tag it on to the trip, it’s only around 100m higher to the south. Otherwise, follow the ridge north towards Klesilkwa Mountain, with easy and obvious route finding along the way.
The final 150m or so of climbing becomes particularly steep, with a stretch of ~30m that really tests the ability of your snowshoes. Some people might prefer switching to bootpacking up this part. There may be easier routes up if you look around, we mostly just attacked it straight on to avoid any steep sidehilling. Eventually the gradient mellows out and the final steps are simple travel to the summit.
The views from the top are 360 degrees and unobstructed. You’ll have fantastic views of the usual peaks in the valley, with particularly stunning peaks being Mount Redoubt, Welch & Foley Peak, Williams Peak, Mount Lindeman, Silvertip Mountain, Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker. Take care on the summit in spring as there could be a large cornice that you’re unaware of, so steer clear of any edges if in doubt.
Once you’re finished on the summit you merely retrace your steps back to the car.
When should I hike Klesilkwa Mountain?
As noted, spring is the ideal time to hike Klesilkwa Mountain, when the road should be mostly snow free but the hike benefits from a snowpack covering the bushy terrain. April and May are usually the best time for these conditions, though it varies each year. After spring the remainder of the summer will be fine, you’ll just have to accept it’ll be a bushy day. Once the snow returns for winter, usually in late October or early November, the season will be gone again until next spring.
Top Tip
Even though this route likely doesn’t require them, bring an ice axe and crampons in case conditions are trickier than you’re anticipating. If you plan on going up one of the couloirs you of course need these.
Some people combine “Foe Peak”, Klesilkwa Mountain and Klesilkwa North into one huge day. You’ll see Klesilkwa North from the main summit, and note how far away it looks. To get there you need to scramble down the east ridge from Klesilkwa Mountain to the col (exposed), then drop down off the col and follow the ridge to the north peak. Klesilkwa North is the same elevation as the main summit, so dedicated peakbaggers often want to get it as well. For non-peakbaggers there is really no reason to put in the effort to go.
