Hiking Mount Daly near Chilliwack
Contents
Mount Daly Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 19.75Km
Elevation Gain: 1,355m
Highest Elevation: 2,166m
Average Gradient: 13.72%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 9 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 8 – 9 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Daly Trail
Note: These trailhead coordinates go to the junction where the Chilliwack Lake FSR meets the Paleface Creek FSR. You’ll need to drive up the Paleface Creek FSR a few kilometers until the road splits into two, this is where the trail begins.
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°02’50.4″N 121°23’54.1″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.
Mount Daly Overview
Mount Daly is a summit located slightly east of Chilliwack Lake, just north of the US/Canada border, and is an infrequently climbed summit. Due to a lack of trail and heavily overgrown FSR plod to get there, the only sensible time to climb Daly is in the winter or (preferably) spring when a healthy snowpack covers the otherwise nasty, alder ridden approach. Summer ascents are very rare due to the significant amount of bushwhacking that would be needed to reach the peak.
The vast majority of the hike (14km round trip) is along an FSR, much of which is alder ridden. There are numerous creek crossings along the way, which can also prove tricky if the snowpack isn’t deep enough to cover them. Once beyond the FSR parties will need to self navigate to the summit, which includes a mix of steep forest and alpine terrain, some of which would be steep enough for avalanches to become a concern, conditions dependent.
Accessing the “trailhead” can also be a bit hit and miss as the hike begins at around 900m on Paleface FSR. While Chilliwack River FSR is generally manageable in all vehicles, Paleface requires at least an SUV, and even then it’s a rough road where a 4x4HC would be preferred.
Some parties will combine Mount Daly with the nearby Thompson Peak, since they share the same approach. That makes for a very big day though, without over 2,000m of elevation gain, so this is generally rare.
As always, views from this zone are excellent, with the nearby Mount Redoubt offering a stunning backdrop once you reach the alpine. Dogs are welcome in the area.
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Is Mount Daly worthwhile?
This handful of peaks east of Chilliwack Lake (Daly, Thompson, Klesilkwa, Paleface/Meroniuk) always offer excellent views and Daly is no different. Time this right (early spring) and the ugly approach can be entirely avoided thanks to a healthy snowpack. Avalanche concerns tend to be mellower in spring as well, so the steep alpine slopes are often less risky. Overall, this is a great day out, but the window to go is usually very narrow.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Daly?
Mount Daly is a fairly physically demanding outing, given you’ll most likely be going spring and carrying a bunch of winter gear with you. Most parties will take 8 – 10 hours on Daly alone, and obviously if you add Thompson you can add another couple of hours to that at least.
Technically speaking there aren’t too many challenges, other than the obvious matter of self navigating to the summit once you depart from the FSR. Once in the alpine there are a few steep slopes to contend with that might be an avalanche concern in unfavorable conditions, so do make sure to be aware of that before going. Generally in spring conditions have stabilized, but some parties tackle this in winter when it is a lot more of a concern.
Mount Daly Route Information
The hike begins where the Paleface Creek FSR and the Paleface North FSR splits. The Paleface Creek FSR can be reached by driving down the Chilliwack Lake FSR on the east side of Chilliwack Lake. It is highly recommended to use a high clearance vehicle, preferably a 4×4, especially if you plan on driving up Paleface Creek FSR. Chilliwack Lake FSR has significant potholes but is otherwise a decent FSR to drive. Paleface Creek FSR has some fairly deep cross ditches and should only be driven in high clearance vehicles. You can optionally leave your vehicle where Chilliwack Lake and Paleface FSR’s join, but this will add several kilometers and a few hundred meters in elevation gain.
The snowline will also impact where you are able to park, hence spring is preferred once the snowline has risen beyond 900m, but not so high that the alders become an issue. Once you’ve managed to park, the trail begins by following the Paleface Creek FSR. Since this is a deactivated FSR this is where alder will usually be a challenge without significant snow cover
The plod along the FSR is rather uninspiring for the first few kilometers, as you cross several deep creeks. The crossings for us were relatively uneventful, but the later you get into spring the more alder choked they become. One crossing near the beginning was tricky due to having to hop across slick rocks.
At around the 3km mark you will break out of the treeline and begin to get views to the south of Mount Edgar, as well as multiple unnamed peaks along its ridge. The gradient the whole way along this FSR will be mellow. At the 6km mark you’ll follow a few steeper switchbacks, then at around 1,575m you’ll want to pay attention to your GPX. You’ll now drop into a valley between ridges, working your way towards the treeline.
The forest is simple and sparse, not dense in the slightest so travel is quite straightforward. Shortly you will reach the col at ~1,620m where the route to Thompson Peak and Mount Daly separate. Thompson Peak hikers will begin climbing in a northwesterly direction to the southern ridge of Thompson, but those aiming for Daly will now take a sharp to the east and climb some steep forest to around 1,730m where you’ll now break out of the forest into the alpine.
The route now trends southeast through the obvious basin, with some fairly mellow sidehilling to tackle as you progress. At ~1,850m you’ll turn east and begin a steep climb, all the while views continually improve. After climbing 100m or so it will momentarily level out as Mount Redoubt now comes into full view behind you. You’ll now turn north and once again climb steeply up to the west ridge of Mount Daly.
Once on the ridge, following it along to the summit is largely straightforward, though there are a couple of annoying false summits to get past. Take care with any cornices, especially on the summit. The views now are panoramic, with Redoubt stealing the show, but many others like Rahm/Custer, Shuksan, Baker, Silvertip, Thompson and Nodoubt all offering great views.
Once finished on the top, you simply return the way you came. You should likely be able to glissade down some of the steeper slopes back to the forest, before ultimately heading back to the FSR. The long plod out is a bit tedious, especially if the snow has softened up like it had for us.
When should I hike Mount Daly?
You’ll probably want to time Daly for the middle of winter or early spring when the snow is deep enough to bury as much alder as possible. If you go in the summer this will probably be a horrible alder slog the entire time.
Top Tip
Timing is everything for Daly. The best time to go in early spring (April) when the snowline has risen above the trailhead but has not risen above the alder FSR. The best window is likely only a month or so long.
You can do Daly/Thompson in the depths of winter, which usually makes the alder a lot more manageable, but it often means parking further down the FSR, making this a longer and harder day. If going in winter with trailbreaking, expect to take a lot longer.
