Hiking Mount Wittenberg near Chilliwack
Contents
Mount Wittenberg Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 23.50Km
Elevation Gain: 1,800m
Highest Elevation: 2,007m
Average Gradient: 15.32%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Very short scramble up to Flora Lake Lookout. No real exposure.
Mount Wittenberg Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°05’55.5″N 121°27’30.0″W
Mount Wittenberg Overview
Mount Wittenberg is a summit located on the fringes of Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park, typically accessed by following the Flora Lake trail before diverting up and over the Flora Lake Lookout and continuing along a broad ridge to the summit. The route up to Flora Lake Lookout follows an established trail, but thereafter hikers will mostly have to self-navigate to the summit, with scant trail the remainder of the way.
Mount Wittenberg is not a very popular hike, with most people preferring the much simpler (yet still challenging) Flora Peak. Up to Flora Lake Lookout is mostly straightforward, albeit steep, however beyond that hikers will need to navigate a 5km (each way) undulating ridge, with negligible trail, zero shade and often no water sources. Combined with the frequently hot temperatures in the Fraser Valley summer, Wittenberg is often a challenging affair.
Due to a number of factors (distance, terrain etc.), Mount Wittenberg is typically only hiked in the late spring and summer once the snowline has receded back to higher elevations. That being said, snow can actually make this hike easier if you time it right, as it provides a water source, it covers the rugged terrain and it also provides radiant cooling on those hot summer days. As such if you can hike Mount Wittenberg in late spring or early summer, once the snowline has risen to Flora Pass (1,700m), you may have a bit of an easier time.
Views from Mount Wittenberg, and indeed for much of the ridgeline, are very nice. You’ll have excellent views of Chilliwack Lake and Flora Lake, as well as all the usual peaks in the region, namely Flora Peak, Williams Peak, Welch Peak, Foley Peak, Slesse Mountain, the Border Peaks, Mount Webb & MacDonald, Mount Lindeman, Mount Rexford, Mount Baker, Mount Grant, Eaton Peak, Mount Payne, Mount Rideout, Silvertip Mountain and countless more.
Access to the hike is from the Lindeman Lake trailhead, so it’s 2WD friendly. An early start is strongly recommended due to the amount of time this hike can take, and to avoid the worst of the heat on a hot summer day. This hike is pet friendly, but the lack of water along the trail means you’ll need to carry water for two, which only increases the challenge of this hike.
Some very capable parties could also consider continuing beyond Mount Wittenberg to Mount Holden, though this adds several more kilometers and around 750m more elevation gain to an already gruelling day.
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Is Mount Wittenberg worthwhile?
Mount Wittenberg is a very long and challenging hike, especially in the midst of summer when temperatures are high, shade is nonexistent and water sources have dried up. In these conditions hikers will generally have to accept a certain degree of suffering. If you can time it for snow to still be around on the ridge the day should be easier.
The views along the ridge and from the summit are very nice, however they don’t differ too dramatically than if you simply hiked up Flora Peak or Flora Lake Lookout. The only people that generally go to Mount Wittenberg are experienced parties who have already completed these hikes, or peakbaggers wanting to tick off another objective in the area.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Wittenberg?
This is a long hike with a lot of elevation gain that will challenge even the most capable of parties. Just how difficult it is will depend on when you go, as going on a hot summer day will only add to the difficulty since you’ll no doubt need to carry a significant amount of water, and the lack of shade will take its toll along the ridge.
Technically the hike is pretty straightforward. There is a maintained trail up to Flora Pass, which is most of the elevation gain, then a loosely defined trail up to Flora Lake Lookout. There is a short scrambly section here, but it’s very straightforward. From the lookout the trail will diminish significantly, with parties needing to route find for much of the ridge. This should be very simple, you just stay high on the ridge and follow it around to the summit of Mount Wittenberg. There is nothing technical about the ridge, it’s merely hiking.
Mount Wittenberg Route Information
As noted the trailhead for Mount Wittenberg is from the Lindeman Lake parking lot, so this is accessible for all vehicles since it’s paved. The parking lot is large but fills up quickly on a sunny summer weekend, though you can park on the side of Chilliwack Lake Road if necessary.
From the parking lot you begin on the Lindeman Lake trail, but almost immediately you will come to a junction where the Flora Lake trail splits off from it. You’ll want to turn onto the Flora Lake trail here. After a few hundred meters you’ll pass by a couple of junctions with lesser traveled trails, which you can ignore by remaining on the main trail.
Shortly ahead the trail narrows and steepens dramatically, which is the general theme of the Flora Lake trail, all the way up to Flora Pass. There isn’t much to say about this section of the hike, it’s a steep grind that you want to dispatch as quickly as possible.
At around 1,130m elevation you’ll reach a small viewpoint overlooking Chilliwack, offering a nice chance to catch your breath, but don’t stick around too long as the day is young. The trail remains much the same until around 1,450m, at which point you break out of the dense forest and traverse across a steep slope. The views on this traverse are fantastic, with breathtaking views of Chilliwack Lake and its surrounding peaks. Frequently there are also plenty of wildflowers on this section of the hike.
The traverse lasts a few hundred meters before you need to navigate around a few creeks, dipping in and out of the forest as you do so. Ultimately you’ll keep climbing up to Flora Pass, which is around 1,750m, a full 1,100m higher than where you started. The trail up to here has been steep but well maintained, and most parties should hope to reach Flora Pass in 2-3 hours.
From Flora Pass there are trails leading three ways. One goes left up to Flora Peak, one continues straight and drops down to Flora Lake, and the least popular one goes right, up to Flora Lake Lookout, the one you want to take. If there is no snow on the ground there should be a fairly faint trail directing the way, but if in doubt refer to your map.
The hike up to the lookout should be mostly straightforward, albeit steep. There will be one scrambly section up a bluff that should be quite simple, and often there will be a rope to assist, though it’s not really needed.
You’ll know you’re on the Flora Lake Lookout as there’ll be a radio repeater tower there, offering a nice place to sit in the shade and soak in the view as you refill your batteries. From here you’ll have a clear view of Flora Lake, Flora Peak and Mount Wittenberg. You’ll also see the entire ridge you now need to follow, which may look uncomfortably far, though it’s “only” 5km from here.
Once you’re ready to continue you’ll hike past the helipad and drop down steeply as you continue along the ridge. There’ll be a nice plateau overlooking Chilliwack Lake after the drop down from the lookout, and there are sometimes tarns here (though how clean the water is I can’t say).
The route is now mostly self-navigated, but it should be very straightforward. As long as you stay high on the ridge and follow it along you can’t really go wrong. At times you might find a semblance of trail where hikers have converged to the same spot, but often the terrain is broad and rocky with little trail visible. If in doubt, refer to your map.
For the most part it’s just a case of putting one step in front of another, with the radio repeater on top of Wittenberg looking tantalizingly close. Unfortunately looks can be deceptive and it’s usually further away than you think. Eventually you will reach the summit, again adorned by another beautiful repeater, and the views will be panoramic. There are two summits to Wittenberg, the one with the repeater (true summit) offers great views to the north looking towards Mount Holden, Mount Payne, Mount Rideout and Silvertip Mountain, and the other summit will offer great views to the south looking towards Welch/Foley, Williams Peak, Slesse Mountain, Rexford, the Border Peaks, Mount Webb/Macdonald, Mount Lindeman and plenty more.
Once you’ve rested up you simply return back to the trailhead the same way you came. Obviously that means quite a lot of elevation gain on the way back as well, since the ridge has plenty of ups and downs along the way. After you get back up to the Flora Lake Lookout though, it’s all downhill from there!
When should I hike Mount Wittenberg?
I would try to time Mount Wittenberg for a late spring or early summer day when there is still some snow around on the ridge. This will provide easier travel, some water sources and some cooling. At the very least you will want to avoid going on a scorching hot summer day as this hike is exposed to sun for a long time and has very few water sources, if any. Usually June or early July would be ideal timing. Once the snow returns, usually in late October, you’ll have to wait until next year to do this hike.
Top Tip
Start early. Bring lots of water (at least 3L, more if you go on a hot summer day). Bring sun protection (hat, long sleeves, sunglasses, sun lotion etc.).
