Hiking Spencer Peak in the Fraser Valley
Contents
Spencer Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 12.50Km
Elevation Gain: 910m
Highest Elevation: 1,666m
Average Gradient: 14.56%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 5 – 6 Hours
– Moderate: 4 – 5 Hours
– Fast: 3 – 4 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Spencer Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°59’56.6″N 121°42’52.1″W
Spencer Peak Overview
Spencer Peak is a small, partially forested peak located on a long ridge between the much larger summits of Mount McGuire and Canadian Border Peak near Chilliwack.
Compared to the iconic and impressive summits surrounding Spencer Peak, such as the Border Peaks, Tomyhoi Peak, Mount Larrabee, Slesse Mountain and Mount McGuire, this peak tends to fly well under the radar for most hikers, many of which probably don’t even know it’s there.
Well, their loss is your gain, as Spencer Peak is a bit of a hidden gem, and while Spencer in itself isn’t the most interesting, the views you get along the Spencer Peak ridge are extremely varied and incredibly impressive given the moderate amount of effort it takes to get there. The imposing peaks nearby offer frequent jaw dropping views, with particularly amazing views of Tomyhoi Peak and the Border Peaks.
The biggest challenge some people will face for hiking to Spencer Peak is accessing the trailhead. The trailhead is at the very end of Tamihi Creek Forest Service Road, which requires about 15km (each way) of off-roading. That being said, the majority of the FSR was in good shape when I went, with the last third crossing several cross ditches of varying depths. I’m fairly confident the FSR is driveable in a reasonable clearance SUV, but it’s certainly not 2WD accessible.
Thanks to all of the above, Spencer Peak tends to be a quiet hike and there is a high chance you will see absolutely nobody on the hike, so if that’s your thing you might really enjoy this trail, but if not you might want to find a group to go with.
Due to the long FSR drive to reach the trailhead, Spencer Peak tends to be a spring, summer or fall hike when the snowline is above the elevation of the FSR. Once the FSR is snowed over, accessing the trailhead will be impossible and thus this short hike would become an enormous slog. That being said, it might be beneficial to time the hike for some snow on the summit as I did, since this will make travel much smoother. As such I’d suggest spring as a good time to do this hike when the trailhead is accessible but there’s still snow on the ridge.
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Is Spencer Peak worthwhile?
The effort / reward of Spencer Peak is really up there. This hike wasn’t that challenging and can be completed pretty quickly, but the views you get once you reach the ridge are breathtaking on a clear day. I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again, sometimes the views are better on the smaller summit below the giants than on the giant itself, and Spencer Peak is just one of those. The views of the nearby iconic peaks are amazing.
How difficult is the hike to Spencer Peak?
Physically speaking this is a pretty straightforward hike. The average gradient is somewhat steep at 14.56%, but the total distance is just 12.50km and you can be at the summit in under two hours easily. There is only one short, steep section where you leave the trail and climb up to the ridgeline, other than that the whole hike is just a mellow but consistent gradient throughout.
Technically this hike couldn’t be much simpler. The majority of the hike is a plod along an old ATV track that is very easy to follow and mostly well flagged. It is overgrown in places and will require some bushwhacking, but it’s nothing too major, just a bit inconvenient at times. You are never exposed to any fall and you don’t need to do any scrambling anywhere along the trail.
Spencer Peak Route Information
As mentioned the trailhead for Spencer Peak is at the very end of Tamihi Creek FSR (see coordinates) and requires at least a decent clearance SUV to get there. The FSR is never very steep, but the final third does cross several cross ditches, most of which are shallow but a few of which are fairly deep.
Once parked, the trail continues along an ATV trail, and on a nice sunny day you are almost certain to see ATV’s and dirt bikes all along the Tamihi Creek FSR, so do be careful. Thankfully a few hundred meters into the hike, the trail narrows so much that ATV’s and dirt bikes are no longer able to continue, so you won’t be contending with them for long.
The trail ascends at a moderate but consistent gradient, without ever really becoming steep, nor ever being flat. For me this is the perfect gradient for a hike not to feel challenging, but also to gain a decent amount of elevation quite quickly. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the beginning of the hike, you just follow a very narrow, rocky trail as it zig zags up the side of the mountain.
At times the alder on either side of the trail is overgrown, resulting in you having to bushwhack your way through a little bit. Thankfully it never got so bad that it really became a big issue, and it tended to be a short stretch of alder followed by a long period of open trail.
As you continue to climb you’ll soon start to get some views of the stunning, glaciated Tomyhoi Peak to the south. This hike surely has some of the best views of Tomyhoi around. The trail just continues zig zagging up the easy to follow, sporadically flagged trail for a few kilometers. At the 3km mark you’ll want to pay attention as the trail cuts back on itself sharply, while another trail continues straight. Make sure to take the cut back.
After this cutback, what was once a narrow, overgrown trail now becomes a spacious and easy to follow trail. The gradient remains pretty much the same as it was before, consistent but never steep. Over the next kilometer the views of Tomyhoi continue to get better and better, but now you also start to get views of the Border Peaks and Mount Larrabee. Combined with Tomyhoi Peak the views are now stunning and continual so don’t forget to keep looking back over your shoulder.
At around the 4km mark the gradient begins to ease off and soon you will actually descend a little as the trail continues beneath the Spencer Peak ridgeline, which you should now be able to see straight ahead. You should also see a clear opening in the treeline, which is what you want to climb up to gain the Spencer Peak ridge. Refer to your map if in doubt, the climb up to the ridge should basically start at around the 1,520m elevation mark.
The route up this opening is steep but quite brief. It’s only about 300m in distance, but you gain around 100m in elevation for an average gradient of 33%. If you have snow here like I did you might want to bring microspikes for extra traction, especially if you’re an early bird and the snow is a firm icy crust.
After gaining the ridgeline you simply push through a short treed section and you’ll come to an opening with a nice view of the Cheam range off in the distance. Your general travel direction should be pretty evident now, as you are just following the ridge as it undulates. Do check your map though as it wasn’t always super obvious.
As you hike along the ridge you are treated to a variety of different views from different openings. Previously most of your views were to the south, but once on the ridge you get pretty consistent views to the north, east and west. Much of the ridge is tree covered, but the openings you get are frequent and broad. You get fantastic views along the ridge of the Border Peaks, Slesse Mountain, Mount MacFarlane, the Cheam range and Mount McGuire.
The remainder of the hike is just following the ridgeline along until you reach Spencer Peak. Why this is considered the peak I am not sure, since you actually descend towards the peak from a higher point along the ridge, but so be it. You’ll know you have reached the peak because there will be a hut at the summit. Lucky for me there were also camping chairs in the hut, which I quickly took out onto the peak to bask in the sun and enjoy my lunch with beautiful views of the Cheam range and Mount McGuire.
After finishing up you simply head back the way you came to return to the trailhead. I actually found the views on the return were even better, as for much of the climb you have your back to the views and can’t really take them in without stopping and looking. On the return the views are pretty constant. If you are feeling adventurous you can actually continue along the ridgeline to the east, beyond the point that you climbed up from the trail, and get close up views of the Border Peaks. I sadly only learned this upon descending and in hindsight I should have done it as the views of Canadian Border Peak looked amazing, but hey, at least it gives me a reason to go back!
Be careful when driving back down the Tamihi Creek FSR. As noted this is a popular ATV trail and I passed many, many ATV’s and dirt bikes when driving back down, which whizz around extremely quickly. They’re all pretty good at stopping and letting you by, just don’t go driving down the FSR like a maniac in case you have to stop suddenly but can’t as it’s all gravel.
When should I hike Spencer Peak?
I would say spring is a good time to go to Spencer Peak, when the trailhead is accessible but there is still snow along the trail and towards the summit to smooth it out. The summer and fall are absolutely fine as well, it will just mean a bit more bushwhacking along the ridgeline.
I don’t see anybody doing this in winter while the Tamihi Creek FSR is snowed over as that would add many, many kilometers to this hike.
Top Tip
As noted it’s possible to extend the hike by continuing along the ridge (in either direction) for as long as you please. I probably missed out on some amazing views of the Border Peaks as I wasn’t aware of this, so do explore more than me if you end up going.
Due to some alder basing it might be advisable to wear trousers on this hike regardless of weather, otherwise you might get some beat up legs by the end of it.
