Hiking Teapot Hill in the Fraser Valley
Contents
Teapot Hill Hike Information
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 5.55Km
Elevation Gain: 245m
Highest Elevation: 360m
Average Gradient: 8.83%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Low / Low
Time Needed:
– Slow: 2 – 3 Hours
– Moderate: 1.5 – 2 Hours
– Fast: 1 – 1.5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Teapot Hill Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°02’34.2″N 121°59’02.0″W
Teapot Hill Overview
Teapot Hill is a very popular little hike near Cultus Lake in Chilliwack, particularly with families and their children, or dog walkers looking for a quick stroll.
The main draw of this hike are the scattered teapots strewn throughout the latter half of the hike, making for a cute photo opportunity in an otherwise uneventful stroll in the forest. Children enjoy trying to find as many teapots as possible, with many in unusual places either hanging from branches high up a tree, or deep in the forest.
Other than the teapots there aren’t a whole host of sights except a largely obstructed viewpoint over Cultus Lake, about ¾ of the way up, as well as a viewpoint at the end of the hike looking over Vedder Mountain and Maple Bay Campground.
If you go into this trail without an expectation of an amazing viewpoint and appreciate it for what it is, a stroll in a teapot strewn forest, you will likely find this quite an intriguing and fun little outing.
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Is Teapot Hill worthwhile?
As noted above, if you go into this hike with the right expectations you are bound to enjoy the charm and uniqueness this hike offers. Despite the short trail and lack of views I found this hike a nice little adventure to fill up a short period of time, which is all I had. In that regard, this did the job of stretching my legs while seeing something a little different. Without any real viewpoints though, it’s difficult to regard this as anything other than okay. I certainly wouldn’t travel from Vancouver just for this hike, but if you’re in the Cultus Lake area anyway, you may as well take an hour or two out of your day to see something unique.
How difficult is the hike to Teapot Hill ?
With an average gradient of 8.83% you might be wondering why I marked this hike as easy rather than moderate. As noted in How Hikes Are Ranked, it’s not as simple as just looking at the gradient. This is a relatively short hike at 5.55km, with a fairly low total elevation gain. Don’t get me wrong the ascent on this trail is fairly consistent throughout and will leave many people out of breath if they want to push themselves, but overall the hike is quite simple as evidenced by the amount of children and pets you will see if you go. Any experienced hiker will find this a literal walk in the park.
Technically the hike is a breeze, the trail is well maintained throughout
Teapot Hill Route Information
Teapot Hill has its own parking lot just off of Columbia Valley Highway, though it is very small and almost always full of a weekend. There is a decent amount of roadside parking, however if you’re going in summer when Cultus Lake is packed I’m sure even that will be full a lot of the time.
The trail is very well marked throughout so I’m not going to give you directions as it’s pretty evident even without a map.
The beginning of the trail is a simple forest stroll. You will pass some bathrooms within the first hundred meters then, thereafter the gradient starts to pick up to a consistent climb. It’s never too steep but it might leave you a little out of breath. I stormed up as fast as I could as I was doing this hike after a failed hike elsewhere in Chilliwack so I didn’t have much time. I received quite a few funny looks as I was decked from head to toe in serious hiking gear, a little over the top for little Teapot Hill…
Anyway, there’s not a whole lot to see for the first 1.75km of this hike as the teapots only really begin on the final third of the hike. You will see some great forest scenery though if that’s your thing. After 1.75km you’ll take a right turn, which is marked with a sign, and this is where the teapots start appearing. For the next kilometer or so you’ll continue strolling through the forest attempting to spot as many teapots as you can. The gradient never really gets any easier or harder, but you’ll probably slow down at this stage as you’ll be stopping to take photos of the teapots. I didn’t really attempt to count the number of teapots but I suspect there are at least 30, some close up and some deeper in the forest.
At approximately the 2.5km marker you will come to an opening with a viewpoint over Cultus Lake, but it is largely obstructed and pretty difficult to get a decent photo. There’s a bench here if you want to stop for a rest or a snack. That being said, the end of the trail is only another 250m or so, at which point you will get a slightly better view looking over Vedder Mountain. Still, it’s certainly nothing to write home about.
The return is just the same way you came and you might be surprised how many “new” teapots you see on the way back that you missed on the way up. The walk back goes much quicker as you won’t be stopping much for teapots and it’s downhill the entire way.
When should I hike Teapot Hill ?
With Teapot Hill being just 360m high, this is a year round hike. I would try and tick this one off if you are in the Cultus Lake area anyway or you could even tag it onto another hike in the area since this only takes an hour or two. As mentioned, I wouldn’t drive far to do this hike but if you live nearby it’s worth a visit. Due to the small parking lot and popularity of Cultus Lake in the summer I’d probably avoid this on a hot summer weekend as I’m sure it’s a gong show.
Top Tip
Taking decent photos of the teapots is quite difficult due to the darkness of the forest. If you have a camera, use a low F-Stop to allow more light in and to achieve a great blurred background. If you are using a phone, try to use portrait mode, focusing on the teapots.
