Hiking the Gloria Lookout Trail in Chilliwack
Contents
Gloria Lookout Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 12.40Km
Elevation Gain: 1,250m
Highest Elevation: 1,475m
Average Gradient: 20.16%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 8 Hours
– Moderate: 5 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 4 – 5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~May to November
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Gloria Lookout Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°08’56.0″N 121°47’30.36″W
Gloria Lookout Trail Overview
The Gloria Lookout trail is a relatively popular hike starting from the Chilliwack Community Forest in Chilliwack. The majority of the hike is a steep climb through the forest, culminating at a small but panoramic lookout over the Fraser Valley below. While most parties will stop at the lookout and head back, you can optionally continue along the Gloria Thurston trail to Mount Thurston, and even further to Elk Mountain or Mount Mercer should you wish. With two vehicles you could even opt to start at the Community Forest and end at a different trailhead, such as the Elk Mountain trailhead, providing a variety of scenery along the way.
The Gloria Lookout trail is known for its steep, unrelenting gradient, and it makes for an excellent fitness test for those looking to push themselves. It is much more difficult than the likes of Elk Mountain, Sumas Mountain, Vedder Mountain, the Abby Grind and most other local favourites, though it’s certainly easier than some others as well (e.g. Goat Ridge, Mount MacFarlane).
In terms of seasonality, thanks to its relatively low end point, the Gloria Lookout trail tends to have a slightly longer season than some of the bigger peaks around. Snow will usually be around between November and May, but the rest of the year will typically be fine. Even with snow, fit parties can feasibly reach the lookout year-round assuming they don’t mind trail-breaking through steep forest. You’ll certainly want to pack microspikes if you expect to encounter snow, with snowshoes likely necessary in winter.
Dogs are welcome on this hike, and parking is suitable for all vehicles thanks to the well groomed road to the Community Forest.
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Is the Gloria Lookout Trail worthwhile?
The Gloria Lookout trail is a steep forested ascent to a reasonably nice viewpoint overlooking the Fraser Valley below. Most parties go into this knowing to expect a solid grind to the top with little to see until the end. It makes for a good shoulder season option when other, higher peaks are still buried in snow, and it’s also a good fitness builder thanks to its short but unrelenting climb. This isn’t a hike I would generally recommend most parties to do on a bluebird summer weekend as there are better hikes out there than Gloria Lookout during the peak season, but if you time it right this can be a worthwhile outing.
How difficult is the hike to Gloria Lookout?
With 1,250m of gain over just 12.40km, it’s safe to say this is a steep hike. That doesn’t even tell the full story, as there is a 3km portion of the hike that gains abouts 1,000m, for an average gradient of around 33%, which is very steep by all measures. Thankfully the trail is well manicured throughout so travel is generally straightforward, and fit parties can often grind it out without needing to stop. Many people will take frequent breaks, however, just make sure to start early if you expect to do so.
Technically speaking the hike is very straightforward, with no scrambling or exposure anywhere. It’s all following a well groomed trail the whole way to the top.
Gloria Lookout Trail Information
The trailhead for the Gloria Lookout trail is from the Chilliwack Community Forest. The road to get there is mostly just gravel and is suitable for all vehicles. From the parking lot you will see a trail heading into the forest. After following this for a couple of hundred meters you will reach the first of many junctions that you’ll need to navigate.
The Chilliwack Community Forest is quite popular, especially with dog walkers, and there are countless trails all over the place. There is no signage for the Gloria Lookout trail to follow, so navigating this forest will generally require following a map. There are many routes you could take through the forest to the beginning on the Gloria Lookout trail, but the most direct route will be the one linked above.
At the first junction you will want to follow the Pi’txel trail, making sure to avoid joining the Slug trail. After around half a kilometer you’ll leave the Pi’txel trail and join the Cholqthet trail, following this for around 800m as you gain elevation modestly. You’ll now take a right onto the Broken Tree trail, climbing another 70m or so, after which you will reach the top of the Chilliwack Community Forest where the Gloria Lookout trail itself begins. There will be a couple of benches here, and this is a good spot to stock up on snacks and water as the real climb is about to begin.
Once you’re ready, you can begin hiking on the Gloria Lookout trail, which should now be signposted. The labyrinth of trails down in the Community Forest are now behind you, so navigation should be much simpler as it’s merely a case of sticking to the path. Unfortunately the easy gradient soon gives way, and over the next 1km you’ll grind up around 350m, with little of note except forest. There’ll be an interest section where you’re ascending up a rib, with a drop into the forest on both sides, but other than that there’s not a lot of note.
At this point you’ll reach a junction, passing by a mountain biking spur called the Magic Route. Another 70m of climbing ahead you’ll reach another spur, this time the Big Blue mountain bike route. You’re not even halfway to the top yet, but there’s not much you can do other than keep soldiering on.
The next 2 kilometers will be much of the same, climbing another 500m in the process. At this point you’ll have reached the high point of the trail at around 1,475m, and you’ll also find a sign indicating the route to Mount Thurston. If you are planning on extending this hike, this is where you will go after returning from the lookout.
The views begin to open up at this point, with Mount Thurston and Elk Mountain visitable to the south. You may even see the tips of Mount McGuire and Slesse here on a clear day. You’ll now begin a 100m descent towards the lookout, all the while enjoying more open scenery. In total you’ll descend around 150m in order to reach the lookout, which only means you’ll have to climb back up it at the end.
The lookout itself is quite small and offers unobstructed views from the W to the NE. You’ll be able to see Elk Mountain, Vedder Ridge and Sumas Mountain to the west, and even Cheam Peak and Lady Peak to the northeast. The Fraser River will wind its way through the valley below, with the patchwork of farms offering a nice blanket of colours way down below.
After resting up at the lookout, you simply return back the way you came. If you are planning to explore further, once you climb back up to the Thurston junction, you’d follow that towards Mount Thurston (and beyond).
When should I hike the Gloria Lookout Trail?
June to October is the peak season for the Gloria Lookout trail, however a month either side might work as well, if you don’t mind snow. December to April will be winter up here and will most likely require snowshoes and a lot of stamina to reach the lookout, but it’s not out of the question for determined parties. You will likely want to carry microspikes if you plan to go during the shoulder seasons.
Top Tip
Poles are nice to have on this trail due to the steep gradient, especially on the descent.
This is a nice option if you want a shaded hike, as the entire trail is more or less in the forest.
