Trail Report: Mount Cheam, Chilliwack, BC Canada

Women of the Wild
Oct 15, 2024
3 min read

October 12, 2024 we completed a sunrise hike to Mount Cheam. We shared the summit with one other couple and were treated to a beautiful sunrise to the East and accompanying gorgeous blue and purples to the West.

Stat Summary

Distance: 8.7km / 5.4 miles

Elevation gain: 679m / 2,227 feet

Average time: 3.5 hours

Season: July - October (summer), November-March (winter)

Permits: Not required

Camping: Camping not permitted

Getting There

High clearance 4x4 required.

Without fail, someone always tries to take an Evo/Modo up there... bad idea. Not only are you going to damage the vehicle, but you're making the road even more difficult for everyone else every time you spin out and/or slide. If you have a capable vehicle it will take about an hour to get to the trailhead from the turnoff from Chilliwack Lake Road. Longer, if you do not.

Many people drive as far as their vehicle can get, then park on the side of the road and walk the rest of the road. Be mindful not to block the road or limit passing. Many parts of this road can only fit one vehicle, so if you're parked on the side of the road you will be adding to this challenge should vehicles going opposite directions come upon each other where you've parked. Additionally, this could pose an issue if an emergency vehicle needed to get up to the trailhead.

Popularity & Parking

Despite the difficult access, this is a very popular hike. We went during shoulder season for a sunrise hike, and even so there were two other parties going up for sunrise with us and on our descent we passed many large groups going up. If you plan on doing this hike, get there early!

Conditions & The Trail

Snow may remain at higher elevations well into July, and starts accumulating again as early as late September. If you're going to do this hike in winter, be sure not to do it during spring melt. Bring snowshoes and microspikes, and have avalanche knowledge, training and equipment.

The trail itself is straight-forward to follow for the first kilometer. After that we found ourselves taking side-trails a couple times and having to backtrack to get back on route.

Note: this is sensitive alpine terrain. If you find yourself on the wrong trail, DO NOT go off-trail to connect up with the proper trail! Instead, backtrack to get back on the proper trail.

Once you're out of the meadow-esque area you'll get into some trees, and the path is very easy to follow here. Past that you'll get to the false summit. Along the way there are several old trails that are being rehabilitated and are closed off, noted by piles of sticks lying across the trails.

Don't be one of the people who removes the sticks. Respect the landscape, and allow the alpine the regenerate.

There were two small landslides this year which were not there last year. They are small patches of the trail that have been so worn down and eroded that they collapsed, sending rock and debris tumbling down the mountain. If this doesn't highlight how sensitive the area is, I don't know what else will. Please respect the land!

During our hike we had clear skies. Starting at 5am it was pitch black, and we didn't get first light until 5:30am. Even still, it wasn't too cold. I quickly wound up taking off my fleece and hiking in a thick(er) sun hoody. For bottoms I had on a pair of leggings under my Arc'teryx Gamma pants. The summit is WINDY. Be prepared. I put my fleece back on before reaching the false summit/ridgeline because I knew that if I waited until we got up to the ridge my sweat would cool down rapidly and it would be extremely difficult to warm myself back up. As soon as we got to the summit I put my puffy on on top of my fleece. Then, the only parts of us that were cold were our hands - because they were exposed, taking photos and videos.

On the way down we quickly warmed up. First my toque came off, then gloves, then puffy, then fleece. By the time we were in the last kilometer I was sweating and wanted to take off my leggings and just wear my Gamma pants!

Water

There is only one small body of water on this hike, and it's right at the beginning. Also... I don't think I'd even drink filtered water out of it. Bring enough water for your hike, and more!