Trail Report: Mount Macfarlane, Chilliwack BC

Mount Macfarlane had been on the top of my Lower Mainland must-do-hikes list since I first heard of it a few years ago. I knew it was going to be a hard one, but I really didn't know what I was in for.

Sunset at the Summit of Mount Macfarlane July 13, 2024

Stat Summary

Distance: 17-20km / 10.5-12.4 miles

Elevation gain: 1,800m / 5.905 feet

Time: 5-7 hours to summit, 5 hours to vehicle (10-12 hours round-trip)

Season: July - October

Permits: None required

Camping: A few spots at Lower Pierce Lake, about 10 spots at Upper Pierce Lake

Popularity & Parking

From Chilliwack, head East on Chilliwack Lake Road. The parking lot will be on your right before the Lindeman Lake/Flora Peak parking lot. The directions on AllTrails are accurate.

As one of the less popular trails in Chilliwack there tends to be way less people on the trail than, say, Lindeman Lake. However, the parking lot is tiny, so if you plan on hiking on this trail, get there early. It is not uncommon for cars to be lined up along the road, but there isn't much of a shoulder so I don't recommend this. Have a backup hike in mind in case you're unable to get a parking spot - there's plenty of hikes to choose from!

There have been reports of vehicle break-ins at all parking lots in this area. Do not leave valuables in your vehicle. It is recommended to clean out your vehicle completely and don't have ANYTHING visible, not even a spare hat or your post-hike shoes. There is a property near-ish to the trailhead that offers secure parking on their property and a shuttle to/from the trailhead. I believe the cost is about $25 per night, and the shuttle is about $15 each direction. You can find their comments on the AllTrails pages for Mount Macfarlane and Pierce Lake.

Conditions

As with any trail, conditions vary throughout the year. Snow pack remains between the lakes into late June, and as noted below when we went on July 13-14 there was no snow, however there were still large sheets of ice in the Upper Lake. Monitor trip reports and comments on AllTrails and other local hiking group pages leading up to your trip. If going in the winter, be avalanche aware and check avalanche.ca for avi forecasts.

The Trail

It goes up. I can't overstate how much this trail goes up. I thought I was ready. I was wrong. If you're going all the way to summit Mount Macfarlane, you'll be covering 17-20km / 10.5-12.4 miles and 1800m / 5,905 feet elevation gain, round-trip. This variance is due to AllTrails claiming the entire trail is 17km, while many people clock over 20km with their apps and smart watches. The elevation gain is purely on the way in, and the way back to your vehicle is fully downhill. This means that you will be climbing the entire 1800m over just 8.5km / 5.2 miles, and descending the same amount over the same distance on the way down.

The lower 2/3 of the trail is through the forest. There is perhaps a couple hundred meters of exposure, then back into the forest. This is very nice in the heat of summer, as you don't have the sun beating directly down on you. There is switchback after switchback, and the elevation gain is relentless. As you push to the next corner telling yourself just a little bit further, you turn the corner to see the next stretch is even steeper than the one you just convinced yourself to do. Take your time, you've got lots more to go!

There are two lakes on this trail: Lower Pierce and Upper Pierce Lakes. Lower Pierce Lake is about 5.8km / 3.6 miles into the hike, so a little more than 2/3 of the way to the summit. Many people will go to Lower Pierce as a day hike and enjoy some time swimming at the lake before heading back down to their vehicles. At this point you've hiked up 1,053m / 3,454 feet, a little more than 58% of the total elevation gain. To reach the summit you'll have to climb another 747m / 2,451 feet in the next 2.7km / 1.6 miles, but trust me, it's worth it.

After Lower Pierce you'll go through a beautiful stretch of alpine wildflowers before you come across some small water crossings, and then a boulder field. Climbing the boulder field will take some time and perhaps a little bit of route finding, but once you get to the top of it you'll find yourself at Upper Piece Lake. At this point we took our packs off, set up our camp spots, spent some time trying to enjoy the frigid ice water (there was literally still sheets of ice floating in the upper lake), ate some food and tried to nap before we made our way up to the summit for sunset.

Note that there are two summits you can go to from Upper Pierce: Mount Pierce to the North and Mount Macfarlane to the West. I have not done Mount Pierce, but I am told it is much less traveled and is somewhat bush-whacky.

Upper Piece Lake sits at kilometer 7.7 / mile 4.8. So far you've climbed 1,457m / 4,780 feet. This leaves 0.8km / 0.4 miles and 343m / 1,125 feet. Reaching the summit will take some care and caution. A couple ladies from our group didn't make it up; they chose to stay at a lower part of the ridge for sunset rather than attempt to climb to the top. For the rest of us, it was a slow-go to get there, taking caution as we climbed (literally, there is a little bit of climbing involved). It took us 50 minutes to get to the summit from Upper Pierce Lake.

The Summit has a very small amount of space for people to hang out. When we got there, there was actually a tent set up in the one place it could possibly sit, and I do not recommend this. The tent had cliff edges on either side of it, and was fully exposed. The people camping there experienced high winds throughout the night, and did not get much sleep at all. While we were up there, there was about 10 people crowded on the highest point to watch the sunset. We had a little bit of space to walk around, but at certain points you had to move to let other people pass by. We were thankful that there weren't any more people up there than the 10 of us.

Some people from other groups went to the summit for sunrise. We could tell they had just experienced an incredible sunrise, as their excitement woke us all up. Remember to bring a headlamp and extra batteries if you are going for sunrise or sunset.

Views

From the summit you can see both Lower and Upper Pierce Lakes, some pieces of the Fraser Valley, as well as mountain ranges as far as the eye can see. Peaks you can see from the top include Slesse, Cheam, Lady, Elk, Thurston, Canadian Border Peak, American Border Peak, Rexford, and more. As grueling as this hike was, and as adamant as I was that I was thankful it was done and I'd never do it again, that "Type 2 Fun" phase has kicked in and only a month later I'm thinking I wouldn't mind doing it again for those views.

Tent Space

It is possible to camp at Lower Pierce, however space is limited. I wouldn't plan on having a group of more than 2 tents staying the night, especially since you don't know how many other people will be planning on the same.

At Upper Pierce there is room for about 10 tents. There were two tent pads, or perhaps a tent pad and a heli pad, but they are now destroyed. Tent spaces are spread out throughout the area surrounding the lake.

Although there was a tent at the summit, there really wasn't space to safely camp there. I do not recommend it.

Water

There is not a lot of water sources on this trail. The first accessible water source was around kilometer 4 / mile 2.5, then nothing until Lower Pierce Lake. Between Lower and Upper Pierce Lakes there are some stream crossings, but considering we went at the beginning of July they may be dried up by the end of August.

Always filter your water. Even from a running alpine stream, you don't know what is upstream. There could be a dead animal, garbage or feces in the water above where you're collecting your water. Always filter your water.

Facilities

There are none. Well, there's an outhouse at the parking lot, and it might not have toilet paper, but that's it. At Lower Pierce Lake you'll find spots to dig a cat hole, but at Upper Pierce this will be VERY difficult. Bring a wag bag and pack it out.

Group Stats Our group had a mix of speed levels. Two of the ladies in our group are FAST on the way up and made it to Upper Pierce about 45 minutes to an hour before the rest of us. Two other ladies in our group started the hike about half an hour after our group and caught up to us just before Lower Pierce Lake. The remaining three of us were the slower of the bunch, and we took about 5 hours to get to Upper Pierce Lake. We were passed by many trail runners and day hikers with small packs, while we also passed a couple day hikers. None of us weighed our packs, but based on personal previous pack weights, I'd say my pack was about 40lbs. Speeds vary, the fact you're out there doing the thing is what matters!

Sources

Mount Macfarlane on AllTrails

(Lower) Pierce Lake on AllTrails