How to Hike to Flora Peak in Chilliwack

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Everything You Need to Know About Flora Peak in Chilliwack

There are two things that I will always remember about Flora Peak.

1. What a grind!
2. It was so worth it!

Flora Peak is a local mountain hike in Chilliwack BC, around a 2 hour drive from Vancouver. It forms part of the Flora Lake, Greendrop Lake, Lindeman Lake Loop but you can choose to just do the peak as a hike by itself which is what we did. You can hike up to the peak as a day hike or as an overnight backpacking trip.

The hike to Flora Peak is pretty steep the majority of the way, but the 360 degree views from the top are absolutely jaw dropping! From the top you can get an awesome view of Chilliwack Lake and the surrounding mountains such as Mount Lindeman, Welch Peak, Mount Webb and Foley Peak.

This guide will provide you with everything you need to know about hiking and camping at Flora Peak, including how hard the hike is, how long it will take, if it is worth the effort (which I’m going to tell you now, it totally is) and more!

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📃 Hike Stats

📍 Where is Flora Peak Located

Flora Peak is located in Chilliwack British Columbia which is about a 2 hour drive from Vancouver.

From Vancouver, you will need to take the Trans Canada Highway (Hwy 1) all the way to Exit 104. From this exit, turn right onto No. 3 Road and then again at Tolmie Road before immediately turning left to get back onto No. 3 Road. Stay on No. 3 Road until you reach Yarrow Central Road where you will need to take a left. The road will eventually turn into Vedder Mountain Road. Continue on until you reach the right hand turn-off onto Chilliwack Lake Road. Now you will just need to stay on this road until you reach the sign for the Lindeman Lake Parking Lot which will be for about 40km.

Click here to open the map in Google Maps!

How to get to Flora Peak Trailhead

The trailhead for Flora Peak is just past the toilet in the parking lot. You will need to walk straight for about 2 minutes. This is the same trail that leads to Lindeman Lake and Greendrop Lake, however for Flora Peak and Flora Lake, you will turn right down a different trail pretty soon after you start walking.

You should see a sign with an arrow pointing right to Flora Lake (see above photo). This is where you need to go.

Where to Park

You will need to park in the same parking lot as the Lindeman Lake parking lot.

We actually paid to park in a nearby Airbnb listed here so that we didn’t need to worry about overnight vandals.

❗ Warning: This area and the Lindeman Lake Parking Lot is a popular place for thieves. Do not leave ANY valuables in your car. It is extremely common for cars to have windows smashed overnight. Although this is more likely to happen if you leave your car in the parking lot overnight as there are a lot of people around during the day, it is best not to risk it.

Facilities

There is a drop toilet at the trailhead but no more along the trail. Pack it out. There is also no drinking water. Bring plenty of water with you or a water filter so that you can filter water from one of the streams.

🕐 Flora Peak Hiking Time

I recommend allowing more time than you think you will need for Flora Peak. The trail is super steep and so if you are like us, you might want to take a lot more breaks than you usually would on a less steep hike.

On average, Flora Peak takes people around 6-7 hours return.

🥾 How Hard is the Flora Peak Trail

Flora Peak is easy to follow as there are well placed markers throughout the entire trail. The hike itself is a grind and you WILL feel your legs at the end of it.

I would rate Flora Peak as challenging due to the amount of elevation, however there is no scrambling or technical sections. There are however, some super steep sections that, because they are so dusty, can be quite slippery especial on the way back down. A pair of hiking poles will really help you on these sections.

I was 100% ready for a nap by the time we reach the top because the climb was so physically exhausting.

📌 TIP: We 100% recommend bringing along a pair of hiking poles. They will help take the load off your legs on the way up, and save your knees on the way down. Purchase a pair of hiking poles here!

🐶 Can Dogs do the Flora Peak Trail

Dogs are allowed on the trail, however, make sure your dog is fit and able to hike 13km return with an elevation gain of 1,500m because it is a big one! There are also a lot of really rocky sections that might hurt your pup’s paws so consider bringing booties if your dog has sensitive feet.

🐻 Wildlife in Chilliwack

On the Flora Peak trail, you might come across a marmot or two. Look out for them sunbathing on the boulders higher up along the trail. There are also plenty of squirrels and birds around.

Chilliwack is also home to black bears and cougars. We actually bumped into a black bear on the trail on our way back down. He was on the side of the trail and you could tell that he was trying to get away from us but because the sides of the trail were so steep, he had to just wait for us to pass, which was fine.

If you are hiking any trail in Chilliwack, I recommend bringing along bear spray with you just in case.

📵 Cell Service

Once you leave Chilliwack town centre and head towards the mountains, the cell service disappears pretty quickly. I recommend downloading the trail maps using Alltrails or similar.

⌚ When is the Best Time to do the Flora Peak Trail

As the Flora Peak hike starts from the extremely busy Lindeman Lake Parking Lot, I highly recommend doing this hike during the week if you can. If you absolutely have to go on a weekend, go early in the morning or later in the afternoon, once the morning crowds have left.

The hike itself is not even nearly as popular as Lindeman Lake, so you will not find too much foot traffic on the trail.

Because Flora Peak is so steep, I recommend starting the hike first thing in the morning so that you have loads of daylight hours to complete the hike without feeling stressed for time.

🚶‍♀️ Flora Peak Trail Description

The Flora Peak Trail is relatively easy to follow as it is really well marked. I still recommend downloading offline maps as a back up.

The Climb Begins

You will start the Flora Peak hike from the Lindeman Lake trailhead with the crowds. After about 1-2 minutes of walking, you will need to turn right off the main trail, following the sign pointing to Flora Lake.

Enjoy this part of the hike because it is probably the flattest part of the trail and it doesn’t last long. The trail starts off being a little shrubby and overgrown here. After around 200 – 300m, the incline begins and doesn’t stop until you reach the ridgeline where the views open up a bit.

This part of the trail takes you up long switchbacks through the forest for a few kms. You will cross a few little streams but most of the trail is dirt with roots and rocks. Classic British Columbia.

The Ridgeline

By the time you reach the ridgeline, you will probably be feeling quite exhausted. I know I was! The trees disappear on one side of the trail which turns into a steep drop off with views of Chilliwack Lake. Don’t forget to snap a quick photo!

As you continue walking along the ridgeline, which you will be happy to hear is pretty flat compared with the rest of the trail, you will soon come across what looks like it was previously a riverbed. We chose this spot along the trail to have a snack and reapply our sunscreen before continuing on.

You will get to enjoy the views of Chilliwack Lake for a little longer, before heading back into the trees. This part of the trail is also where the last few water sources are. 

You will reach a flat open section in the sun which has a couple of good rocks to sit on. Right before coming to this section is where we chose to filter our water. There was another water source after this one but this one had a better waterflow.

The trail then starts another steep incline through the forest. This is where I completely lost my energy levels and Dave carried my bag for a bit. He is my hero.

Turn Left and Keep Going Up

After a lot more uphill, you will walk through some small meadows and come to an fork in the trail. If you take a sharp right, this will take you to Flora Lake Lookout. A slightly less sharp right will take you down to Flora Lake and to your left is where you want to go, up to Flora Peak.

This is the last little bit and it is the steepest part of the whole hike. We were both really glad we had brought our poles because the dry, dusty dirt was really slippery on the steep trail.

Start climbing up the steep, dusty trail which soon turns into a boulder field. There is a pretty well defined trail along the side of the field which you can follow. After the boulder field, the trail gets steep again for one last little push until the summit. The above photos show me hiking back down from the top the next morning. The views are absolutely incredible near the top and very distracting.

Congratulations! If you have made it this far, you would have now arrived at Flora Peak!

⛺ Camping on Flora Peak

There are no official campsites on Flora Peak, however there is space to camp. There is one really good spot which we missed out on because there was another couple there and then a bunch of other spots that are not completely flat but still doable.

Where to Filter Water

You will come across around 3-4 good water streams to filter water on the way up to Flora Peak.

These will probably vary depending on the time of the year so make sure you check the recent trail comments on Alltrails. There is no water at the top so make sure you fill up on the way.

If you are looking to buy a water filter, we use this Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter System" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" title="">one!

🎟 Do I Need to Book a Permit?

You do not currently need a permit to camp on Flora Peak, however, if you want to camp at Lindeman Lake, Greendrop Lake or Flora Lake, you will need to obtain a backcountry camping permit off the BC parks website.

👚 Hike Packing List

• Hiking Boots or Trail Runners – My favourite boots are the Oboz Bridger Mid B-Dry Boots and Dave’s favourite boots are his Scarpa Kailash Plus Gore-Tex Backpacking Boots.
• Hiking Socks – Good hiking socks are important to make your boots as comfortable as possible! Some great hiking socks are the Smartwool Hike Classic Edition Light Cushion Crew and the Darn Tough Hiker Midweight with Cushion Micro Crew socks.
• Micro Spikes – During Winter, you may want to bring along a pair of micro spikes if the trail is icy. We have a pair each in our backpacks on every hike we do in the Winter and they have come in handy more often than not.
• Merino Top / Tee – Merino is a great material to hike in so we use Merino tops to hike. Our favourite Merino tops are from Icebreaker!
• Fleece – My favourite fleece is the Patagonia Better Sweater 1/4 Zip.
• Puffer Jacket – We love our puffer jackets to keep warm at the beginning of a walk and then once we are at the viewpoint. Dave’s favourite puffer jacket is the Arcteryx Cerium LT Hoody and Kerry’s favourites are the Eddie Bauer CirrusLite Down Hooded Jacket and Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket.
• Rain Jacket – Check the weather before you go, but if there is any rain in the forecast we recommend bringing along raincoats which can also double as a wind breaker.
• Beanie – We never go anywhere in Winter, Spring and Fall without our beanies! Some of our favourites are from Dakine and Eddie Bauer.
• Hiking Poles – if you prefer hiking with poles.
• Safety Items such as a first aid kit, bug spray, sunscreen, headlamps, a navigation device and bear spray.

😉 For a full guide containing all of the things we take hiking, check out our hiking gear guide!

🥾 Other Great Hikes in Chilliwack

If you are spending some time in Chilliwack or nearby, you should definitely check out these other amazing hikes while you are there!

Lindeman Lake

Distance: 3.6km / 2.2 miles | Elevation Gain: 300m / 984 ft | Time: 1.5 hours | Difficulty: Easy

Lindeman Lake is a bright blue, super dreamy alpine lake which is a short 3.6km hike return to reach. The Lindeman Lake trail starts from the same trailhead as Flora Peak so you could even do it on the same day if you have the energy!

Cheam Peak

Distance: 8.4km / 5.2 miles | Elevation Gain: 668m / 2,191 ft | Time: 4-4.5 hours | Difficulty: Moderate to Hard

Cheam Peak, also located in Chilliwack but from a different trailhead is an incredible hike that takes you to what feels like the top of the world! The views you get from Cheam Peak are bonkers compared to the actual amount of effort that you need to put in to do this hike.

This hike has a 4×4 road which will take you most of the way up the mountain, however, you do need the right car for it because it is a pretty crazy road!

💭 Our Thoughts

Flora Peak, in our opinion was a really special hike to do as an overnight backpacking trip. Most people you come across on the trail will be hiking to Flora Lake, which is also a popular spot for backpackers. There was one other couple camping up on the peak the same night as us but other than that it was so quiet!

In a nutshell, Flora Peak is worth the effort and an incredible experience that we will never forget! ☺

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