Everything You Need to Know About The Lindeman Lake Hike

Guide to Hiking and Camping at Lindeman Lake

Table of Contents

Lindeman Lake is a bright blue, super dreamy alpine lake located in Chilliwack, British Columbia which is around a 2hr drive from Vancouver. The lake is located right next to Chilliwack Lake and so is very popular for a weekend day trip or camping trip. Yes, you can camp at Lindeman Lake!

To get to the lake you will hike through a beautiful forest. The Lindeman Lake hike is 3.6km return with 300m in elevation gain which is fairly steep for such a short distance, so you will find you might need to stop to catch your breath a few times on the way up. It is a bit challenging not only due to the steepness but also the amount of roots on the trail. We did see quite a few families on the trail with young kids so it is definitely doable. The Lindeman Lake hike is dog friendly so bring all your fur babies!

Don’t forget to bring mosquito repellent with you as there are loads of bugs near the lake!

This guide will provide you with everything you need to know about hiking to Lindeman Lake, including tips on the best times to visit, best photo spots and how to avoid the crowds

Distance: 3.6km Time: 1.5hrs Elevation: 300 metres From Vancouver: 2hrs Dog Friendly: Yes Toilets: Yes, in carpark and also when you reach the lake.

couple sitting on rock at Lindeman Lake in British Columbia

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The Best Time to Visit Lindeman Lake

The Lindeman Lake trail is extremely busy in the Summer, but for good reason! Lindeman Lake is the perfect place for a Summer camping trip with friends as you can set up your tent right next to the picturesque lake and go swimming too! The water will be cold but extremely refreshing!

We recommend choosing a sunny day to visit Lindeman Lake as the sunshine really brings out the lakes bright turquoise colour. Otherwise, you can visit Lindeman Lake all year-round, however during the Winter months the lake does freeze over.

If you find a nice sunny day during Spring or Fall, either of these seasons are good alternatives if you want to try to avoid the Summer crowds. You could even still go for a dip but you will probably only be in the water for a second due to the cold. In saying this, we went at the end of May (Spring) and although there were spots in the carpark when we arrived at 8am, when we finished the hike and got back to our car, there were lines of cars all the way down the street! The trail was already really busy at this stage.

Where is Lindeman Lake

Lindeman Lake is located in Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley, 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.

Where to Park

The map below shows the carpark which you will need to park in for the Lindeman Lake Hiking Trail. If the carpark is full when you arrive, you can park outside the carpark along the side of the road. This is an extremely popular hike so the carpark fills up quite early, especially in Summer. There are pit toilets located in the Lindeman Lake Parking Lot and also by the lake at the campground. Don’t forget to bring your own toilet paper!

❗ Warning: This area and the Lindeman Lake Parking Lot is a popular place for thieves. Do not leave ANY valuables in your car. When we were doing research to do this hike ourselves, we came across a lot of comments from people who had seen cars with windows smashed etc. I think this is probably 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, however, it is best not to risk it.

Click here to open the map in Google Maps!

What Makes Lindeman Lake so Blue

You are probably looking at our photos and thinking “these are definitely photoshopped to look more blue!”

Let me be the one to tell you, Lindeman Lake is really that blue! It’s crazy to see it in person. Like the popular Joffre Lakes in Pemberton, Lindeman Lake is fed by glacial run off. Glacial Lakes like Lindeman and Joffre Lakes give off the bright turquoise appearance due to the floating glacial flour near the water’s surface. The glacial flour then creates an appearance of the lakes being bright blue in colour!

How Hard is the Lindeman Lake Trail?

The Lindeman Lake trail is extremely short at only 3.6km return, however it is uphill for the majority of the hike so we would rate it as an easy – moderately difficult hike. If you choose to continue walking around the side of the lake once you have arrived, you will have to scramble a little over some medium sized boulders but otherwise there is no scrambling on this hike.

The Trail to Lindeman Lake

The hike to Lindeman Lake starts at the same trailhead as Flora Lake and Greendrop Lake. The hike to Flora Lake is 15km return. The trail to Flora Lake goes in the opposite direction to Lindeman, however Lindeman and Greendrop follow the same trail so once you get to Lindeman Lake, you can choose to carry on hiking all the way to Greendrop Lake.

Lindeman Lake is 1.8km one way and Greendrop is another 4.1km further. Both Greendrop and Lindeman Lake are absolutely stunning, however Lindeman is definitely the more popular of the two. If you are looking to do a camping trip to get a bit more peace, Greendrop Lake will be your preferred option.

The Lindeman Lake hike begins on a wide trail which is pretty easy. After about 10-15 minutes of walking, the trail begins climbing upwards and, like most other BC hikes, there are a lot of roots that you will need to navigate. The hike includes quite a lot of rock boulders that you need to climb over. They aren’t too hard to navigate and you can actually just walk over a lot of them but every now and then we found that we had to put our hands down to help steady ourselves. You will also cross a bridge about halfway up.

The Lindeman Lake hike is a great one to start off the hiking season as it is not too easy and not too hard!

Best Photo Spots at Lindeman Lake

There are so many awesome spots around the side of the lake to get great photos at. The lakeside where you first arrive is a great place for photos but is also the most popular spot. If you continue on the trail following the markers around the left side of the lake, there are loads of little areas by the lake where you can go to get away from the crowds. The below photo was taken a little further around the lake at a random spot where we could easily walk down to the lake from the trail.

couple standing in front of bright blue alpine lake

Then, if you continue walking all of the way to the opposite side of the lake, where there is a huge boulder field, on a still day, you will get some really epic photos with the reflections of the mountains and pine trees in the lake (as shown in the photo below).

couple standing at Lindeman Lake with reflections of the mountains

Camping at Lindeman Lake

You can camp at Lindeman Lake! There are a few campsites at Lindeman Lake which you will need to reserve a backcountry pass for through BC Parks in order to camp. To book your backcountry camping pass for Lindeman Lake in 2023, you will need to reserve this 4 months in advance on the BC Parks reservation system. Bookings open at 7am PDT.

The sites themselves cannot be reserved and are on a first come first serve basis so we recommend getting there early to choose a good spot. There is a pit toilet provided in the campground. There are camping platforms and also dirt sites available all scattered around when you first reach the lake from the trail. All of the sites are close enough to the toilet so that you don’t have to do a massive hike to get to it.

Camping platform at Lindeman Lake British Columbia — *Lindeman Lake Tent Platform*

Can You Swim in Lindeman Lake?

You can absolutely swim at Lindeman Lake! The weather was still quite chilly when we went in May but during Summer, Lindeman Lake would be amazing to cool off in after hiking up there. Beware though, the lake water is glacial so will be quite cold, even on a hot day! Lindeman Lake is around 20m deep so make sure you know how to swim before jumping into the icy water.

There are lots of spots around the lake where you can sit including a platform hanging over the water. The platform is the most popular spot for chilling out on so does get a little busy but it is a great spot to relax.

Are there Bears at Lindeman Lake?

The hike to Lindeman Lake is heavily trafficked, however this is bear and cougar country so you should always carry bear spray with you and be on alert. There are often bears spotted in the area.

What to Wear on Your Lindeman Lake Hike

If you decide to do the Lindeman Lake hike in Spring or Fall, you will probably need to bring some extra layers such as a puffer jacket and perhaps even a pair of micro spikes in case the ground is a little icy. Here is everything we wear and bring along with us when hiking in BC!

Hiking Boots or Trail Runners – Wear whatever you are most comfortable in while also checking the trail notes. Some trails may be more suited to boots whereas others you could get away with 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 – If you decide to hike in Spring or Fall, bring some micro spikes just in case the trail is still icy.
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! I love this beanie from Dakine !
Sunhat!
Swimming Costume – Lindeman Lake is perfect for a dip on a hot day!
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 Things to Do in and Around Chilliwack

Chilliwack is such an amazing place for outdoor adventures. If you decide to spend the weekend in Chilliwack, below are a few other fun things that we love to do there!

Chilliwack Lake

Chilliwack Lake is a massive lake just up the road from the Lindeman Lake parking lot and is a great place to go paddle boarding near Vancouver! You will however, need to bring your own paddle board as there are no rentals here.

It is not a bright blue lake like Lindeman but is still beautiful with towering mountains surrounding it. If you turn left and then right out of the Lindeman carpark, you will see the entrance to the Chilliwack Lake carpark. This is another lake that is extremely popular. The carpark fills up by 10-11am in the Spring and in Summer it is completely full by 9am. (We checked these times with the man in control of the parking lot when we were there).

Although the lake itself is huge, the sandy foreshore where you will likely want to set up your picnic spot for a few hours is quite small, so like the carpark, it is quite competitive to get a spot. You can also camp at Chilliwack Lake, however to camp here you will need to book through the BC Parks Website. Chilliwack Lake is a popular place for people to bring their paddle boards, kayaks etc to enjoy on the water.

Bridal Falls

Bridal Falls is the most popular and well known waterfall in the area, located in Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park. Reaching the falls by car will take you about 50 minutes from Lindeman Lake Carpark. Once you have parked, the falls are a 15ish minute walk up hill and are absolutely beautiful! You will see why they are the most popular falls in the area. There are toilets located in the Bridal Falls carpark and dogs are allowed in the Provincial Park. The falls are located behind a wooden barrier with a warning sign stopping people from walking up to them due to danger. The sign also notes that you will be fined if ignored.

Our Thoughts

We absolutely loved Lindeman Lake and although we have no camped there yet, it is definitely on our list. We can only imagine how wonderful it must be to wake up to the view. Summer will definitely be the busiest time at Lindeman Lake and you will need to make sure that you get there early. We cannot stress this last point enough but honestly it is the same anywhere in BC in Summer as the outdoors is the place to be!

We hope this guide was helpful and you enjoy the beautiful turquoise water of Lindeman Lake as much as we did! Apart from hiking, another great outdoor activity to do in Vancouver in late Spring is chasing waterfalls! Check out our list of the 16 Best Waterfalls Near Vancouver!

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