Hiking Mt. Cheam, Chilliwack, BC

Mt. Cheam summit

I sat on the patio of my in-law's house in Agassiz, BC on a late August afternoon drinking a beer.

"You see that mountain there?" my father-in-law said. He pointed to a great grey hulk of rock that jutted up into the sky, dominating the view from the deck. "That's Mt. Cheam and we are going to climb it tomorrow!"

The view from the patio

"Great!" I replied. This announcement came at the end of about two weeks of hiking and camping we had done through Jasper, Wells Gray and the Fraser Canyon. Still a little sore from the Tikwalus Hike we had done only a few days before, I was not sure if I was up to another relentless uphill slog. He was pretty keen on the idea though so I could not refuse.

The following day we hit the road for the trail head. We took my Jeep Grande Cherokee as he had learned that to get to the trail head, you must first negotiate about 20 kilometres of forestry roads, of which the last 10 kilometres was pitted with something called "water bars". I had never heard of them before but he informed us that apparently when the forestry roads are abandoned, they go along with a backhoe and carve out these depressions to allow the water to flow across the road without washing the road out all together. Some were apparently deep enough to "turn a Volkswagen on its roof and drive over". Needless to say he had decided we would not be taking his Ford Explorer, but rather my Jeep. He would "never take his Ford down a road like that!" I agreed but in the back of my mind realized that I still needed to use that Jeep to drive the 1200km back home after this vacation all the while pulling a trailer. But, that's what Jeeps are made for right?

The trail head with Lady Peak in the background

So off we went bright and early the next morning. We got to the much anticipated forestry road and came across our first water bar almost right away. I stopped and got out to take a look. Not too bad if I took it slow, and so we made our first crossing. After our initial success my nervousness eased and we carried on. They were all pretty much the same, some a little worse than others but taking it slowly we only bottomed out once.

"How many of these water bars are there?" I asked after the first kilometre.

"Oh, my friend says about 25 or so," he replied. Turns out there actually around 111 according to my wife and son who were counting as we plugged along.


After about an hour we got to the trail head and I was quite surprised to find a well set up parking lot and even an outhouse.

The meadow is fairly flat and passes by Spoon Lake

We grabbed our day packs and headed out on a very well laid out trail and all the worries of the drive and the car sickness my son felt were soon forgotten as we walked into an alpine meadow. The good thing about the drive is that you gain much of the elevation and so when you reach the trail head you are already above the treeline. This offers some amazing views right off the bat.

Looking back to Spoon Lake The forestry road climbs the far mountain

The first major landmark was a lake they call Spoon Lake, because it looks like somebody scooped it out of the mountain with a spoon. It is hard not to stop every five minutes and take pictures as the views are amazing. In the distance you can even see Mount Baker and as the sun played on it over the course of the day, you got some really fantastic imagery. Looking at it even in real life you felt as though you were looking at a painting.

After the "lake" you begin to ascend rather steeply and steadily and it basically continues this way until you reach the plateau. You cannot actually see the summit for most of the climb but to your right is Lady Peak which is quite picturesque. There are a couple of flat spots and campsites that have been set up along the way. We actually ran into a group of boy scouts who were heading back down after having camped on the mountain for the previous three or four days.

Mt Baker ever present in the distance

After ascending steadily and taking our time, we got to a point where a cairn had been constructed out of rocks. There was also a jar where you could write your name on a piece of paper and put it in there to let everyone know you had made it. I was quite surprised at how many people we encountered on this hike, considering it was a weekday and all, but I guess it goes to show just what a popular hike it is in the area.

On the bench looking at Harrison Lake

There is also a bench at this point and from here you can look out over the Fraser Valley and see Agassiz below and the Fraser River. You can also see Harrison Lake and Jones Lake but even here you are not at the top! The trail continues steeply up to the summit and to say the least, this was fantastic! The rock comes to small peak and you can stand there and know you are as high as you are going to get. The wind was non-existent as well on this day so we had plenty of time to enjoy the sun, the views and take some more pictures.

I looked back toward the stone cairn and a crowd was beginning to accumulate. I knew our time alone on the summit was limited so we took some final pictures and began the journey back down. Going back was just as good or even better because now you were facing the views to the south and Mt. Baker was ever present in your field of view.

Looking back from the summit to the bench and cairn

We took our time and I had to pause once in a while as I was getting a little too far ahead of everyone. On one of my rest stops I was looking back up the mountain and I saw a bear moving about on the high mountain meadow, well away from the trail. I got out the binoculars but was unable to tell if it was a black or grizzly, it was just too far away to get a good look at.

"Hey!" I called to a fellow as he approached, "There's a bear up there!" He looked around anxiously and called back to his friends.

"There's a bear. let's get going," and they all sped up a little.

"No it's way up there," I said reassuringly. He said something about how it was "OK" he had bear spray and away they went.

We got back to the trail head and took a break before beginning the long trip back down and the 111 water bars we would have to navigate again.

In the evening we got back to the house and once again looked up at Mt. Cheam looming over us.
"What the hell were we doing up there?" I asked. But I knew my father-in-law would be pretty proud that he had made it to the top and would no doubt point it out to anyone who came to visit.

Not bad for a guy who is 68 years old!

*Note: This post is a document on my journey on this trail and should not be used as a guide. Before hiking this trail make sure you are well equipped and informed!

Starting out with Lady Peak ahead

Crossing a stream in the meadow

The ascent continues with Lady Peak in the background

Squirrel!

At the summit with Lady Peak in the background

Jacob and I on the summit looking east

Altitude reading

Taking a break on the way back down at a primitive campsite