Elk Mountain + MT. Thurston (Winter)

Category: British ColumbiaSummit Elev: 1,432 m / 4,700 ft (Elk); 1,630 m / 5,350 ft (Thurston)
This page contains two trip reports:

1.

Elk+ThurstonDate: January 5, 2019 (Sat)Trip Report #: 332Partner: Sue Abegg

2.

Elk onlyDate: February 14, 2023 (Tue)Trip Report #: 607Partner: Sue Abegg

Route (Elk+Thurston): Snow-covered trail (~9.1 miles/14.6 km round trip, 3600'/1100m gain/loss, spikes + snowshoes)

Route (Elk only): Snow-covered trail (~5.1 miles/8.2 km, 2500'/760m gain/loss, spikes) 

January 2019 (Elk+Thurston): Another New Year's snowshoe with my mom.

February 2023 (Elk): Glorious mid-day summit adventure with my mom.

Intro

Elk Mountain is one of the more popular hikes in the Chilliwack area. The hike starts with a 2000-foot climb up timbered slopes, and then breaks out onto the shoulder of Elk Mountain, reaching the summit of Elk not long after that. Most people stop at the summit of Elk, but you can continue onwards a couple of more miles along the forested ridge to the forested summit of Mt. Thurston. If the weather is favorable, there are gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains (dominating the view were Slesse, American and Canadian Border Peaks, Tomyhoi, McGuire, and Baker) and also of the Chilliwack River Valley and Fraser Valley about a vertical mile below. 

This page has two short photo trip reports for Elk Mountian. The first time I also tagged the summit of Thurston and the second time was just a quick lap of Elk. Both were winter ascents with my mom.

Map, Track, and Stats

GPS track (GAIA map screenshot):

GPS track (Google Earth screenshot):

GPX file download:

Jan 2019 stats (Elk + Thurston):

Round trip TH to Thurston, Guidebook: 16.5 km / 10.3 mi;  +/- 1,030 m / 3,380 ft

Round trip TH to Thurston, GPS track: 18.7 km / 11.6 mi;   +/- 1,100 m / 3,630 ft

Round trip TH to Elk Mtn, GPS track: 10.6 km / 6.6 mi;   +/- 810 m / 2,650 ft

Time: ~6.5 hours (6 hours moving time, 30 minutes stopped time)


Feb 2023 stats (Elk only):

Time: ~3 hours (1:32 up, 0:22 on summit waiting for clouds to clear/waiting for my mom/taking photos, 1:13 down)

Trip Report #1 (January 2019)

(first time hiking to the top of Elk in the winter; also tagged the summit of Thurston) 

If the content appears to be truncated here, you may need to put your cursor in the region of text above the red line and scroll down to see more!

Trip Report #2 (February 2023)

(second time hiking to the top of Elk in the winter; no Thurston this time) 

I was visiting my parents in Chilliwack, British Columbia for two weeks. For the most part the forecast during the two weeks was for the standard rain (inspiring many hours spent at Anytime Fitness, baking at least five batches of cookies, and working an endless train of jigsaw puzzles), but the second week of my trip offered a few nice days. On a day when my workload was light, I snatched a mid-day break to hike to the top of Elk Mountain with my mom. We took only spikes and a light pack. The sun was out and the views from the top were glorious.

Time stats: 1:32 up, 0:22 on summit waiting for clouds to clear/waiting for my mom/taking photos, 1:13 down.

Below are some photos from this glorious mid-day summit adventure with my mom.

Trail conditions. About halfway up it got quite icy so we put on spikes.
Spikes are a must for Elk in the winter.
Looking out towards the Fraser Valley.
Nearing the summit.
Nearing the summit.
Nearing the summit.
Nearing the summit.
When I first arrived on the summit, a low cloud obscured the view. I decided to wait a bit to see if it would clear.
Looking towards Mt. Thurston (which I had snowshoed to my prevous time up here; no time today).
Ah, there's a mountain! Canadian Border Peak, American Border Peak, and Pleides are the most prominent. 
Another mountain!
Canadian Border Peak, American Border Peak, and Pleides are the most prominent.
Slesse poking over the ridge.
Mt. Baker to the south.
My mom on the summit ridge. I was impressed that she wasn't too far behind me—I hope to be as fit as her when I am 72. A hiker we had passed on the way up told her she was too young to be my mother.
Rime on the trees near the summit. It had snowed the previous day.
Rime.
Begining the descent. Frasier Valley below.
Trailhead. This is a popular hike, for good reason.

previous and next adventures

(January 2019)
(February 2023)