Knight Peak

Knight Peak in Chilliwack is one of those hikes that separates the “I like hiking” crowd from the “I live for suffering” crowd. This 11.3 km out-and-back with roughly 1469 m of gain tops out around 2214 m and feels every bit as extreme as it sounds. It’s long, steep, and rough, but the upper alpine around Knight Peak and Baby Munday makes all the punishment feel earned.

The route starts from the Baby Munday trail and quickly turns into a full-on grind once you cross Airplane Creek. The trail is overgrown, faint in spots, and then just points straight uphill through forest before opening into big alpine with talus, heather, and lingering snowfields. On a clear day you get wide views toward the Cheam Range and surrounding Chilliwack peaks, but expect some scrambling and routefinding near the summit rather than a tidy, well-marked path.

Recent hikers on Knight Peak report having to park 1–1.5 km before the trailhead due to a washed-out, deeply rutted section of Airplane Creek FSR, so budget extra time and distance. The approach is a wet, brushy mess and the trail can be hard to follow, especially with snow and sparse markers, so a downloaded GPS map is basically mandatory. Even in shoulder season people are carrying ice axe and crampons but often not using them; full summer conditions from July to September are the safest bet for most. Expect a very steep, exhausting day, extra driving time on rough roads, and be ready to turn around if snow, routefinding, or fatigue start stacking up.