As I was doing my Sunday run this morning, I saw that the North Shore mountains still had snowcaps on their peaks. It reminded me of the time we went to Elk Mountain, during which the trailhead had no snow at all but the summit was completely covered in snow. So naturally, we will be visiting Elk Mountain on my weekly hiking post.

We hiked Elk Mountain during the fall though, not during spring. I recall we left home very early, as usual, to maximize daylight, avoid traffic and get good parking spots. It was a cloudy day and the weather had already turned relatively cold, with the mornings and evenings dipping into mid single digits Celsius. Elk Mountain is located near Chilliwack, BC. It is a medium to challenging trail in terms of difficulty, with an out-and-back distance of about 8.5km and around 750m elevation gain. The trail was well maintained and well marked. It weaves in the forest while steadily gaining elevation. Eventually, we started to see snow accumulation on the ground. The higher we went, the thicker the snow; however, due to the numerous hikers traveling the trail, the snow on the trail was tightly packed. We did eventually have to put on our micro spikes for safety reasons. The hike was quite long with a good amount of elevation, so to keep the kids entertained, we started to play a game where each of us would take turns saying a sentence to collaboratively tell a story. I remember vaguely that our story had something to do with someone getting kidnapped by aliens, but he learned all their tech, escaped, and used to tech to take over the world. Eventually, we reached the viewpoint just before the summit and got some pretty nice views of the nearby mountains, farmlands, and small towns. We pushed through the final stretch, where people without microspikes or trekking poles were having trouble going past the uphill section covered in slippery snow. We were greeted with amazing views at the summit. The trail actually continues past Elk Summit towards Thurston Mountain, but we decided to finish our advance at Elk Summit, where we enjoyed the view, had our lunch, and started our descend back towards the parking lot.

We left home early. Was well on the highway at dawn.

Info board at the trailhead.

Trail weaves through the forest. Well maintained and well marked trail.

Some specs of snow on the ground.

Starting to see a little big of accumulation.

More accumulation of snow.

Going through a switchback section.

Snow everywhere now.

Sun shining through the forest.

Broken tree.

More snow in the forest.

Glimpse of nearby mountains behind the leaves.

Deep within the forest.

My wife named this photo "Companionship is the best gift."

Views saw at viewpoint before the summit.

Same viewpoint before the summit.

Slippery uphill stretch.

Very near the summit now.

Finaly stretch before the summit.

Views at the summit. This one shows Chilliwack, nearby farmlands and nearby forests.

More views at the summit. This one shows the mountain range to the north/northeast.

Views at the summit. This one looks south and we can see Mount Baker standing tall amongst all of the mountains.

Pano of the southern mountains. My wife is pointing out Mount Baker to my little one. We can see Mount Shuksan's distinctive pointy tip in this one too.

Check out my previous hikes:

1. The Panoramic Views of Panorama Ridge
2. The Golden Larches of Frosty Mountain
3. The Winter Snow of Pump Peak at Mount Seymour
4. Sapphire Waters and Azure Skies of Battle Bluff
5. It Isn't Always Sunshine and Blue Skies
6. The Frozen River and Waterfalls of Maligne Canyon
7. The Amazing Arches of Arches National Park
8. The Bizarre Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park
9. The Magnificent Stones of Zion National Park
10. The Flowing Walls of Lower Antelope Canyon
11. A Glimpse of Hope at the Hope Lookout Trail
12. Turquoise Waters viewed from Sea to Summit Trail
13. The Three Peaks of Mount Seymour
14. The Serene Winter Scene at Dog Mountain
15. Murrin Loop and Jurassic Ridge
16. Yosemite National Park
17. The Bear's Hump at Waterton National Park
18. Views of Okanagan from Pincushion Mountain Trail
19. The Half Frozen Waterfalls at Franklin Falls
20. Hole in the Wall of Vancouver Island
21. Sometimes You Just Get Lucky
22. Winter Wonderland at Alexander Falls
23. Eagle Bluffs
24. Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park
25. Admiralty Point
26. Myra Canyon Trail
27. Garabaldi Lake
28. Botanical Beach Loop
29. Wild Pacific Trail Lighthouse Loop
30. Whistler Train Wreck Trail
31. Grouse Grind
32. Crown Mountain
33. Chance Cove Coastal Trail
34. Big Four Ice Caves
35. Stawamus Chief First Peak
36. Four Lakes Trail at Alice Lake Provincial Park
37. Four Lakes Trail Winter Revisit
38. Lindeman Lake Trail
39. Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
40. Steelhead Falls
41. Cascade Falls
42. Dawson Falls
43. Bridal Veil Falls
44. Kay Falls and Bear Creek Falls
45. Lions Bay Loop and Crystal Falls
46. Overlander Falls
47. Flood Falls
48. Marymere Falls
49. Johnston Canyon Lower Falls
50. Elfin Lakes
51. Gold Creek Lower Falls
52. Nairn Falls
53. Lower and Upper Shannon Falls
54. Brandywine Falls
55. Mamquam Falls
56. Cliff Gilker Park Waterfalls
57. Snoqualmie Falls
58. Norvan Falls
59. Niagara Falls and Trestles at Goldstream Park
60. Niagara Falls
61. Ptarmigan Ridge
62. Chain Lakes Trail
63. Cambie Creek Loop
64. Mushrooms of Norvan Falls Trail
65. Cheakamus Lake Trail
66. Panorama Ridge via Helm Creek Trail
67. Saint Mark's Summit
68. West Lion