I am excited to share this one! Lindeman Lake near Chilliwack is one of the most popular hikes in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia (Canada.) This is a short, sweet hike to a beautiful jewel-blue lake surrounded by mossy forest and limestone mountain peaks. It’s family friendly and gorgeous, so you should expect to see lots of other hikers on this one.

If you have extra energy, you can then continue on to Greendrop Lake. This longer trail is a little harder, but very rewarding with a second picturesque alpine lake, and far fewer people.

Lindeman & Greendrop Lakes – The basics

Distance: 3.4 km for Lindeman Lake; 12km for both
Elevation gain: 220m for Linderman; 495m for Greendrop
High Point: 997m
Time: 1hr for Linderman;
What to bring: The 10 essentials, and bring bear spray
Facilities: There are loos at the trailhead plus campgrounds (with loos, bear caches and tent platforms) at both lakes.
Dogs: Dogs are allowed (on leash)
How hard is it? Easy-ish to Lindeman Lake (the trail is short and easy to follow, but surprisingly steep.) It is more than double the distance (and elevation gain) to Greendrop Lake so most people don’t continue that far.

Lindeman Lake – Getting Started

The trailhead is at the far end of Chilliwack Lake Road, just before Chilliwack Lake Provincial Campground. It’s around 2 hours from Vancouver. The road is paved so any car can make it here. However I have heard multiple stories of cars being broken into (or catalytic converters being stolen.) We were camping, so we opted to play it safe; We left our car at Chilliwack Lake and hiked the extra 1.5km to the trailhead.

The trail is really fun! There are big boulders and roots to navigate under massive old growth trees. If you are not used to hiking the coastal mountains, you’ll find this steep and rugged. But if you take it slowly, most reasonably fit folks will make it up.

You start of hiking alongside Post Creek. You cross the creek about half way to the lake on a fancy, new-looking bridge.

Bring Hiking shoes!

I should probably mention, that we saw a few people struggling with sneakers on this hike. It’s best to bring shoes with good grips to avoid slipping on roots. It must be worse in the spring when the trail is muddy.

First Peek at the lake

There is a big logjam at the southern end of the lake. I was excited to climb up and see the views. Lots of people stop right here, but I strongly recommend continuing. The trail along the lake is flat, and views from the north side are even better.

Lindeman Lake Campground

You can camp here for $5 with a backcountry permit. Pay before you drive up as there is no signal near the trailhead. There’s a toilet and a bear cache along with 6x tent pads (so you won’t damage vegetation around the campground.

We kept hiking around the lake, watching as the colours changed dramatically depending on the angle of the sunshine

The far side of Lindeman Lake is covered by a huge rock slide. There is a path through it, but it is a little faint. The views from here are stunning with massive limestone cliffs and pointy peaks (the gargoyles) towering above the teal-coloured waters.

Not bad eh!?

Continue on to Greendrop Lake?

If that was enough, turn around a follow the same route back to the car park. I have to admit, I’m not keen on hiking for less time than it takes to drive to a hike, so we were keen to continue. The trail beyond Lindeman was much quieter and I loved the scenery.

There are quite a few huge boulderfields under impressive cliffs and pretty patches of forest

There is a steep section soon after you leave Lindeman lake, but after that it’s more of a slow and steady climb. It’s a pleasure to hike.

The final kilometer is basically flat, so you’ll feel refreshed by the time you reach the lake.

Greendrop Lake views

It’s a perfect place to stop and relax for lunch or a cold swim. While Lindeman Lake was heaving, we had the shores of Greendrop Lake all to ourselves (at least for a while before the next group of hikers arrived.)

Greendrop lake is a beautiful shade of teal and incredibly clear, so you can see all the logs below the waterline.

Greendrop Lake Campground

There are some lovely camping spots right next to Greendrop Lake. Imagine waking up to that view! You can camp here for $5 with a backcountry permit

Like the previous campground, there is a toilet and a bear cache along with tent pads.

Lindeman & Greendrop Lakes are both gorgeous. They are perfect for an easy-ish day out near Chilliwack, or for if you are staying at Chilliwack Lake Provincial Campground.

If you don’t want to walk to both lakes, there are a few other mini adventures nearby like Chipmunk Caves and Bosumarne Falls. Or, if you are an experienced hiker (and have lots more energy) you can continue on to Flora Lake & Flora Peak. It’s spectacular!

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