The trail up to Red Rock is one of those steep, satisfyingly hikes that lead you up to fantastic views over Lillooet and the Fraser River in BC, Canada. We visited in the autumn when there was a cool breeze, so it was a pleasant, fun walk. I imagine if you want to visit in the summer, you may want to go early to avoid melting in the heat of the day!

Red Rock trail map

Red Rock trail – the basics

Distance: 8 km (although alltrails says 6.3km)
Elevation gain: 550m
Highest Point: 837m 
Time: 2-3 hours
What to bring:
10 essentials
Facilities: No facilities.
Dogs: Yes. On a leash.
How hard is it?
Moderate. It’s easy to follow and not a long walk; But it is pretty steep.
Extra notes: Check yourself (and your dog) for woodticks if you visit in the springtime.

Red Rock trail – getting started

We parked near the end of a cul de sac on Victoria Street. There is space to park on the street, just please don’t block people’s driveways. You’ll see an obvious sign to the start of the trail. Follow this path around to a large water tower, then turn right up a steep gravel road.

Wildlife on the trail

We had only been walking for amount a minute before we met some deer. There are reports of bear sightings along this trail on alltrails; So be sure to make some noise as you walk to avoid hiking right up to a bear.

The trail follows an old logging road, so it is pretty wide and very easy to follow (if a bit steep.)

First Viewpoint

Around half way up, there is a great viewpoint with slightly rickety chairs. If you can’t manage the whole hike, or if you are hiking with kids that don’t want to go the whole way, this would be a good spot to aim for. The trail flattens out just before you reach the viewpoint, so you’ll know you’re nearly there.

Lillooet Views

This is the view down to Lillooet from the half way up to the Red Rocks. Not bad eh!?

This is looking southwest from just above the viewpoint with the chairs.

There is not a huge amount of shade in the first part of the trail, but there are loads of gorgeous flowers – even in the autumn.

After the first viewpoint, the trail gets steeper and climbs up through trees. There are quite a few smaller side trails here. The easiest option is to stay on the main, wider trail.

Red Rock Geology:

The red rocks at the viewpoint get their distinctive colour from oxidized iron in mariposite. The Gold Country Geo Tourism site explains; “Long before the Fraser carved its deep path through this rugged valley, a swath of mariposite ran from Red Rock’s outcrop across to the base of Fountain Ridge.” You can just see red rocks with similar colouring on the mountains on the opposite side of the Fraser River. It is mind-boggling to think all that space in between was carved out by the Fraser river over millennia.

Red Rock Viewpoint

Once you’ve made it up, the views from the rusty-coloured cliffs are fantastic. There is an unofficial memorial for a local hiker that has taken up the old viewpoint. We didn’t want to disturb that, but we enjoyed the scenery from a bit further away.

Red Rock land acknowledgement

From the visit Lillooet website: We acknowledge that the land is located on the unceded territory of the St’át’imc Nation, which includes Bridge River Indian Band (Xwísten), Pavilion Indian Band (Ts’kw’aylaxw), Cayoose Creek Band (Sekw’el’was), Seton Lake Band (Tsal’alh), Lillooet Indian Band (T’it’q’et), and Fountain Band (Xaxl’ip).

I found a cool interactive map of the St’át’imc Nation here. You can also learn some basics of their language here. As visitors to the area, please tread lightly and be sure to leave no trace.

Lillooet Panorama from Red Rock

I’ll finish with a panorama from the top so you can see the Fraser River, Lillooet and the beautiful mountains that surround this area.

The Red Rock trail was a great introduction to the hikes near Lillooet. It is one of the more obvious and popular trails in the area, so if you want to stretch your legs near this gorgeous town, you may find yourself up by this view. Click on the pins below to save them.