British Columbia has been in the midst of Phase 3 of our restart plan, which allows non-essential travel. Since we haven't taken many major hikes for most of this summer, we wanted to go somewhere a little farther to do one since the restrictions allow for it now. Over the weekend, we ended up spending a night in Abbotsford and on the way there, we drove past to Chilliwack where we did the Lindeman Lake Trail, a moderate-level hike with a beautiful view at the end.

About Lindeman Lake

Lindeman Lake is a small lake in Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia. It is a popular hiking spot and people will make a trip out from Vancouver to do this hike over the weekends. For this reason, it is a busy trail and finding parking can be difficult. Along the road on the way in, you might find campers setting up their tent alongside the road and Lindeman Lake itself is a camping spot. At the end of the Lindeman Lake Trail is the lake, which is vibrant in all of its amazing colours.

Lindeman Lake Trail

• Type: Trail

• Length: 3.5 km

• Traffic: Moderate to Heavy

• Route Type: Out & Back

The Lindeman Lake Trail was a bit of a workout for us and it was more difficult than we thought it would be, but the end makes it worth it. The trail itself is not as obvious and there were moments where we wouldn't have been sure where to go if it weren't for the markers on the trees. We actually didn't even notice those markers until later in the walk, but they are extremely helpful since the path itself isn't clear.

The trail was very rocky. There were moments where we had to use our hands to climb over some areas, which is fine for us as hikers, but a little more difficult for dogs. As opposed to a flatter trail where dogs don't have to exert too much effort, this hike will require both you and the dog to work a bit. I will go as far as to say that smaller dogs might not be able to get through this hike without some assistance. Markus is a medium sized dog and we didn't have to help him, but he's also pretty sure-footed and can jump pretty well.

For this reason, I have a couple of recommendations if you're planning on doing this hike with a dog. First, be sure to trim your dog's nails. With all the jumping on and off of rocks, their nails are going to be scraping the rocks a lot. This can be uncomfortable for the dog, so take care of them first.

Another recommendation is that because the trail is leash-required, consider coming here with a longer leash. The reason for this is because your dog might be able to scale the up and down the rocks faster than you can and a shorter leash might restrict them from being able to move well. We had trouble keeping up with Markus and there were moments where he would get too far ahead, but be pulled back because our leash wasn't long enough.

Throughout the hike, make sure to keep an eye on the markers since that'll be the thing that keeps you on track. Along the way, you'll come across campsites and there's nothing like the lake at the end of the trail. Since it is a bit of a workout, make sure you bring enough water for the both of you.

Lindeman Lake is absolutely stunning with all of its blues and greens. To be able to see these types of colours in nature makes the hike (and the drive out) worth it. A lot of hikers will come up here and spend time in silence, enjoying all that nature has to offer so if you're in the area, we would highly recommend doing this hike. Just be prepared to exert a little bit of energy and effort getting to the end and back!

What we liked

• This trail was a great exercise for us and for Markus.

• The lake at the end of the trail was an incredible sight.

What we didn't like

• It gets pretty busy with dogs and other hikers.

• There were a lot of flies by the lake. There were so many that we just stopped caring that they were landing on us.

• The trail wasn't very obvious, but just be sure to follow the bright orange markers on the trees.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

The hike was fairly busy and from the sounds of it, this is usually the case. We came across quite a few hikers and dogs though most of them were on-leash, so it wasn't really an issue for us. Although were quite a few dogs, the tough and uneven terrains made it so that they weren't likely to run towards each other. We found that the dogs were mostly too tired and focused on the task at hand and not worrying about each other. Some of these paths were also quite narrow, but the other dog owners were quite respectful. We made sure that only one of us was going on the narrower path at a time.

The part that was perhaps the least enjoyable was having to go at the pace of the other hikers on the trail. Since it wasn't the widest of trails, we got stuck behind some groups, which made it slower than it had to be. Also note that you might come across other animals on the trail, so if your dog tends to chase, keep that in mind.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.