Trail: Raven’s Bluff
Date Completed: June 19, 2022
Distance: 4 km
Elevation: 360 m
Type of trail: Out and back
Location: Norrish Creek, Mission BC
Distance from Vancouver: Approximately 1 hr 25 min
Directions: Click here for Google map
Adults: 1
Ages of children: 5,8
Stroller Friendly: No
Bathrooms: No
Dog-friendly: Yes
Cell Service: Not reliable- in and out of service
Time to Complete: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Jelly Bean Rating: 4/5
Norrish Creek in Mission (a.k.a. “Suicide Creek”) is an absolute gem and is the starting point to Ravens Bluff trail.
Easily accessible are superb swimming holes, beautiful landscapes, and a combination of sandy and rocky beaches.
Going beyond the main entrance of Norrish creek will lead you to caves, cliffs suitable for cliff jumping, and moderate hikes that lead to incredible views of the Fraser Valley below.
Ravens Bluff is one of those hikes.
When you get to Hawkins Pickle Road in Mission, you’ll drive down until you reach a bridge. You can park anywhere along here, but be mindful of the “No Parking” signs and the residential driveways. Be mindful of the gate as it sometimes gets closed. If you’re planning on being late it’s wortwhile parking before the gate rather than after.
To get to Raven’s Bluff:
Cross over the bridge heading East.
Once you cross the bridge you’re going to take an immediate left into the trails. Trains actively use these tracks so make sure that you look both ways before crossing the tracks.
Follow the trail until you reach a fork. If you head left you’ll get to Norrish Creek, however, it’s wise to take this path after the trail or you’ll never want to get hiking!
Take a right to follow the first trail marker that will get you up to Raven’s Bluff.
After a short flat stint through the forest you’ll start your ascent to Raven’s Bluff. Not long after the beginning of the incline you’ll reach a neat structure. We’re not sure of the history of it, but we made sure the kids were respectful and didn’t touch it.
Here’s where the trail starts to get steeper. Fortunately, there’s a lot surrounding you to keep the kids entertained and their minds off how hard the hike is:)
You’ll reach a ridge that trails off the main trail. It’s a nice spot to take a breather and get a taste of the views to come.
You don’t have much further to go at this point before you reach the first viewpoint.
At this point the five year old was like “We’re here. I’m done”. It took some convincing her to go the extra 10 minutes to get to Raven’s Bluff.
Convincing = more jellybeans, FYI.
You’ll come to this sign at the fork:
If you go the other direction (which also has a sign) you’ll be heading to Little Nicomen which boasts a pretty cool cabin!
The trail plateaus here and you know you’re getting close to the Raven’s Bluff. A short few minutes and you’re here!
There’s a bit to explore at the top and technically another bluff you can get to. No amount of jellybeans was getting the five year old to go any further, though, so we called it a day and made the careful trek down the mountain!
Have you hiked Raven’s Bluff? What was your experience? Has anything changed since Share in the comments below!