As one of the most popular destination areas in the Lower Mainland, Cultus Lake Park is characterized by a large, warm freshwater lake and scenic forest-clad mountains. The park is almost evenly divided between the northwest and southeast sides of Cultus Lake. The northwest portion is mostly undeveloped with the visitor-oriented facilities confined to the southeast portion.
Just an hour and a half drive away from Vancouver, Cultus Lake Park has four campgrounds, a large day-use area for picnicking and boating, and ample opportunity for fishing, water skiing, wind surfing, and hiking.
The park is near the small community of Cultus Lake. This community offers waterslides, two golf courses, bumper boats, go-karts, as well as canoe, boat, and jet ski rentals. There is also a marina, miniature golf, restaurants, stables, laundromat, stores, and gas stations. Larger department stores are located in Chilliwack.
Cultus Lake Provincial Park has two Outdoors RV trailers for rent on a daily* or weekly basis. The trailer can accommodate up to four people with a double bed and a double/single bunk bed. Linens (or sleeping bag) will be required.
Bookings are required prior to arrival and can be made by phone at 604-986-9371.
All campsite and group site reservations must be made the BC Parks reservations service. When reservations are not available all campsites function as first come, first served.
There are 25 visitor cabins available to reserve. Frequently asked questions about the cabins.
There are four group sites available at Cultus Lake park:
To get to the Westside group site, approach from Chilliwack on Columbia Valley Highway, approximately 7km from Chilliwack.
All group site users must check in at the Cultus Lake gate house first to register and get camping information.
Group sites are open from March 31 to October 10. Click here to book a group site or for more information.
Youth group camping charges per night are $1 per person (6+), with a $50 minimum and $150 maximum. Read the Youth Group policy for more information.
Regular group camping charges per night are the base rate for the site, which is $120 per group site per night, plus $5 per adult (16+, minimum charge for 15 adults), plus $1 per child (6 to 15 years old). Children under six camp for free!
This park offers vehicle accessible campsites. Campsite reservations are accepted and first-come, first-served sites may be available.
There are four campgrounds within this park:
There are 19 double sites and no pull through sites. There is no parking available for extra vehicles. If no staff is available to help find a site, reserved sites are posted on the gate house board and remaining sites are on a first come, first served basis. Camping is not available if the gate is locked. The nearest store is in the municipality of Cultus Lake approximately 2km away.
Delta Grove campground offers camping in the off-season. There are no services, and sites are available on a first come, first served basis. * Fees are $13 per night. For season dates, see Dates of Operation.
Accessibility information is available for these areas of the park:
There are double paved boat launching ramps located at Maple Bay and Jade Bay.
A sani-station/dump is located on the roadway leading to the Maple Bay boat launch and is open only during the campsite operating season. The nearest sani-station/dump to the park is the Husky Truck stop in Sardis.
Sani-station use fee: $5 per discharge
Campfires are allowed in designated campsites only. Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary.
To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park. Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil.
You can conserve firewood and air quality by keeping your campfire small. Limited burning hours or campfire bans may be implemented and some parks may use communal fire rings. Be prepared to bring a portable stove for cooking.
To promote better air quality and provide a variety of camping options for all visitors, Maple Bay Campground sites 66 to 97 are designated as Clean Air Campsites. Fire rings have been removed and wood burning fires are prohibited. Campers are allowed to use individual propane fire rings.
There are picnic grounds with tables and garbage containers at Entrance Bay, Maple Bay, and Spring Bay day-use areas. There are parking facilities for 700 vehicles. Change houses are located at Entrance Bay and Maple Bay. The available beaches are sandy. Entrance Bay and Maple Bay picnic areas have flush toilets. Spring Bay campground has only pit toilets. Campfires are prohibited. However, some picnic tables have BBQ stands for hibachis.
There is a beach area for dogs, but they must remain on leash. There is a gate that is locked between dusk and 8am during which time the day-use area cannot be accessed.
There are hot showers available at all four campgrounds. Maple Bay day-use area has a cold shower facility. There are change houses located in Maple Bay and Entrance Bay campgrounds.
There are five main trails for you to enjoy and admire the wonders of nature:
For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
Canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddle boards are permitted on Cultus Lake.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has a fun, hands on, Learn to Fish Program that will teach basic angling skills to youth under 16 years old.
Bicycles are permitted on some of the Cultus Lake trails, especially the horse trails. Many of the other trails are for pedestrians only. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
For details on e-biking within Cultus Lake Park, see the e-biking section.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are permitted on signed or designated trails within Cultus Lake Provincial Park, provided they meet the definitions and criteria for e-bike use as outlined in the BC Parks cycling guidelines.
Waterskiing is available on Cultus Lake. Travel on the lake is restricted to counter clockwise.
A maintained horse trail, also used by hikers and cyclists, connects Edmeston Road at the north end of the park with Watt Creek Trailhead. Please note that horses are not permitted on Road 918. The Cultus Lake Horse Trail is open all year but the parking lot is closed during the off-season. There are approximately 20km of compact gravel and shale horse trails. Camping and stop-overs in day-use areas are not permitted with horses.
The trail was closed in August 2013 due to an active landslide in the area. BC Parks installed warning signage and reopened the trail to the public. We strongly recommend visitors do not cross the landslide area during periods of intense rainfall.
Cultus Lake Provincial Park is 11km southwest of Chilliwack. Access to the park is off Highway 1 at the Yarrow or Sardis exits. It is 16km to the park entrance from Yarrow and 10km from Sardis via the Columbia Valley Highway, which bisects the southeast section of the park.
Sea to Sky Park Services Ltd.
604-986-9371
info@seatoskyparks.com
seatoskyparks.com
The park was given Provincial Park status in 1948.
Cultus Lake was known as Swee-ehl-chah or Tsowallie by local First Nations. Cultus is a Chinook word derived from the Salish word Kul, meaning 'bad' or 'worthless'. The lake was considered 'bad' in a First Nations legend.
The park lies in the transition zone between the Coastal Western Hemlock and Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zones. Douglas-fir and broadleaf maple are the dominant species. Hemlock is evident in the understory, largely on the wetter east side of the lake. A recent park expansion added 202 hectares including important foreshore habitat for the endangered Cultus Lake Sockeye, and the threatened Cultus Pygmy Sculpin.
The park provides habitat for a variety of wildlife including coyote, blacktail deer, beaver, shrew mole, and 100 species of birds. Cultus Lake contains rainbow, Dolly Varden, steelhead, and cutthroat trout, and all five varieties of salmon.
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.