Cultus Lake, British Columbia

Cultus Lake is a lake, associated community and provincial park in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is the source of the Sweltzer River. Cultus Lake is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of the Chilliwack River, near the city of Chilliwack and approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Vancouver.^[2] In 1950, Cultus Lake became a provincial park of British Columbia. Cultus Lake covers an area of 656 hectares, evenly on either side of the lake. At one time the lake had a sawmill and booming ground until it became a provincial park in the 1950s.

Cultus Lake
Cultus Lake
Location	Fraser Valley, British Columbia
Coordinates	49.0533°N 121.9867°W / 49.0533; -121.9867
Primary inflows	Frosst Creek, Ascaphus Creek, Smith Falls Creek, Windfall Creek, Clear Creek, Teapot Creek, Watt Creek
Primary outflows	Sweltzer River
Catchment area	65 km2 (25 sq mi)
Basin countries	Canada
Surface area	6.3 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
Average depth	32 metres (105 ft)
Max. depth	41.8 metres (137 ft)
Water volume	0.2 cubic kilometres (0.048 cu mi)[1]
Residence time	692 days[1]
Shore length1	14 kilometres (8.7 mi)[1]
Surface elevation	47 metres (154 ft)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Etymology

Cultus Lake is an important place for spirit quests of the Sto:lo people. However, it was named with the Chinook Jargon word meaning primarily bad,^[3] worthless, or good for nothing, though the same word can also mean free, without purpose, or simply nothing.^[4]

Climate

Climate data for Cultus Lake
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	18.0 (64.4)	20.6 (69.1)	24.5 (76.1)	30.0 (86.0)	38.0 (100.4)	43.7 (110.7)	37.8 (100.0)	38.0 (100.4)	36.5 (97.7)	28.6 (83.5)	22.8 (73.0)	19.0 (66.2)	43.7 (110.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	5.5 (41.9)	8.0 (46.4)	10.8 (51.4)	14.2 (57.6)	17.7 (63.9)	20.3 (68.5)	23.9 (75.0)	24.4 (75.9)	20.7 (69.3)	15.1 (59.2)	8.3 (46.9)	5.0 (41.0)	14.5 (58.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	2.4 (36.3)	4.2 (39.6)	6.3 (43.3)	9.0 (48.2)	12.5 (54.5)	15.2 (59.4)	17.9 (64.2)	18.3 (64.9)	15.1 (59.2)	10.4 (50.7)	5.2 (41.4)	2.4 (36.3)	9.9 (49.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−0.7 (30.7)	0.4 (32.7)	1.8 (35.2)	3.8 (38.8)	7.3 (45.1)	10.0 (50.0)	11.8 (53.2)	12.2 (54.0)	9.5 (49.1)	5.7 (42.3)	2.1 (35.8)	−0.3 (31.5)	5.3 (41.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−20.6 (−5.1)	−18.9 (−2.0)	−12.8 (9.0)	−3.9 (25.0)	−2.8 (27.0)	1.7 (35.1)	3.9 (39.0)	2.2 (36.0)	0.0 (32.0)	−8.0 (17.6)	−18.0 (−0.4)	−21.7 (−7.1)	−21.7 (−7.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	204.5 (8.05)	152.2 (5.99)	139.3 (5.48)	115.1 (4.53)	94.3 (3.71)	83.3 (3.28)	52.8 (2.08)	56.6 (2.23)	84.4 (3.32)	145.3 (5.72)	233.8 (9.20)	205.5 (8.09)	1,566.9 (61.69)
Source 1: 1971–2000 Environment Canada[5]
Source 2: [6]

Recreation

Lakeside homes on Cultus Lake

Dock on Cultus Lake

Recreation facilities include Cultus Lake Waterpark and the Cultus Lake Adventure Park, which opened in July 2014 as the expansion of Giggle Ridge Adventure Golf.

British Columbia Parks has several camping sites in the area in addition to a few privately owned campgrounds.

Government

In the early 1900s, the Cultus Lake area was a popular destination, which led to the formation of a joint committee between the City of Chilliwack and the Corporation of the Township of Chilliwhack (sic) in 1924. This then led to the formation of the Cultus Lake Park Board in 1932, which is still in effect today.^[7][8] The Cultus Lake Park Board includes five commissioners, of whom 3 are elected from Cultus Lake, and 2 from the City of Chilliwack. As of 2022, the board chairman is Kirk Dzaman.^[9]

Education

Cultus Lake Community School has approximately 150 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The school was first opened in 1947 as a three-room schoolhouse.^[10] It was destroyed by a fire in February 1959; the current building opened in October of the same year. The school is administered by the Chilliwack School District.