Lower Mainland. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
- Severe afternoon winds occur frequently on the lake and dangerous currents exist at the outflow of Chilliwack Lake. Avoid boating and rafting in this area and plan your trip accordingly.
Special notes
- Park gates are locked between 11pm and 7am daily.
- Backcountry registration is required for all backcountry campgrounds within Chilliwack Lake Park. Included are Lindeman, Greendrop, Flora, and Radium Lakes. Get a backcountry camping permit or find out more about backcountry registration.
- There is no cell phone reception past the On the Way store on Chilliwack Lake Road. Please make reservations prior to your trip.
- ATVs and other off-road vehicles (including those registered under the ORV Act ) are not permitted within the park.
- There are no camping and no fires permitted on any lakeshore of Chilliwack Lake. All camping and fires are restricted to designated sites and rings only.
- The Chilliwack Lake boat launch is not suitable for large craft. Vessels longer than 20 ft risk being damaged (at owners expense). Open headers are not permitted.
- Boaters, please adhere to the speed restrictions: 10 km per hour 100 m from shoreline and 25 km per hour on the remainder of the lake.
- Lindeman Lake parking lot is subject to break-ins. Do not leave anything of value in your vehicle.
- Fires are not permitted in the backcountry.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
- Park Map [PDF 1.4MB]
- Campground Map [PDF] (May 12, 2020)
- Park Brochure [PDF]
- Google Earth KMZ file of the hiking trails (for use in Google Earth or similar)
Getting there
The park is 64 km southeast of Chilliwack, 40 km in from Vedder Crossing. Take Exit 104 from Highway 1 and follow the signs for Cultus Lake until Cultus Lake Road. Instead of turning here, follow Vedder Road across the bridge and turn right onto Chilliwack Lake Road. Follow this road for 40 km to the lake.
Camping
Backcountry camping
There are eleven campsites located across the four backcountry camping areas:
- Greendrop Lake (5.5km)
- Lindeman Lake (1.5km)
- Flora Lake (7km)
- Radium Lake (6.5km)
These backcountry camping areas are in different locations from the frontcountry campgrounds of the same names.
There is one pit toilet and one hanging bear cache at Lindeman Lake. There is no garbage removal service at any backcountry campsite. Leave No Trace practices apply. Pack out what you pack in.
Marine access camping facilities are not available and shoreline camping is not permitted on Chilliwack Lake.
Registration and camping fees
Camping fee: $5 per person per night (6+)
Payment must be made via the backcountry permit registration service. Cash payments for backcountry camping opportunities are not available. As there is no cell service in the park, visitors need to register before leaving a cell service area. Although the system does not reserve a campsite, the system provides visitors the convenience of prepaying for their trip.
When visiting the backcountry, always follow Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. To learn more about staying safe in the backcountry, read our backcountry guide.
Backcountry areas
Frontcountry camping
This park offers campsite reservations for 176 sites in five vehicle-accessible campgrounds.
Please note that these frontcountry campgrounds are different locations from the backcountry camping areas of the same names.
The frontcountry campgrounds are:
- Lindeman Loop (sites 1–23)
- Greendrop Loop (sites 1–18)
- Paleface Loop (sites 1–48)
- Flora Loop (sites 1–33)
- Radium Loop (sites 1–60)
- Radium Loop has larger sites more suitable for RV units.
There are 25 double sites total across the five campgrounds and one pull-through site. There is a two vehicle maximum per site, with the second vehicle paying an extra half camping fee (a second RV will incur an extra full fee). Maximum eight people (up to four adults) per site. No extra parking available.
When the campground is full, we ask that visitors do not drive around looking for available sites as it creates traffic congestion and noise.
There is no pay phone available at this park and no cell phone service.
The nearest store and pay phones are approximately 32 km away.
Vehicle-accessible camping fees
- $22 per party per night
- BC senior’s rate (day after Labour Day to June 14 only): $11 per senior party per night. See the camping fees page for information on camping discounts for seniors.
Frontcountry campgrounds
Things to do
There are three main trails at this park which all share the same trailhead at the Post Creek Parking Lot.
- Lindeman Lake is 3.4 km return
- Greendrop Lake is 10.4 km return
- Flora Lake is 14 km return
The Radium Lake Trailhead (16 km return) is accessible from the Chilliwack Lake Campground.
The Trans Canada Trail winds through park. See the Trans Canada Trail website for more information.
For your own safety and preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
Hiking and trail notices
- South Fraser Trail Conditions Report [PDF] (scroll down to the Chilliwack Lake Park entry)
- From April to October, hikers can park in the day-use parking lot and follow the Trans Canada Trail to the Radium Trail.
- Lindeman Lake Trail: open
- The trail between Lindeman Lake and Greendrop Lake has experienced washing out and has been re-routed by the creek near Greendrop Lake. Hikers should follow the square orange markers, and not the flagging tape through this area.
- The trail between Greendrop and Flora Lakes has once again grown over and has become difficult to follow. It is not recommended for those without considerable experience in route-finding.
- The Greendrop/Flora Trail crosses several large landslides which requires hikers to scramble over, under, or around some large boulders. It should only be travelled by experienced backpackers with good footwear.
- Radium Lake Trail: From May to October, hikers can park in the day-use parking lot and follow the Trans Canada Trail to the Radium Trail. When the park gate is closed (October to May), hikers can park on Chilliwack Lake Road at the end of the pavement (not in front of gate) and follow the park road or the Trans Canada Trail in.
The Park Map [PDF] shows a number of 'routes' that are not actively maintained by BC Parks. Many of these routes are in poor condition, are unmarked, and are not recommended for travel. These routes are: Hanging Lake and the route from Radium Lake to the Chilliwack Lake Eco Reserve.
Travel should not be attempted on the aforementioned trails except by very experienced hikers familiar in the use of a map and compass for navigational purposes. Anyone hiking these routes should be prepared for travel through heavy understory for the duration of the hike.
Visitors can enjoy swimming at Chilliwack Lake, but the water is very cold. There are no swimming rafts. The beach area is sandy. This area is prone to high winds in the afternoons.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
Only experienced paddlers should attempt to canoe or kayak in the park.
Dangerous currents exist at the outflow of Chilliwack Lake and several kilometres downstream. Avoid boating and rafting in this area. Strong winds are unpredictable.
There are no canoe or kayak rentals available in the park.
Only experienced paddlers should attempt to canoe or kayak in the park.
Dangerous currents exist at the outflow of Chilliwack Lake and several kilometres downstream. Avoid boating and rafting in this area. Strong winds are unpredictable.
There are no canoe or kayak rentals available in the park.
Visitors can fish for Dolly Varden, kokanee, rainbow, and cutthroat trout.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
Pets must be on leash at all times inside the provincial park boundaries. Pets are permitted to be off-leash only when they are swimming in the dog-friendly area on the right side of the boat launch. Please do not leave pets unattended.
You are responsible for your pet’s behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Pets are not allowed in the day-use beach area to the left of the boat launch, the playground and field areas, or any park buildings.
Do not bring pets into the backcountry or on trails, as they can create potential conflicts with wildlife.
Bicycles must keep to roadways and bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are also not allowed on the trails within S⨱ótsaqel / Chilliwack Lake Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
Hunting is permitted within Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park. All hunters should refer to our hunting guide.
Anyone hunting in British Columbia must comply with BC hunting regulations. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
Facilities
Accessibility information is available for Chilliwack Lake Park, as well as these areas of the park:
- There is a gradual single-wide boat launch next to the day-use area and campground.
- The boat launch is small, shallow, and designed for boats less than 20 ft long. Larger vessels will have difficulty launching.
- Water levels at Chilliwack Lake fluctuate seasonally. At times the lake rises to the point where the boat launch is underwater and unusable. Alternatively, the water can drop to the point where rocks and boulders are exposed. Carefully examine the boat launch prior to launching your vessel. Use at your own risk.
- There is a day-use parking area for vehicles and trailers during the day only. Boats associated with registered camping parties can be left in the water or beached overnight at the owner's risk. There is no marina nearby to moor boats.
- There is a speed restriction of 'dead slow' around the boat launch. There is a 10 km per hour, 100 meter shoreline speed restriction around the lake and a 25 km per hour restriction on the remainder of the lake.
- Marine access camping facilities are not available. Camping is not permitted on the shores of the lake.
Fires are permitted only in designated fire rings in the frontcountry campsites. Fire restrictions may be in place during times of high forest fire rating.
Campfires are not permitted in the backcountry.
While campfire rings are provided at each frontcountry campsite, we encourage visitors to conserve wood and protect the environment by minimizing the use of fire and using campstoves instead.
Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary from park to park.
To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park Act). Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil.
Campfire bans may be in place. Before lighting a fire, check for bans or restrictions on BC Wildfire Service and on local or Indigenous government websites.
Cold-water taps are located in each of the vehicle-accessible campgrounds. There are no taps available at the backcountry sites. Taps are shut off during the off season.
There is no formal picnic area or picnic tables for day-use. There is a sandy beach. The day-use area is closed from dusk to 7am.
There are pit toilets in the day-use area and at each of the vehicle-accessible campgrounds. There are no pit toilets available at the backcountry sites except for one at Lindeman Lake. There are no flush toilets or showers at this park.
There is an adventure playground at this park in the Paleface Loop camping area.
Sani-station use fee: $5 per discharge.
The sani-station is not operational in the off-season.
About this park
The Hudson Bay Company cut the first recorded trail up the Chilliwack River in 1855, improving the Indigenous Trail which joined the nine Indigenous villages between Vedder Crossing and Chilliwack Lake. Logging in the valley began early in the century, and by the 1920s developed into a considerable railroad logging operation.
In 1938, a massive fire was started by a rail accident which led to the line being abandoned and the transition to truck logging.
In 1942, the army base was established in Chilliwack. Sappers Park at the south end of Chilliwack Lake was built by a visiting British company of military engineers.
Flowers, trees, and shrubs are part of the park’s natural heritage. Please don’t damage or remove them.
Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment. Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
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.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Park operator | This park is operated by Sea to Sky Park Services Ltd. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
