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 south of the Chilliwack River, near the city of Chilliwack and approximately east of Vancouver. 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.
Etymology
Cultus Lake is an important place for spirit quests of the Sto:lo people. The traditional Ts’elxwéyeqw name for the lake is Swílhcha’ meaning ‘an empty basin that quickly filled with water’ or ‘somebody died’. Cultus is a Chinook Jargon word meaning primarily bad, worthless, or good for nothing, though the same word can also mean free, without purpose, or simply nothing. It possibly acquired this name after the spiritual power of the lake was used up owing to its popularity.Recreation
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.