chilliwack lake provincial park

We haven't camped there for quite a few years, but driven through it. Lots of trees, groomed dirt camp sites, all through the park, is flat, except a steep short hill down to the lake & nice beach. Awkward boat launch, Good fishing lake.Out houses. No showers. Lots of trails around. Another nice hike, just across the road, is up to 2 small cold lakes (Lindeman Lake) Not suitable hike for out of shape people, but easy otherwise, Both places very kid friendly.

Our first visit to BC and this scenery was just exactly what we expected Canada to be like. Wonderful, spectacular, beautiful scenery. Lakes, snow capped mountains, we couldn't wish for more.

Ordinarily most people would not think of camping after the September long weekend, however my wife and I like camping to be a quiet and peaceful adventure and once again the Provincial Park at Chilliwack Lake filled the bill perfectly. I went up three or four days early to pick out our site and prepay to the end of the weekend thus insuring our choice of spot (which I might add we have been trying to get for the last 15 years, now I could tell you the spot number but then I might have wait another 15 years to get it again. It is situated perfectly for the wife and myself, it gets lots of light but no direct sun shine (no sun strokes), the spot is not windy in the afternoon (a hard to find thing in Chilliwack Lake), close enough to get added water and dump garbage yet far enough away from them so as not to hear the clang of bottles and cans.The only thing about our trip that was annoying had nothing to do with park or its attendants (very hard workers). Our annoyance came from 2 young familys sharing the same site, with the boys setting off fireworks "block busters" I think they are called (I can live with noise) but the real annoyance was their two dogs RUNNING FREE with NO LEASH IN SITE nor was any individual keeping an eye out for them. These two dogs came racing through our camp site which was 6 spaces away from where they belonged. Their response of "well my dog is friendly" doesn't really matter when my dogs are not friendly "mine are trained to repel any unwanted intrusion to our property", luckly for your dogs, ours were fully contained and under our control, or you would have no dogs left to take home.Remember Parks are for everyone to enjoy including all pets, use a leash on your pets and keep control of them

We went to the lake around 12pm on a weekend, so the lake was very crowded. Sandy beach is very narrow and short, so it is better to go early to find a good place. We swam in the lake about an hour, water was very clear and not too cold.

Personally, I love camping here but I avoid weekends. It does get crowded and noisy. However, you can't beat the scenery and the ability to choose sunny or shaded sites. Getting up really early, you can enjoy the lake before families. My dogs love the privacy of the smaller dog beach and the water is always great for a quick dip or a swim (if you don't mind the cold). Sunsets and full moon nights are usually stunning if you take the time to walk to lake. Plus, there's 40k of trails, a bridge over the rushing river and at least another lake if you take the time to hike. No wireless and not the cleanest toilets if you get here later in the season...

While both the park itself and Chilliwack Lake are without question stunning and worth the trip, I can't say the same for the government run Provincial camp grounds. I had planned on staying at the site for three nights, but cut my trip short after an awful single night. I encountered rampant drug use, drunkenness, loud music, fighting, swearing, firearms, dogs off the leash barking, etc. It all started at about 4:00PM that day, and the partying went nonstop all night and well into the next morning. When I asked one of the apparent ring leaders from the main party, a prominent local real estate agent, to turn things down for the evening as it was after curfew, I was threatened with an assault. I did report this immediately to one of the Provincial Camp Hosts as she drove through on patrol. She responded by saying that there was nothing that she could do, because the local R.C.M.P. refused to drive all the way out there to back her up. She recommend that if I felt in danger that I should leave, and that is what I did a short time later. What a waste of time and money! Needless to say, my written followup complaint with the park operator received no response. Definitely not family friendly, relaxing, inviting, or safe. Hopefully in future the government will clean this place up, but until that time I would strongly advise that you avoid it at all costs!

No Provincial parks have hook ups, unlike the lovely State Parks of our neighbours. Chilliwack lake has large, treed sites. The lake can be cold so August would be the best time to go. There aren't any lake front sites as the lake is at the bottom of an incline but it does have a sandy dog beach which is a rarity. It's usually packed with dogs and families on that side but still nice to have. Only pit toilets but they are clean. Very few mosquitos, possibly due to the elevation and the fact that the lake is so cold.

love it here-the scenery, the fresh air. wonderful day/overnight hiking, fishing, camping...(too bad there are so many people that come up and ruin it with litter/noise).