tammyjoymccrea

Cultus Lake is known for its great waterslides and a lake that supports a huge number of recreational activities during the warm summer months (drunk and scantily clad people in powerboats). It is home to many established campsites, beaches, restaurants, and - from what I've heard - really great ice cream. The lake is contained within 656-hectare Cultus Lake Provincial Park.

On Monday (a civic holiday here), our plan was to take a hike up to Sumas Mountain in Abbotsford. That was a no-go as the trail we were trying to access -- the Centennial Trail to Chadsey (Lost) Lake via the Barrowtown Pump Station  -- was closed. Neither of us had directions to get to any of the other trailheads to Mt. Sumas, so we drove out to Cultus to see what kind of hiking we could find there.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat at Beethoven's Pizza in Cultus (pork rib pizza, yum!), it was already 1:30 in the afternoon, so we figured we'd find a quick hike and spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and playing on the beach. We had stopped at the tourist centre and picked up a map of all the amenities and trails in the park. We opted for Teapot Hill, a 5k round trip with a gain of 280 meters, figuring that by the time we were finished the kids would be raring to get in the water (the temperature was hovering right around 30 degrees).

The trail was standard fare for a west coast designated hiking trail: well-maintained and beautiful. Growing up in Colorado I learned to appreciate the beauty of semi-arid terrain, but it is much more subtle than the lush green-ness of the Pacific Northwest. Our map said this is the most popular hike in the park, but there was not a lot of traffic. Maybe it was the heat and people were just more interested in being in the water.

There are two lookouts at the summit: one over the lake, the other over the valley. We could tell it was a three-day weekend by all the noise and activity going on below.

O found a great Ammonite fossil at the beginning of the hike.

(picture)

 Polish this day off with a dip in the lake, and call it a success!