Cultus Lake WaterPark

The Cultus Lake Waterpark is arguably the best water slide park in BC and a top attraction at the summer resort town of Cultus Lake in the Fraser Valley.

Located less than two hours from downtown Vancouver (in good traffic), the attraction features amazing water slides and tons of family-friendly fun.

In case you were interested, other great kid-friendly attractions in the summer include Clip ‘n Climb Vancouver, Playland and the PNE, Bridal Falls Waterpark, Big Splash Water Park, the Harrison Water Park, WildPlay (with its ropes courses and ziplines) and Zero Latency (with its VR games for older kids).

To learn about other fun activities for children and youth, see our article about Best Places for Kids. To learn about the Cultus Lake Waterpark, continue reading.

This article contains the following information about Cultus Lake Waterpark:

ROPES COURSES, ZIPLINES & AMUSMENT RIDES

Looking for an amazing place to have fun in nature? Then check out WildPlay Element Park in Maple Ridge. The ziplines and ropes courses there are amazing! And it’s less than an hour’s drive from downtown Vancouver (in good traffic)!

TIP: If you use the promo code VBP15 you can save 15% on your adventures at WildPlay. Also, for families with children between the ages of 10 and 14 looking for fun things to do in July or August, WildPlay also offers weeklong Anti-Gravity Day Camps in the summer (and the 15% off promo code works for them too)!

Cultus Lake Waterpark

Cultus Lake Waterpark is the largest waterpark in British Columbia and, in our opinion, definitely the best. It’s a massive facility and has over 12 water slides, various splash areas, picnic tables and a large grassy area surrounded by forest.

The waterpark is perfect for the whole family. There are kiddy slides for children, slides with inflatables that the whole family can fit in, and wickedly steep and fast rides for people looking for a thrill.

The selection and variety of slides is impressive, the facility is well maintained and the venue is beautiful. If you’re looking for a great place to spend a hot, sunny summer’s day, we can’t recommend it enough! Seriously!

Waterpark Location

Cultus Lake Waterpark is located right in the village of Cultus Lake at 4150 Columbia Valley Highway which is about a 15-minute drive from the Trans-Canada Highway. If driving east from Vancouver, the turnoff is Exit #104.

The Cultus Lake Waterpark is across the street from the Cultus Lake Adventure Park, which is another great attraction. The venue is also not far from the lake, Marina and a couple of stores and restaurants.

The centre of town and the waterpark are also just a short drive from Cultus Lake Provincial Park which features four different campgrounds, a number of nice sandy beaches and miles and miles of hiking trails.

With all the region has to offer, it’s no wonder that Cultus Lake is one of the Lower Mainland’s top summer holiday destinations!

AMUSEMENT RIDES IN VANCOUVER

Playland is operating this summer! First day of the season is May 18th, 2024. For details about the Lower Mainland’s largest amusement park, see the PNE/Playland website.

The PNE Fair also runs this year. In 2024 the PNE runs from August 17th until September 2nd. The fair is one of the Lower Mainland’s most fun events! Don’t miss it!

Waterpark Hours and Dates

In a typical year, Cultus Lake Waterpark is open rain or shine from early June until the Labour Day Monday at the beginning of September. The 2024 dates are June 22nd to September 2nd, with special kickoff dates on the weekends of June 8th and 9th, and 15th and 16th.

Regular hours of operation are usually from about 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. From about four weeks from mid-July until mid-August, however, the park often has extended hours and stays open for an hour later.

2024 Opening Hours Schedule

The hours of operation for the waterpark in 2024 are from 10:00 or 11:00 am until 5:00 or 5:30 pm on select dates from June 8th to June 28th. The park then opens daily at 10:00 am until September 2nd.

From June 29th to July 19th, the park closes at 6:00 pm. It then stays open until 7:00 pm from July 20th to August 18th. From August 19th to 25th the park closes at 6:00 pm once again, and then from the 26th to September 2nd it closes at 5:00 pm.

Night Water Slides

On two or three Fridays each summer the water slides are usually open for special night time events that run until midnight. In 2023 Night Water Slides happened on Friday, July 21st, and were open from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am.

During Night Slides events, the place is packed with youth and young adults enjoying evening concerts and having a blast while sliding in the dark. 2024 details are TBC as of mid-June.

Click Night Slides Concerts for more details.

Waterpark Admission

The rates for the Waterpark in 2024 are listed below.

General Admission

In 2024 full-day admission to Cultus Lake Waterpark (excluding taxes) is the following:

36 inches and above: $40 on weekdays, $45 on weekends
Under 36 inches tall: Free with a paid adult (maximum one free child per adult)

Twilight Passes

Twilight Passes are available during the last three hours of each day.

In 2024, Twilight Passes cost $27 on weekdays and $30 on weekends. From June 29th to July 19th, twilight hours are from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Then, from July 20th until August 18th, twilight hours are from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

There is also a third type of admission available: the half day pass. This is good for the last half of the day (so from 2:30 to 7:00 pm during the extended hours in July and August). This pass is $32 on weekdays and $37 on weekends.

Night Sliding

Last year the Cultus Lake Waterpark Night Sliding happened on Friday, July 21st. On that evening, the place was open from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am.

Included with the Night Sliding cost of admission is access to the free concerts. Bands that have performed in previous years are Swamp Honey, Pleasant Trees, Ezra Kwizera, North Country Gentlemen and Terrance Richmond (from the Love Quest Crew). Details about the 2024 event are to be confirmed.

Water Slides at Cultus Lake

Cultus Lake Waterpark has a fantastic variety of slides. There are small ones, long ones, fast ones, crazy fast ones, straight ones, and ones that wind all over the place. There are also water slides that loop around, ones that drop straight down, ones that include segments in the dark and slides that go around and around until you drop!

With some slides you go down on your butt and with others you ride an inflatable tube or other contraption. Some slides are for single riders and others are for up to five people at the same time. In short, there’s something for everyone!

Colossal Canyon Water Slide — Rafting down the Colossal Canyon

Types of Waterslides

There are so many different kinds of slides at Cultus Lake Waterpark. Some of our favourites include the following:

Colossal Canyon – a wonderful ride in a giant round raft that fits up to five people including four adults. Tons of fun!
Radical Rapids – a white water-rafting-style ride with inner tubes for both single and double riders.
Tubular Terror – a trio of slides including a black one that’s all in the dark, a blue one that’s half in the dark, and another blue one that’s all open. All three are a blast and use inflatables designed for one or two people.
Free Fall – this slide is like the Valley of Fear except that (1) there’s no tube to sit on, (2) you just go down, down, down, and (3) it’s even more insanely fast and scary (all of which really means it’s actually quite different from the Valley of Fear, except for the vertical drop and scare-factor). If you like free-falling and going at a hundred miles an hour, you’ll love the Free Fall!
Valley of Fear – this one involves sitting in a tube, dropping straight down, going way up on the other side, and then sliding back and forth, up and down, until you finally stop at the bottom. The slide is for both singles and doubles and you’ll want to keep your bum off the ground and tuck your chin to your neck. It’s scary, but so much fun!

More Cultus Lake Waterslides

Speedslide – this is another fabulous and super-fast ride. It’s located right beside the Free Fall, is slightly less scary and makes for a good way to work up to braving the Free Fall.
Boomerang – this is a great slide to do with friends and family. Up to four people get to sit on a raft and shoot down the slide. What’s especially nice about this ride too, similar to the Colossal Canyon, is that you don’t have to carry your raft/tube up the stairs with you.
Zero-60 Raceway – this is a fun slide where you get to lie on a mat and race your friends to the bottom.
Bazooka Bowls – ever seen one of those contraptions where you put a coin in a slot and then watch the coin roll around and around until it finally drops in a hole at the bottom? Bazooka Bowls is like that except that instead of a coin going down the shoot and then spinning around and around until dropping, it’s you!
Pirates Cove – this is a fabulous play area with a couple of smaller slides for children, a fort-like structure to climb around, a mini pirate ship to sit in and a giant water bucket that dumps its contents every 30 seconds or so. Lots of fun for young families.

These are just a few of the water slides and attractions at Cultus Lake Waterpark. Others include the Adventure River, Blaster & Twisters, the Rattler, Turtle Pool and Kiddie Castle, all of which are also tons of fun.

Water Park at Cultus Lake — View from the Top of the Boomerang Slide

Waterpark Facility

The Cultus Lake Waterpark venue is exceptional. There are slides all over the place, a huge grassy lawn in the middle and a forest at the edges. There are also several small hot tubs to warm up in, and the water on the slides and in the pools is usually (and surprisingly) not too cold.

At the waterpark there are picnic tables and shaded areas, pools to splash around in, BBQs to rent and places to buy ice cream and other snacks. Lawn chairs and umbrellas are also available for rent, as are towels and other miscellaneous items.

Theme Park Videos

To give you an idea of what to expect at both the Cultus Lake Waterpark and Cultus Lake Adventure Park, check out the following video which was taken the last time we visited. As you’ll see, the waterpark features a wide range of fun slides to go down. The Adventure Park is across the street and amazing too.

This video was taken during a visit by Japanese students who were on an exchange program with youth from the City of North Vancouver. For details about their trip and other places they visited check out Lions Club Japanese Exchange Tour. Both Cultus Lake attractions supported the program by generously providing tickets to the participants.

Park Rules & Regulations

As is the case with all attractions, the Cultus Lake Waterpark has a number of rules. The following are some that are especially important to note:

Outside food and drinks are permitted, but no alcohol or outside restaurant food. Also, all beverages must be commercially labelled and sealed.
BBQs can be rented on-site, but outside cooking devices are not permitted.
The waterpark is a non-smoking environment. If you want to smoke, you’ll have to leave the premises to do so.
Children under 8 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Tips & Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your experience at the attraction.

TIP #1: If you’re in the area for a couple of days and you also plan to visit the Cultus Lake Adventure Park across the street, which we recommend you do, visit the water slides first. There’s a good chance (but not guaranteed) that your water slide admission ticket will give you a discount for the Adventure Park rides (but not usually the other way around).

TIP #2: The best place to park is in the Cultus Lake Waterpark parking lot. It’s the most convenient place, obviously, but also the cheapest. The cost is just $5 when you pay for admission, but $10 for the day elsewhere (or at least that’s what it was in previous years).

TIP #3: Listen to and read the instructions before each new ride. Sometimes it’s important that you cross your feet and/or arms (e.g. the Freefall). With other slides you’ll want to keep your bum up off the ground and your chin tucked in (e.g. the Valley of Fear).

TIP #4: The park has a no refund policy. If it looks like a thunder, wind or rain storm is on its way and there’s a chance of the park closing early, don’t expect to get your money back.

TIP #5: Go on a hot, sunny day!

Things to Know About Times

TIP #1: Arrive early if you can, especially on hot, sunny weekends, as it’ll increase your chances of finding convenient parking, a picnic table and/or a place in the shade.

TIP #2: The park can get busy on sunny afternoons, especially between around 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm when all the Twilight Pass visitors arrive and before the full-day people head home for dinner. If staying for the day, but planning to take a break, that’s a good time to do it.

TIP #3: The park shuts down fairly promptly at closing time. You don’t have to rush out, but if you want to shower and change before the washrooms close, plan to pack up a few minutes early.

Tips About What You Can and Should Take

TIP #1: You’re allowed to bring outside food and drink into the park, which is wonderful! It can’t be outside restaurant food, though and beverages must be sealed in their original containers. If a drink is open, you’ll need to dump out the contents before entering. Why? Because they understandably don’t want people spiking drinks with adult beverage contents!

TIP #2: Don’t forget your sunscreen, sunglasses, (empty) water bottle and sun hat. It can get hot!