15 Exciting Things to do in Chilliwack
Chilliwack is surely a gorgeous city, full of both indoor and outdoor adventures, with mesmerizing high peaks surrounded by enormous rivers.
The wide variety of outdoor adventurous activities that may be tried here is what draws a swarm of tourists.
You can organize your trip to Chilliwack with the aid of our list of things to do in Chilliwack.
Things to do in Chilliwack
We’ve identified the top activities, attractions, & things to do in Chilliwack, regardless of whether you’re seeking an outdoor adventure or want to learn more about the local culture.
Our selection of the best things to do in Chilliwack including the Chilliwack river provincial park, Chilliwack cultural center, Chilliwack heritage park, hot springs, amusement park, and Pacific great blue herons will help you organize your sightseeing.
Almost 100,000 people reside in this relaxed city that was established a century and a half ago and there are more than enough enjoyable things to do in Chilliwack to warrant a stopover or even a planned trip to the city.
Highlights include excellent dining options and innovative shops in the revitalized historic town center, hiking & wildlife spotting, breathtaking mountain-backed lakes (the star of which is Cultus Lake), and breweries surrounded by farmland in the Fraser Valley.
1. Bridal Veil Falls
The best of mother nature is on show at Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park, so get ready to be amazed.
Leave the car in the main parking lot and take the short, clearly indicated walk through a forest of moss-covered trees to reach the 60-meter waterfall to experience its majesty for yourself.
Although it won’t take you more than 30 minutes to hike the route, some of the terrain is steep and treacherous when rainy.
Use caution, especially when you have mobility concerns. This comes in the list of best things to do in Chilliwack.
When you reach the waterfall, water slowly cascades down the smooth rock, creating the recognizable wedding veil appearance. Your efforts will have been well worth it. The view is better than the pictures you may find online.
Respect the established signage and specified viewing locations as a responsible visitor; otherwise, you run the risk of endangering the local ecology and putting yourself in danger.
2. Visit Chilliwack’s Finest Farms
Chilliwack is home to numerous prosperous farms, just like the majority of the municipalities in the Fraser Valley. Consult the ego Circle Farm Tour, which will point you to some of the most visitor farms in Chilliwack, to experience Chilliwack’s agricultural side for yourself.
This comes in the list of best things to do in Chilliwack. Let’s be clear about one thing: these are not your typical farms.
For instance, Fantasy Farms holds an annual garlic festival in the latter part of the summer where you can enjoy live country music, eat ribs, and purchase fresh garlic for all your favourite dishes.
For fresh, delicious blueberries direct from the bush in the summer, visit Klaassen Farms.
Visit the Chilliwack Corn Maze in the fall for activities like picking pumpkins, relaxing campfire lunches, viewing animals, and, of course, a fun challenge throughout a corn labyrinth.
Along the journey, you may also visit a pioneer town, a grain and flour mill, a cheese factory with more than 20 different kinds of gouda cheese as well as a harvest market with local pigs and alpacas.
Enjoy tasting the way around Chilliwack’s most delectable producers by stopping at as few as possible or as many as you have time for.
3. Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park
A trek across a pitch-black wilderness, paddle on a lake of brilliant blue, and dinner around a campfire, sleeping peacefully inside a tent. Doesn’t sound so idyllic, does it?
All of these activities, as well as many more, are available at the magnificent protected green space known as Sótsaqel/Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park.
The park’s main attraction is Chilliwack Lake, which is accessible by both motorized and non-powered boats & is a wonderful location for a cool dip. Even in the summer, the water can be chilly, but if you get used to it, it’s rather pleasant.
The park also has backcountry campsites available at each of the four smaller lakes: Flora, Greendrop, Lindeman, & Radium.
In addition to being fantastic for camping trips, the park is also a great place to stop by for a day hike, an afternoon swim, or just to watch the kids play on the playground, and is among the best things to do in Chilliwack.
A well-liked option that can be completed in a half-day is the Lindeman Lake Trek; at just 3.4 kilometers round-trip, the trail leads to the picturesque Lindeman Lake.
Go on for a few more kilometers to Greendrop Lake if you want to extend your hike. You’ll experience a little bit of what the park has to offer, but you’ll get to spend the rest of the evening in a warm bed.
4. Chilliwack Tulip Festival
At the Chilliwack Tulip Festival, 6.5 million vividly colored bulbs cover the 20-acre fields each April. Its beginning marks the unofficial start of spring in the valley and is the biggest tulip festival in Western Canada.
Almost 30 different species of colorful flowers are available for visitors to view as they stroll along the tulip walkways through the flower fields.
The festival also includes 10 different species of hyacinth and 17 different varieties of daffodils, which are both stunning to look at and deliciously fragrant.
You can play a few lawn games or purchase a variety of bulbs from the festival store to plant in your garden after taking pictures on the field.
Comes in the list of best things to do in Chilliwack. Your stomach will stay full thanks to a variety of food trucks, but spare space for dessert so you may indulge in a classic stroopwafel.
The festival offers a variety of kid-friendly activities, including a paper scavenger hunt, fairy home hunts, and a coloring contest. These are just a few of the family-friendly events that take place throughout the festival.
5. Things to do in Chilliwack- Mount Cheam Hike
Want to have a sense of being in control of everything? Mount Cheam in Chilliwack should be explored. You will be treated to breath-taking 360-degree views of the Fraser Valley after climbing 700 meters over five kilometers.
However, getting to the trailhead necessitates a high clearance 4-drive vehicle to navigate ditches, creek beds, and huge rocks. The hike itself is demanding but not unduly difficult. There are no cell phones here, so drive carefully and be prepared.
Although there are some difficult parts to the climb, the breathtaking sights you’ll see along the route will be enough to keep your attention off your sore legs.
The top becomes covered in snow, which can linger far past winter, so don’t plan on making the climb in the late fall to early summer. Your best bet for a snow-free walk is between July through early October, but even then, pack warm clothing as the exposed top may get rather chilly.
6. Visit the Cultus Lake Waterpark
The Cultus Lake Waterpark is one of the most well-liked attractions in the Chilliwack region and should not be missed on a hot summer day. There are 25 different slides & attractions, so there are lots of options for keeping cool.
Younger children will like the Kiddie Castle, the turtle pool, and the slides, while older children will enjoy the genuinely frightful slides with titles like the Rattler as well as the Tubular Terror – do we need to say more?
Since it first opened in 1984, the seasonally operating Cultus Lake Waterpark has become a favorite among residents and falls under the list of best things to do in Chilliwack.
Spending the entire day outdoors, enjoying the water while it’s sunny, has a timeless appeal. Just be sure to bring waterproof sunscreen.
7. Watch out for the Teapots on Teapot Hill
The Teapot Hill Trail at Cultus Lake is a great place to go for a short, unusual stroll. Teapots of all sizes and forms, as well as various tea accessories, are dispersed along the 2.5-kilometer walk (one way).
One of the best things to do in Chilliwack and while adults will appreciate the sights along the way, children will enjoy exploring their surroundings & pointing out any hidden treasures, and everyone is going to benefit from getting some exercise and fresh air.
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The route is kid-friendly as long as everyone is wearing excellent walking shoes since it progressively climbs to the top lookout point and gets narrower & more technical when you get closer to the summit. Nonetheless, the majority of individuals in normal shape may access the trail.
8. The Vedder River Rotary
Lace up your walking shoes and make your way to the eight-kilometer (one-way) Vedder River Rotary Trail for a tranquil and enjoyable pastime that can be enjoyed almost any time of the year and surely comes in the list of fun things to do in Chilliwack.
Along the journey, you can meet other walkers, runners, and pets and take in the surrounding flora and fauna, among other things. In the late fall, keep an eye on the river because you could see one of the salmon.
Officially beginning at Vedder Park and concluding at the North Dyke Trail is the Vedder River Rotary Trail; there are various entry points, but the entire path takes about four hours to walk back and forth.
9. Things to do in Chilliwack- Visit Dickens Sweets and the British Museum
Any Anglophile, or anyone interested in the “old country’s” glory days, must visit Dickens Sweets and the British Museum.
Dickens’s illustrations feature a genuine tea café with delicate sandwiches, an antique store, an old-fashioned candy shop, pies (taste the steak & kidney pie), a fish market, a cake decorating studio, as well as a British grocery store.
Although a lot is going on, the British motif ties everything together and makes the location attractive to explore.
There is also the free museum to tour, which showcases artifacts and relics from numerous significant occasions and structures in British history. There is a tribute to Charles throughout the display.
There is a display honoring Charles Dickens (after whom the store is called), one honoring the Titanic, and one honoring World War II &, of course, no British museum is complete without a section honoring the royal family.
The exhibits are educational, but there is also a lot of entertainment t; have a look at the recreation of a traditional British restaurant or the elaborate model railway layout.
Visiting Dickens Sweets and the British Museum is enjoyable whether you are an old-timer trying to recall simpler times or a visitor who has no background in British history but enjoys exploring interesting and unusual things.
10. Visit Vintage Powerland Pioneer Village
The Chilliwack Antique Pioneer Village is a great place to spend a fun-filled afternoon with the kids. With beautifully restored objects from the turn of the century and later, travel back in time and undoubtedly falls under the list of best things to do in Chilliwack.
There is a variety of farm equipment outside, but the true riches are found inside the big building.
With descriptions, historical buggies, automobiles, a reconstructed kitchen, and household tools are all beautifully exhibited.
11. Chilliwack Archives and Museum
Visit the Chilliwack Museum & Archives if, after visiting Chilliwack, you feel the desire to learn more about the history of the city; one of the top things to do in Chilliwack.
Explore the beautifully restored structure featuring historical relics, significant local events, and other things the museum also holds art exhibitions by regional and international artists as well as traveling exhibits.
Volunteers are available to assist with any queries you may have or to locate additional sources of information. Under-12s are admitted free of charge.
12. Chilliwack Town Centre
North of Highway 1 is Chilliwack’s historic town core, which is reachable through Vedder Road.
The main street is named Yale Road after the historic Old Yale Road, which connected Vancouver to the late-1800s gold rush town of Yale and comes in the list of best things to do in Chilliwack.
The Chilliwack Clock Tower is located below the crossroads of Yale & Young Roads, which is also close to a number of the top Chilliwack attractions.
You can park close to Central Community Park if you’re driving and explore on foot.
13. Trail of Art in Chilliwack
More than 30 murals, many of which focus on local animals and indigenous culture, may be found in the Chilliwack city center.
A self-guided journey of these pieces of art is made incredibly simple by Tourism Chilliwack’s super-useful interactive map of the city’s murals.
The majority of them are gathered together around Yale & Young Roads, as you can see from the map.
Comes in the list of best things to do in Chilliwack and each mural is described in-depth on the map, along with information on how to follow the painters on social media.
14. Visit Field House Brewing Co.
The Field House Brewing Co. has a patio that runs along Woolly Dog Alley and is located in a prominent area of District 1881 and falls among the best things to do in Chilliwack.
A cozy fireplace and a small brewing room tucked away in the back corner complete the décor; and the beverages?
Great as usual, but a few standouts at that time were the Sabro Citra Coconut IPA and the Zambian Cold Brew Coffee Golden Ale (made in cooperation with Smoking Gun next door!). The brewery made our children feel very welcome, which is constantly appreciated.
15. Things to do in Chilliwack- Visit the Bookseller
The Book Man, which has locations both here and in Abbotsford, is one of the biggest secondhand bookstores in the entire province.
If you’re taking the history or mural tour, you’ll already be passing through District 1881, which is only a short distance from the Chilliwack branch.
The Book Man runs a cat adoption program. Any cats you see in the windowed cat enclosure, which is visible from the street, are available for adoption.
Final Note
Chilliwack can only be fully appreciated if you get out of your vehicle and explore the nearby lakes, mountains, and trails.
No matter your level of experience or how much free time you have, there are many opportunities to appreciate the great outdoors, from taking a stroll along a riverbank trail in the middle of town to climbing Mount Cheam’s peak.
Even though Chilliwack has events and things to do all year long, summer is among the greatest times to go.
Typical daily highs in July & August are a comfortable but warm 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), making the weather ideal for visiting a nearby farm, taking a cool plunge in a lake, or having a thrilling time at a water park.
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