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Want a parking spot and a picnic table at a Lower Mainland park on a sunny summer weekend? Better have a game plan.

Take it from the locals enjoying Cultus Lake at 8 a.m. on a recent long weekend. There’s no sleeping in if you want calm water and a quiet beach.

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“You learn tricks to avoid the rush,” said Danielle Henderson, coffee cup in hand. “On a sunny afternoon, don’t even bother.”

By midday, Cultus Lake is buzzing. The choppy water teems with boats and jet skis. The packed beach smells like grilling meat and garbage. The happy screams of kids at the waterpark drown out the whine of dirt bikes on a nearby mountainside.

Traffic on the single road into the park is at a standstill, the line stretching almost 10 kilometres to Yarrow, where Darlene Gooch’s sleepy community has undergone its annual summer transformation.

Last year, word got out about a swimming hole on the Vedder River. The hidden gem was overrun, leading the City of Chilliwack to restrict parking on Yarrow streets to ensure emergency access. The signs have helped, said Gooch, but it’s a “real pain” when visiting family can’t find a place to park.

Across the region, it’s a similar story at other popular parks, beaches and trails. Officials estimate 5,000 people turned up at Centennial Beach in Delta on a recent weekend, hoping to get one of 650 parking spaces. Buntzen Lake and Sasamat Lake in the Tri-Cities area are often full, and closed to incomers, by noon, with road signs telling people to turn around.