Stave Lake

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Body of water in British Columbia, Canada

title: "Stave Lake" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mission,-british-columbia", "lakes-of-the-lower-mainland", "reservoirs-in-british-columbia", "garibaldi-ranges", "new-westminster-land-district"] description: "Body of water in British Columbia, Canada" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stave_Lake" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Body of water in British Columbia, Canada ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]

Field	Value
name	Stave Lake
image	Stave Lake, Mission - panoramio - Colin W.jpg
pushpin_map	British Columbia
location	Mission, British Columbia
coords
type	reservoir, natural lake
basin_countries	Canada
area	55 km²
reference
::

Stave Lake is a lake and reservoir for the production of hydroelectricity in the Stave River system, located on the northern edge of Mission City, about 65 km east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The main arm of the lake is about 20 km long from north to south and its southwest arm, ending at Stave Falls Dam near Stave Falls, is about 9.5 km long. The total area of the lake currently is about 55 km2. Prior to construction of the dam, the lake was about one-third the size of its current main arm.

The Stave River, the traditional territory of the Sxa'yaks (Skayuks), a vanished Halqemeylem-speaking Coast Salish people related to today's Sto:lo, was a productive salmon river. The Skayuks demise was caused by the introduction of smallpox by the Europeans and subsequent expansion by the Kwantlen First Nation. The presence of large red cedar trees attracted lumber companies, notably Stave Lake Cedar, whose mill was a mile above the damsite. The lower portion of the Stave is called Hayward Lake, formed by Ruskin Dam and formerly a canyon similar to Capilano and Lynn Canyons, and at its head in the grounds of the one-time community of worker's housing, there is a recreation area there and the beginning of a lakeside trail using the right-of-way of a railway line.

Climate

Stave Lake has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate type Cfb). The average annual precipitation is 2359.4 mm. Extremes vary from -26.7 °C, recorded on January 31, 1929, to 40.0 °C, recorded on June 25, 1925.

|metric first=yes |single line= Y |location= Stave Lake (Stave Falls) (Elevation: 110m) 1981−2010 | Jan record high C = 16.5 | Feb record high C = 19.4 | Mar record high C = 27.2 | Apr record high C = 32.2 | May record high C = 35.6 | Jun record high C = 40.0 | Jul record high C = 39.4 | Aug record high C = 38.9 | Sep record high C = 36.7 | Oct record high C = 30.0 | Nov record high C = 20.0 | Dec record high C = 19.4 | year record high C = 40.0 | Jan high C = 5.6 | Feb high C = 8.0 | Mar high C = 10.6 | Apr high C = 14.7 | May high C = 17.8 | Jun high C = 20.5 | Jul high C = 23.7 | Aug high C = 24.0 | Sep high C = 21.4 | Oct high C = 14.1 | Nov high C = 8.7 | Dec high C = 5.4 | year high C = 14.5 | Jan mean C = 3.1 | Feb mean C = 4.4 | Mar mean C = 6.6 | Apr mean C = 9.8 | May mean C = 12.8 | Jun mean C = 15.5 | Jul mean C = 18.1 | Aug mean C = 18.3 | Sep mean C = 15.9 | Oct mean C = 10.5 | Nov mean C = 6.0 | Dec mean C = 3.0 | year mean C = 10.3 | Jan low C = 0.6 | Feb low C = 0.9 | Mar low C = 2.5 | Apr low C = 4.9 | May low C = 7.8 | Jun low C = 10.4 | Jul low C = 12.4 | Aug low C = 12.7 | Sep low C = 10.3 | Oct low C = 6.9 | Nov low C = 3.3 | Dec low C = 0.7 | year low C = 6.1 | Jan record low C = -26.7 | Feb record low C = -15.6 | Mar record low C = -12.2 | Apr record low C = -4.4 | May record low C = -1.1 | Jun record low C = 1.7 | Jul record low C = 1.1 | Aug record low C = 3.3 | Sep record low C = -1.1 | Oct record low C = -5.6 | Nov record low C = -13.9 | Dec record low C = -23.3 | year record low C = -26.7 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 300.7 | Feb precipitation mm = 211.1 | Mar precipitation mm = 215.7 | Apr precipitation mm = 191.6 | May precipitation mm = 148.3 | Jun precipitation mm = 137.7 | Jul precipitation mm = 82.0 | Aug precipitation mm = 81.7 | Sep precipitation mm = 102.7 | Oct precipitation mm = 235.6 | Nov precipitation mm = 370.8 | Dec precipitation mm = 281.6 | year precipitation mm = 2359.4 | rain colour = green | Jan rain mm = 265.0 | Feb rain mm = 197.9 | Mar rain mm = 210.3 | Apr rain mm = 191.4 | May rain mm = 148.3 | Jun rain mm = 137.7 | Jul rain mm = 82.0 | Aug rain mm = 81.7 | Sep rain mm = 102.7 | Oct rain mm = 235.6 | Nov rain mm = 363.2 | Dec rain mm = 258.1 | year rain mm = 2273.8 | Jan snow cm = 35.7 | Feb snow cm = 13.2 | Mar snow cm = 5.5 | Apr snow cm = 0.2 | May snow cm = 0.0 | Jun snow cm = 0.0 | Jul snow cm = 0.0 | Aug snow cm = 0.0 | Sep snow cm = 0.0 | Oct snow cm = 0.0 | Nov snow cm = 7.6 | Dec snow cm = 27.6 | year snow cm = 89.6 | unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm | Jan precipitation days = 23 | Feb precipitation days = 17.8 | Mar precipitation days = 21.1 | Apr precipitation days = 19.5 | May precipitation days = 18.1 | Jun precipitation days = 16.2 | Jul precipitation days = 10.7 | Aug precipitation days = 10.5 | Sep precipitation days = 11.6 | Oct precipitation days = 19.7 | Nov precipitation days = 23.6 | Dec precipitation days = 23.0 | year precipitation days = 214.9 | unit rain days = 0.2 mm | Jan rain days = 21.2 | Feb rain days = 17.0 | Mar rain days = 21.2 | Apr rain days = 19.5 | May rain days = 18.1 | Jun rain days = 16.2 | Jul rain days = 10.7 | Aug rain days = 10.5 | Sep rain days = 11.6 | Oct rain days = 19.7 | Nov rain days = 23.3 | Dec rain days = 21.2 | unit snow days = 0.2 cm | Jan snow days = 4.8 | Feb snow days = 2.2 | Mar snow days = 1.2 | Apr snow days = 0.11 | May snow days = 0.0 | Jun snow days = 0.0 | Jul snow days = 0.0 | Aug snow days = 0.0 | Sep snow days = 0.0 | Oct snow days = 0.0 | Nov snow days = 1.3 | Dec snow days = 4.1 |source 1 = Environment Canada (normals, 1981−2010){{cite web | url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnProx&txtRadius=25&selCity=&selPark=&optProxType=custom&txtCentralLatDeg=49&txtCentralLatMin=10&txtCentralLatSec=00&txtCentralLongDeg=122&txtCentralLongMin=12&txtCentralLongSec=00&stnID=867&dispBack=0 | title = Stave Falls | work = Canadian Climate Normals 1981−2010 | date = 25 September 2013 | accessdate = 2018-03-27 }}

Dams

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Stave_Lake_Dam.JPG" caption="Stave Lake Powerhouse seen from its tailrace"] ::

The Stave Falls Power Company, later a subsidiary of the British Columbia Electric Railway, dammed the river in the 1920-22 period. The Stave Falls Dam and Powerhouse, bunkhouses, a community hall, a large workers' community and railway, known as the Stave Falls Branch, were part of these projects. As a result, the Upper Stave was raised and flooded the forests, as was also the case later with Hayward Lake, which was formed by the completion of Ruskin Dam and Powerhouse in 1930. The cedar stood in the river for years, though during the 1980s and 1990s the timber been reclaimed by work crews from a prison camp near Sayres Lake (Cedar Lake), adjacent to the opening from the main arm, by prolonged lowerings of the reservoir level to allow for timber extraction.

After the dam was built, logging lines used the right of way and logged further north into the Stave Valley. The film We're No Angels was partly filmed at the Stave Dam complex, with a large fake town and impressive (and real) timber cathedral built on pilings into Stave Lake. The whole set was dismantled, although a gazebo-type bandstand was moved to the Hayward Lake Recreation Site just below Stave dam.

Neighbours

Most property neighbouring Stave Lake is controlled by BC Hydro. A small number of private cabins are present on the east shores and Zajac Ranch, a summer camp for children with special needs, is on the south west side of the lake. Access to the east side of the lake is available via Sylvester Road. A large raft can be seen on Google's satellite image at coordinates 49.309144,-122.320021 which floats around the lake during the summer months.

Recreation

Stave Lake is a popular 4x4 and dirt-biking location because of its extensive mud flats to the southwest.

References

{{BCGNIS. 6839. Stave Lake
(December 31, 2018). "Archaeological Overview Assessment (AOA) of the Silverdale Comprehensive Planning Area in Mission, B.C.". Arrowstone.

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