Being so close to Vancouver, Cultus Lake Provincial Park is one of the most popular camping destinations in BC. There are ample recreational opportunities including a waterpark and an adventure park, boat and jetski rentals, and a privately owned Sunnyside campground for camping alternatives to the provincial sites.

We’ve stayed at 3 of the 4 provincial campgrounds (excluding the group campgrounds) at Cultus Lake: Delta Grove, Clear Creek, and Maple Bay. We haven’t visited Entrance Bay but I suspect it would be similar to Clear Creek.

Jump to:

• Delta Grove
• Clear Creek
• Maple Bay Cabins

General Info

The Columbia Valley Highway cuts through the provincial park with vehicles (including the occasional construction trucks) driving at 50-60km/h speeds. Delta Grove and Maple Bay campgrounds are below the highway closer to the lake, and Clear Creek and Entrance Bay campgrounds are above the highway.

It gets pretty noisy in campsites that are nearer to the highway. Campsites on higher grounds in Clear Creek and Entrance Bay, and on lower grounds closer to the lake in Maple Bay would be least affected by highway noise.

All of the campgrounds have hot showers, flush toilets and fire pits at the campsite.

Delta Grove Campground

Delta Grove is on the lake side of the highway and provides the easiest lake access for paddlers. Every site at Delta Grove is within 100m or so from the nearest lake access point to drop in a kayak or SUP, and a small trail leads campers to the small Spring Bay Picnic Area with a small day-use parking lot.

The row of campsites along the lake is especially sought after, as most of them have private access to the lake and you can set up your camp chairs right on your private beach.

We came to Delta Grove with our good friend Johnny and his family. The sites at Delta Grove are quite a bit smaller and closer to the neighbors than what we are used to in a provincial park. We could barely fit 2 tents and 2 cars in our site.

The weather was great on this trip, so we got to spend a lot of time on the water, fully enjoying the easy access that Delta Grove provided.

Clear Creek Campground

Clear Creek Campground is built on the hillside. The lowest campsites are essentially steps away from the noisy highway, but closest to Delta Grove and easiest to cross the highway and walk to the lake. If you camped at one of the sites on the higher elevations, you would probably drive to one of the day-use areas to launch a kayak or SUP. Entrance Bay is probably similar in that regard; lower campsites enjoy easier access to the lake, but the higher campsites are likely much quieter.

The forecast called for rain, so I put up the large rain tarp again. I was very proud of the tarp set up this time, so I described it in detail here.

We took a very short hike on the Giant Douglas Fir Trail (1.1km out and back, 77m gain) which starts right at the ends of Clear Creek and Delta Grove Campgrounds.

After hiking uphill through some beautiful, lush forests, we were surprised to find ourselves back to Clear Creek Campground! It turns out that the Giant Douglas Fir is only about 100m from the highest section of Clear Creek Campground.

Back at camp, we were visited by a few deers.

I took full advantage of being close to the lake on the last day of our stay and managed to paddle a full lap around Cultus Lake.

Maple Bay Campground

Like Delta Grove, Maple Bay is also on the lakeside of the highway, but it’s huge. The farthest campsites are more than 1km away from lakeshore! If you want to visit the lake often, it’s advisable to aim for the eastern sites. None of the campsites at Maple Bay can see the water.

The washroom facilities do provide hot running water, flush toilets and showers, but they are much older than the other campgrounds at Cultus Lake.

There is also a whole section of deluxe cabin camping at Maple Bay, which we detail separately here.

Overall, Cultus Lake is a great area to camp and enjoy some time on a beautiful, medium sized lake. For a paddler who may want to hop onto the lake as often as possible, Delta Grove, the lowest row of Clear Creek, and Maple Bay Cabins provide the most convenient access to the lake. Upper Clear Creek and Entrance Bay is away from the traffic noise, but you would likely opt for a drive down to the lake if you wanted to picnic or paddle. Most of Maple Bay Campground is within a few hundred meters of walking distance to the lake. The 25 newly built-out cabins provide a wonderful choice for friends and family who may require the extra comfort.