Maple Bay Cabins at Cultus Lake: Family Cabin Camping Guide

A cool new addition to Cultus Lake Provincial Park is the 25 new cabins installed at Maple Bay. The cabin loop sits very close to the Maple Bay Campground and is connected by a newly paved road between the two areas. This makes an easy base if you or your companions prefer a little more comfort than tent camping.

As this is the only practical cabin option on the BC Parks reservation system near Vancouver (the other parks with reservable cabins are far—Kikomun Creek ~910 km to the east; Carp Lake is many hours north), reservations can be extremely competitive.

The cabins feature indoor and patio lights, baseboard heating, a 120 V outlet, a bunk bed, a single bed, and a twin bed (4 beds in total) with foam mattresses, plus a picnic table on the patio. No campfire is allowed at individual cabins, but propane fire pit rental and a communal firepit are available. Only one car is allowed per cabin. A five-stall visitor parking lot is nearby (overnight parking typically not permitted).

The newly renovated washroom/shower building is bright and very clean. A small cluster of picnic tables makes group meals easy. Two deep, hot-water dishwashing sinks nearby are a true luxury for camping.

There is also a spacious family washroom.

Trip Report: June 2021

We came with my parents, who stayed in a Maple Bay cabin while we tented in the campground. For multi-gen trips, the heated cabin and real beds were a hit with the grandparents.

After a BBQ lunch, we followed a short gravel path from the cabins down to a pebbly beach to launch our boat and paddleboards. Easy lake access from the cabins was fantastic.

We had a fantastic time on the water.

After dinner, we asked Junior if he wanted to sleep in the more civilized cabin with grandparents, but he insisted on the tent with us—clearly a camping convert.

We enjoyed a proper campfire at our campsite—one perk of tenting over cabin stays.

At sunrise, I grabbed my board from the cabin and relaunched for a quiet two-hour paddle. By the time I returned, my dad was up making coffee on the porch.

After espresso, my parents took their boat for a morning lap while I walked back to break camp. We regrouped at the cabin for breakfast before the 11 a.m. checkout. One night felt too short—we’ll plan for two next time.

Trip Report: May 2022

With Baby Bro joining the family, tent camping was off the table for 2022—Maple Bay cabins were the natural solution.

We visited with our friends Johnny’s family and booked two side-by-side cabins for two nights. Weather was cool and wet (classic spring), but we still had plenty of fun.

We discovered the porch posts are perfectly spaced for a hammock—instant kid magnet.

A short lakeside path connects the cabins with the boat launch. (The trail to Maple Bay Day-Use was damaged in the 2021 winter storm.)

After checkout, the sun finally appeared, so we picnicked at Entrance Bay Day-Use and snuck in a short paddle before calling it a wrap.

Trip Report: April 2023

By 2023, our friends knew us as the “outdoor-all-the-time” family. Tenting felt daunting for some, so we pitched a multi-family cabin weekend at Maple Bay—perfect for beginners.

To beat demand, we aimed for an April weekend and snagged four cabins on opening day for four families (with a fifth cabin booked later). One cabin ended up behind the main group due to availability, but the layout still worked well.

Third time’s the charm—by now we had a solid list of what to pack and how to organize.

Cabin Camping Cheat Sheet

Must bring:

• Sleeping (cabins are heated; mattresses provided)
  • Bedding (blankets or sleeping bags)
  • Pillows
• Clothing (mornings are cold but gorgeous)
  • Warm jackets
  • Gloves/mittens
  • Rain pants for kids
  • Rain boots
  • Change of clothes (free hot showers nearby)
• Food (each family preps their own; outdoor stoves OK)
  • Portable stove for outside; small electric appliances OK via extension cord
  • Plenty of kid-friendly snacks
• Eating & cleanup
  • Plates/bowls/cutlery (we bring chopsticks too)
  • Dish soap & sponge
  • Napkins/paper towels
  • Garbage bags
• Toiletries
  • Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss
  • Hair dryer (outlet in washroom)
  • Towels

Nice to have:

• Camp toys (open field near cabins)
  • Camp chairs
  • Hammock
  • Firewood (for communal firepit if permitted)
  • Ball/frisbee
• Indoor fun (no table inside cabins)
  • Portable table
  • Games
  • Kids’ books
• Water play (cabins close to lake; pebbly beach)
  • Digging toys
  • Water shoes (Crocs/Native for kids)
  • Swimwear
  • Paddleboards & wetsuits (spring water can be quite cold)
• Hiking
  • Hiking shoes & poles
  • Baby carriers

Weather was again mostly rainy and cold with sunny breaks. We grabbed the first window of blue sky and hit the water.

I pitched a small slanted rain tarp at our porch for a mud-play zone—low headroom, high fun factor for the kids.

Our agenda was simple: relax, chat, watch the kids play, cook, and clean. Families mingled at mealtimes and retreated to cabins as needed—bliss.

Between breakfast and lunch we walked to the boat launch as a group, where Aaron worked his photography magic again:

Light rain returned, but that’s what drysuits and wetsuits are for. Kids wore wetsuits as a base layer in case of a swim. The water felt frigid—around 7 °C by our guess—so gloves matter.

I practiced falling in with my drysuit and PFD. Without neoprene gloves, my fingers went numb fast, even as the rest of me stayed warm. The drysuit trapped air, turning me into a floaty recliner—comfy, but awkward for swimming.

Before bedtime, we checked out the communal fire (quiet in the rain), looked for bugs, and went for a night walk.

After checkout on the last day, the weather brightened, so we hiked Teapot Hill.

We wrapped with another picnic at Entrance Bay.

Even though this was our third Maple Bay cabin trip, it was still memorable—especially sharing the experience with friends trying camping for the first time. It’s easy to see why we love it.