Golden Ears Group Sites
Golden Ears Provincial Park, British Columbia · campground
Golden Ears' three group sites book 12 months ahead on BC Parks. The window, 28-day refund rule and how to catch a cancellation.
Availability on 24 Oct 2026
- 89 open nights
- 0 of the next 180 nights fully booked (0%)
- Next open night: 24 Oct 2026
How booking works here
- Campsites and backcountry sites open on a 3-month rolling window at 7am Pacific on the matching date. Group sites open 12 months ahead.
- Berg Lake opens its whole peak season on one day at 7am Pacific.
- Cancelling more than 7 days out is refunded in full (14 days for Berg Lake), so nights come back just before those cut-offs.
- Bookings are made on BC Parks; we never book, hold or resell sites.
Official booking page
About
Golden Ears Provincial Park sits in the Coast Mountains 11 km north of Maple Ridge, just over an hour east of Vancouver. Alongside its three big campgrounds, the park has group sites for clubs, families and youth groups who want to camp together. Alouette Lake is the summer draw, with swimming, canoeing, boating and fishing, and the park has more than 20 km of trails open to horses.
The sites
The BC Parks reservation system lists three Golden Ears group sites:
- G1 – Golden Ears Group
- G2 – Alouette Group
- G3 – Woodlands Group: the only frontcountry spot in the park where camping with horses is allowed, according to the BC Parks park page
The reservation system lists a maximum of 50 people for each. Confirm the site's capacity and facilities on camping.bcparks.ca before you book, because BC Parks notes that maximum group sizes vary by park.
How booking works
From BC Parks' group camping page:
- Window: group sites can be booked up to 12 months before your arrival date.
- First-day bookings are locked. Book on the first day of the 12-month window and you can't change your arrival date, departure date or length of stay later.
- Pricing: you pay all camping and transaction fees up front, and regular bookings are charged for at least 15 adults (16 and older), whatever your actual numbers. From 2027, visitors from outside BC pay an extra $20 non-resident fee. Seniors' and social-services discounts don't apply.
- Youth groups need at least 12 people and a link to a BC school, recreation centre or non-profit youth organization, with at least one adult per 8 youths.
- Stay limit: 14 nights per park per calendar year.
- Changes through the reservation service cost $6 per groupsite; party-size changes don't.
Last checked: October 2026.
When it sells out
With only three sites and a 12-month window, summer weekends and long weekends are often spoken for well in advance by groups that book the same dates each year. Weeknights and the shoulder season are far easier.
How to get a cancellation
Group sites run on a different refund clock from regular campsites. BC Parks' cancellation windows:
- 28 or more days before arrival: camping fees refunded, less a $6 cancellation fee
- Within 28 days: no refund of camping fees (the $6 fee is waived)
- Most group sites can be cancelled until 8 pm on the arrival date
So the four weeks before a date is the main cancellation window: groups that know they won't make it cancel just before day 28 to get their money back. After that, there's little incentive to cancel early, so a few sites free up late or not at all.
You can watch the Golden Ears group sites on Canada Camp Alerts. When any of the three is free on a watched night that was full, we alert you. Each night is judged separately, and we don't check capacity, party size or horse access for you, or book anything: you book on camping.bcparks.ca. The free plan is one watch with email alerts 15 minutes after we see the opening. The season pass is C$25 once for 12 months, with no auto-renew, up to 10 watches and instant alerts by email, Telegram or web push.
Tips
- Mark the 12-month date. If your group has fixed dates, the easiest route is booking on the day they open.
- Watch more than one date. If your group can flex by a weekend, set watches on each option.
- Day-use visitors coming to see your group may need a vehicle day-use pass on peak days; in 2026 they were required Fridays to Mondays and holidays from May 15 to September 7. See BC Parks day-use passes. We don't monitor those passes.
Nearby alternatives
Questions
How far ahead can I book a Golden Ears group site?
Up to 12 months before your arrival date on camping.bcparks.ca. If you book on the first day of the window, you can't change your dates afterwards. Last checked: October 2026.
Which group site allows horses?
BC Parks says the Woodlands groupsite is the only place in Golden Ears' frontcountry where camping with horses is allowed.
When do group-site cancellations happen?
Mostly just before the 28-day mark. Cancel 28 or more days out and BC Parks refunds the camping fees; inside 28 days it doesn't.
Do alerts tell me which group site opened?
The alert is for Golden Ears group sites as a whole: a night counts as open when any of the three is free. Check which one it is, and its size, on the BC Parks site before you book.
Nearby places we watch
Set a watch on Golden Ears Group Sites
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