Cultus is one of those camps that gets overlooked in favor of
Quinn Meadows which is close by. It's one downfall is that although there are several nice loops with a lot of lakes, most of the rides require a short trailer trip to get to, or a lot of added riding mileage.
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| Kershaw Lake. |
Cultus is a really nice camp with 11 level spots that have steel corrals except for spot #4 which has a highline. There is a bathroom with garbage cans, a manure bin with a wheelbarrow,
and potable water from a hand pump. You can also get stock water from the Cultus River, although it is a bit of a trek to get to it. Most sites are sizeable enough for larger rigs. There is a separate day use area but you have to be careful where you park, since it is heavily treed and the corners are sharp. It is $14.00 per night and it is not a gated camp, so it can still be accessed when it is officially closed.
To get there:
From Bend, drive south on Hwy 97 and take exit 153 towards Sunriver.
Follow this road ( it eventually becomes Spring River Rd.) for almost 7 miles
and take a left on Forest Service Rd. 40, following a sign that says Cultus Lake.
Continue on Rd. 40 for 15 miles until it ends, then take a left, go almost a mile and take a right
on Rd. 4635 into the Cultus Lake area. After almost a mile take a right at the sign for the horse camp, follow the gravel road another mile, and the camp will be on the right.
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| Cultus Corral Horse Camp. |
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| Cultus Corral Horse Camp. |
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| Day use parking at Cultus Corral. |
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| The Cultus River is nearby. |
The Benchmark Butte Trail leaves from camp and it is a mostly forested ride that takes you over the butte, to the Corral Swamp Trailhead. The Corral Swamp Trail will loop you back to Cultus Lake. And then from there you take the Winopee Tie Trail back to camp for a 15 mile ride.
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| The Corral Swamp Trailhead. |
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| On the Corral Swamp Trail. |
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| Cultus Lake. |
There are also a few riding options which leave from Little Cultus Lake's day use area, a 4 mile drive from the horse camp, where parking is limited. One of the rides is on the Many Lakes Trail and the Deer Lake Trail. This is a 12 mile loop or you can extend it by taking a short detour over to Irish and Taylor Lakes where you meet up with the PCT. I have followed the PCT north from there as far as Brahma Lake. You can also take the trailhead from Rd. 4636 over towards Charlton Lake.
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| Kershaw Lake on the Many Lakes loop. |
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| The Three Sisters Wilderness sign. |
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| Brahma Lake. |
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| Watching kayakers on Little Cultus Lake, from the Deer Lake Trail. |
Another nice ride is over to
Winopee Lake which is a 15 mile out and back, and passes by an old cabin at Muskrat Lake. This is a 2.5 mile drive from camp or you can ride there on the Winopee Tie Trail. There is a very large paved area at the boat ramp at Cultus Lake, which is the best place to park, since the actual trailhead is quite small.
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| The cabin at Muskrat Lake. |
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| Winopee Lake. |
For downtime in between rides, Cultus Lake has a resort with a restaurant, store, and watercraft rentals, and the lake is really nice for swimming.
Happy Trails!
GPS COORDINATES TO CULTUS
