We did a tour of the Fraser Valley in a recreational vehicle from Fraserway RV and had an amazing time! We visited Harrison, Cultus Lake and Fort Langley.
On our trip we stayed at Pathfinder RV Resorts in Agassiz (near Harrison Hot Springs) and on Brae Island in Fort Langley. We also spent a night at Maple Bay at Cultus Lake Provincial Park.
Glamping in an RV is so much fun! It’s awesome! We highly recommend you try it one day! And if you are thinking about buying an RV, or just want to dream or learn about them, then check out the Earlybird RV Show which takes place at the TRADEX Centre in Abbotsford on February 22nd to 25th in 2024.
In this article we’ll tell you about our recent RV-ing adventures. Other related articles you might also be interested in include the following:
- Camping in and Around Vancouver
- Our Canadian Getaway Camping Vacation in a Rental RV
- 12 Reasons to go Camping in an RV
- Parks and Nature in the Lower Mainland
- Lower Mainland RV Shows
Touring the Fraser Valley in a Recreational Vehicle
Our recent tour of the Fraser Valley in an RV took place between September 13th and 16th in 2023. It started on a Wednesday afternoon and finished on the Saturday morning. It included 68 hours of sightseeing and adventures! It was a terrific staycation!
We started our holiday by driving out to Abbotsford and picking up a rental motorhome from Fraserway RV on North Parallel Road. This was the second time we’ve gone on a trip with a vehicle from Fraserway RV. The last time was a few years ago, in the summer of 2020, when we did a trip up the Sea to Sky Highway towards Whistler. For details about that trip, see our article about Our Canadian Getaway Camping Vacation in a Rental RV. That was also an amazing trip!
Our RV Rental Unit
On this recent holiday, at Fraserway RV we got a 27-foot Freelander by Coachman. It had everything we needed for a comfortable trip. It had a small kitchen complete with a sink, toaster, microwave and cupboard space. Our package also included utensils, cups, plates, pots and pans, plus blankets, pillows and other amenities. Other than clothes and food, we didn’t have to pack much of our own at all. We did though take our e-bikes and made sure to get a motorhome with a bike rack.
Our motorhome also had a dining area, pull-down double bed and washroom with a toilet, sink and shower. There was also an extra bed above the driver’s area. It had everything we needed, including a retractable awning for outside. It was very nice.
After a quick introduction to the vehicle and familiarizing ourselves as to where things were and how to drive, we headed out on our Fraser Valley adventure. Although big, the vehicle was surprisingly fun and easy to maneuver. We felt like truckers in a big rig, but one that was simple to drive.
RV BUYING TIPS
Before buying an RV, look at lots of them to find out what you like. They come in so many different interior layouts. Some you’ll like and others not so much. Great ways to find out what will make you the happiest is to examine lots of them (e.g., at an event like the Snowbird RV Show in September or the Earlybird RV Show in the spring).
Another way to see what you like and don’t like is to rent a vehicle or two before buying and to test things out on a trip. At places like Fraserway RV, if you rent a vehicle and then buy one, they’ll deduct the cost of your rental from the price of your purchase! Before doing that though, talk to the rental company for details. Fraserway RV numbers to call are 1-877-747-7947 (for sales) and 1-800-661-2441 (for rentals).
Day One of Our RV Trip (Abbotsford & Harrison)
The first stop on our tour was to Maan Farms in Abbotsford. There we bought some of their award-winning wine for our trip. We also got to see their field of sunflowers and pumpkin patch in the forest. Had we been with young children, we might have stayed longer to see the farm animals and play structures too, but we didn’t.
The next stop on our trip was to the Pathfinder RV Resort in Agassiz to check in. That’s where we stayed the night. It was a nice place with a pool, open lawns, and RV sites with full hook ups. Because this was a working trip for us, and work involves lots of writing on computers, it was so nice to have electricity! The resort also had peddle carts that were fun to use in our free time!
After checking in at the resort we drove 8 km to Harrison Hot Springs where we had dinner at the Old Settler Pub. What a nice place that was! We had never been there before, but will go back again. It’s a log-house-style place and the food was really good. We had the Cajun chicken power bowl and stuffed wild salmon fillet. It was all very tasty, and we loved the very “Canadian” log cabin-themed atmosphere!
By the time we had finished dinner it was late, so time to return to the RV resort for bed. It was easy to hook our motorhome up to the various outlets and pull down the bed. So much more convenient than setting up a tent, especially in the dark! Our bed was comfortable and we had a great night! Everything was so simple!
Day Two of Our RV Trip (Harrison & Cultus Lake)
After breakfast at our campsite and a swim in the pool the next morning, we headed to the Harrison Sunflower Festival which was just down the road. Parking the RV in the field there was so easy! We made it to the festival on its fourth-to-last day of the season. The fields were still beautiful and full of colour! After admiring the flowers and taking some photos, we headed back to Harrison Hot Springs for lunch and a bike ride.
We had lunch at the Muddy Waters Cafe in Harrison Hot Springs, plus hot drinks. It was all delicious, especially the bison burger! For dessert we went next door to Rocky Mountain Chocolates for a chocolate dipped gelato bar and Sasquatch chocolate toffee foot. Both were divine! Then, to help burn off the calories, we went for a lovely ride on our e-bikes along the waterfront to the beach at Green Point in Sasquatch Provincial Park. The ride and scenery were amazing, and the hills along the way were no problem (thanks to our pedal-assisted e-bikes).
After spending a wonderful afternoon at Harrison Hot Springs we headed to the Maple Bay campground at Cultus Lake Provincial Park. What a beautiful spot that was! It didn’t have electricity, water or sewage hookups, but our motorhome didn’t need it. At night the place was very dark and quiet!
* The bikes we took on our trip we bought from OHM Bikes and Reckless Shipyards, both of which are awesome North Shore-based e-bike companies. If you ever go on an RV trip and you like cycling, we recommend you take your bikes (or rent them, either from a bike store or from where you rent your RV from). They make for a great way to get around.
Day Three of Our RV Trip (Cultus Lake & Fort Langley)
Day three was a very busy day for us. We went from Cultus Lake to Fort Langley, but then also to Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford to take in some events.
After breakfast at our campsite at Maple Bay, we went for a ride on our e-bikes from one end of Cultus Lake to the other. Similar to our ride at Harrison Lake, the road around Cultus Lake is fun to cycle along (especially on e-bikes). The road is fairly narrow, but because it was September there wasn’t a lot of traffic.
We left Cultus Lake after a bite to eat in the park for lunch and headed to Fort Langley where we checked in at the Pathfinder RV Resort on Brae Island (which is on the Fraser River, just across the bridge from the village). The RV resort was lovely. There were lots of trees and green areas, and larger than average spaces between RV sites. The resort also had canvas-style cabins for people to rent. We would have liked to explore Fort Langley more, and maybe gone for a bike ride along the river, but we had events to get to!
Sightseeing on Day Three
We went to three events in the evening of our third day of camping, and we drove to them all in our RV. It wasn’t difficult. We saw the circus in Surrey, a pow wow in Langley and a night market in Abbotsford.
The Circus in Surrey
We went to the Circo Osorio Circus at Guildford Town Centre in Surrey first. That was a fabulous show, and admission is very affordable! Parking at the mall was no problem. We just filled two regular car parking spaces!
At the circus we saw amazing skip rope jumping tricks and acrobats doing all kinds of amazing flips. There was also the Wheel of Destiny, a laser man show, motorbike stunts and other fun performances. The circus is no longer in Surrey. It’s in Tsawwassen, however, from September 21st to 24th. Next month, it also has shows in both Richmond and Coquitlam.
The Pow Wow in Langley
The next place we went to was the Langley Events Centre for the Stalew Pow Wow. What a great cultural event that was! Again, parking wasn’t a problem. This time though, we filled about four car spaces along the edge of the parking lot, plus an extra half space at both our front and back (to make sure nobody parked too close at either end and blocked us in). We didn’t stay long at the event, just long enough to take photos and video of the grand entry, so it didn’t matter that our vehicle took up so much space.
The Night Market in Abbotsford
Our next stop on the Friday night was Jubilee Park in Abbotsford. That’s where the Taste of Abby Night Market was taking place. Here, for parking, we really lucked out. In downtown Abbotsford there is street parking, and, although arriving about halfway through the night market event, we found two empty parking spaces just a 2-minute walk from Jubilee Park. The parking spaces were at the very start of the block, so we didn’t have to parallel park or worry about other cars blocking us in!
We had a terrific time at the Taste of Abby event. We had some wine and butter chicken from a stall by Maan Farms. Taves Family Farms was there too with their ciders. At the event we also had some Thai noodles, a crepe, a couple of pastries and a few other tasty treats. We saw lots of interesting things in the artisan market too, and came home with a few souvenirs.
Day Four of Our RV Trip (Fort Langley & Home)
We woke up early on our last day, had breakfast at our campsite picnic table, went for a walk around the park, packed up our things and then headed to Fraserway RV to return our vehicle.
Packing up an RV is so much easier than packing up a tent! With a switch of a button our RV awning folded itself up. Emptying our water tanks into the septic tank was pretty simple too. And with the bed, we just had to fold it back up against the wall. After putting our clothes and things into our bags, and sweeping the floors, we were done!
On that final morning we didn’t miss having to fold up a tent and struggle to get it into an unreasonably tiny bag. We also didn’t miss having to lug our suitcase, backpacks, sleeping bags, mattresses and other gear from the tent to our car as we usually do when we go camping. Everything was already inside our vehicle! We love RV camping! It’s so much faster, more convenient and more comfortable than tenting!
After the oh-so-easy pack-up process, we drove back to Fraserway RV to return our motorhome and pick up our own vehicle. On the way, we filled up gas. After unpacking the RV and putting things back into our SUV, we got our rental unit inspected and everything signed off. It was all so simple! It didn’t rain on our trip, but it was also nice to not have to worry about the weather.
In Conclusion …
Our three night holiday in the recreational vehicle from Fraserway RV was so much fun!
The motorhome was easy to drive and get around in. It was actually fun to drive! And camping in it was so nice and convenient! We didn’t have to worry about heading to the washhouse in the middle of the night and being on the lookout for bears or other wildlife in the dark. We could simply use the toilet and sink in our RV. We also had all the luxuries of home, including the microwave, toaster, running water and electric lights. Our unit even had a heater and air conditioner, neither of which we needed to use.
If you ever get a chance to go camping in an RV, we highly recommend you do!
Other Information
To learn more about the local, family-owned company that we got our rental motorhome from, see our article about Fraserway RV or visit the fraserway.com website.
If you want to see a wide range of recreational vehicles all in one place, Fraserway RV’s Abbotsford and Delta locations are great places to do that. We also recommend checking out the Earlybird RV Show and Snowbird RV Show when they take place in early spring and fall at the TRADEX Centre in Abbotsford. Those are great events for buying, dreaming and learning about motorhomes, trailers and campers.
If you want to read about a similar trip we did in an RV in the summer, but this time in the Whistler area, click Our Canadian Getaway Camping Vacation in a Rental RV.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Camping in and Around Vancouver
- 12 Reasons to go Camping in an RV
- Parks and Nature in the Lower Mainland
- Lower Mainland RV Shows
- Romantic Getaway to Harrison Hot Springs
- Our Westin Bayshore Hotel Winter Staycation
Notes: Vancouver’s Best Places is a carbon neutral organization. We’ll be offsetting the carbon emissions from our trip so that our holiday is carbon neutral too. Also, we weren’t paid to write this article. Some of the things we did we got for free. Other things we paid for ourselves.
