Cowichan Lake

From Lake Cowichan town the Trans Canada Trail crosses to the north side of the Cowichan River valley and retreats eastward en-route to Nanaimo.

The Vancouver Island Trail leaves the TCT at Lake Cowichan and is now routed to the west along the north side of Cowichan Lake via Youbou and Kissinger Lake/Campsite to the Tuck Lake trailhead, through the traditional territory of the Ts’uubaa-asatx Nation (former Lake Cowichan First Nation). Kaatza Adventures offers First Nations cultural tours.

As you pass through Youbou (Youbou – cowichanlake.ca), good soup is available at Cassy’s Coffee House, with craft beer and pub food at the Youbou Bar and Grill. An alternative route is to use South Shore Road to get to the west end of the lake, which goes through the former sawmilling towns of Mesachie Lake and Honeymoon Bay.

To avoid hiking or biking North Shore Main (or the South Shore route), which can both be very dusty in the summer, a hiker could use/hire some sort of water transport to reach Heather campsite at the west end of Cowichan Lake. If you do canoe or kayak along the lake, you will need support to pick up your canoe/kayak. Also keep in mind that like many large B.C. lakes, it is often windy and the waves are substantial particularly from later morning through the afternoon; early morning and evening are typically the best times to paddle.