The Nesook River flows into Nesook Bay, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It is a beautiful river. The fishing is great here, and it has the potential to be a great canoeing river. If you’re driving to this river, you will want to take Tahsis Road from the town of Gold River and follow the signs. Turn onto Galiano Road to get to Nesook Bay. This road will take you past the Mahatta River, right to the Gooding Bay Rec Site, where there are many great spots to stop along the way.
Drive with your headlights on for the safety of both yourself and other drivers. When you cross the bridge outside Gold River, turn left and follow the Tahsis road until you reach Galiano Rd. Turn left here to reach the River mouth, Estuary, and beyond. You will be travelling on a logging road that can be busy with big trucks hauling logs as well as numerous cars and smaller trucks, so please drive carefully.
After travelling for approximately 15 km, you will get your first view of the Nesook River. It’s here where you can put in your canoe and fish your way to the estuary. The Nesook River joins the Tlupana River just before the estuary. This creates a big estuary full of adventure, lots of areas to bird watch, and you could see elk and deer grazing there. Many seabirds visit this estuary to nest and feed. You can see black bears during the salmon runs, and there are plenty of other animals here, both land and marine.
The river has its headwaters at Frisco Lake, but it drains a huge watershed on its journey to meet up with the Tlupana River before entering Nesook Bay at the head of the Tlupana Inlet. The river has many places that can be accessed for hiking and camping.