The Tahsis River forms the headwaters of the long and narrow Tahsis inlet. With a small summer run of Steelhead and a better run of winter Steelhead on this river. There is a good return of Coho when the river is running high. There are great Rainbow and Cutthroat fishing on the upper reaches of the river.
Of all the many hiking and biking trails in the area, to me anyway, the best is the Woss Lake Grease Trail. This ancient trail was a trade route that was used by the First peoples and takes one across Vancouver Island from Tahsis to Woss Lake. Although not maintained or marked, this trail is in pretty good shape, it begins at the north end of the Tahsis dump. The route follows the flat valley bottom, often following the Tahsis River or sometimes, old remnants of a logging road left from when the valley was logged in the 1940s.
Incredible views of Rugged Mountain can be seen as the trail meanders through old-growth forests. Mountaineers may want to use this route as access to the aptly named Rugged Mountain and its glacier, which is the largest one on Vancouver Island. The glacier is a steep hike of 1,000 m, although there is no marked route up, there is a trail. Ask in Tahsis how to access this trail.
The Woss Lake Trail is relatively flat until it reaches the headwaters of Tahsis River and then quickly climbs to a high point of 550 m before dropping to Woss Lake at 140 m. There are no roads from this end of the lake, but the other end is a road accessible from Woss. It is best to arrange for boat pickup from the Woss end of the Trail or do as we do and return to Tahsis on the same trail.
The trail from the Tahsis dump to Woss Lake is about 12 km. There are many nice camping spots in the upper reaches of the Tahsis River along with some nice pools for trout fishing in the river here. The trail is moderate in difficulty, but an awesome hike.