The Upper Quinsam Lake on Vancouver Island is a wonderful lake to canoe and there are many bays and islands to explore. At the end of Upper Quinsam Lake is Wokas Lake, it’s a great place to camp when you visit this area. There is another campground about 3/4 of the way down the lake.
When I was younger, there was a cabin on one of the islands, and we would canoe out and camp there for a few days of great fishing. In this cabin was a guest book that you could sign and give some detail about where you were from, how the weather was during your stay and how was fishing. I used to enjoy reading about the visitors, some were from so far away, and all had great stories. I have heard that the cabin has been destroyed by fire. Not sure if the forest service did the deed or if it was a careless camper.
There is a large variety of wildlife in this area, and you stand a good chance of seeing black bears, roosevelt elk, blacktail deer, cougars, and many little creatures like squirrels, raccoons, and pine martins. There are many kinds of birds here, songbirds, waterfowl, and raptures all use this lake, so bring your camera and have a good time.
Upper Quinsam Lake is located along the Quinsam River on North Vancouver Island. There is a dam on Wokas Lake that feeds the outflow into a man-made channel that takes the water out of the Quinsam system and feeds it into the lower Campbell Lake via gooseneck and snakehead lakes. This is to ensure that the Campbell Lakes have enough water in their systems for our power needs.
Hi Bud,
Do you need 4 wheel drive to access this lake?
Thanks