Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to
Duncan RV Park and Campground
(2950 Boys Rd., 250/748-8511, $24-29), which
is one block west of the highway, right beside the river.
Always crowded with locals,
Duncan Garage Café & Bakery
(330 Duncan St., 250/
748-6223, 7:30am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-5pm Sun., lunches $6-9) is well worth searching
outacrossfromthemuseuminthehistoricalheartofdowntown.Withinthesamecomplex
is a store specializing in local organic produce and a used bookstore.
Stop at
Duncan Visitor Centre
(381 TransCanada Hwy., 250/746-4636 or 888/
303-3337,
www.duncancc.bc.ca
,
9am-8pm daily in summer, closed Sun. and Mon. the
rest of the year), at Coronation Avenue, for the complete rundown on the area. The staff
provides information on local hiking and fishing and on traveling the logging roads bey-
ond Lake Cowichan. They also offer a map showing the location of all of Duncan's totem
poles.
Cowichan River
This famous salmon and steelhead fishing river has its source at Cowichan Lake, draining
into the Strait of Georgia beyond Duncan. Much of its length is protected by
Cowichan
River Provincial Park,
which extends over 750 hectares (1,850 acres) and 20 kilometers
(12 miles). There are three access points to the park, including Skutz Falls (second
access road), where salmon spawn each fall. Trails are well signposted and link into the
TransCanada Trail, which follows the river west to Cowichan Lake.
Cowichan Lake
Head west from Duncan to reach Cowichan Lake (under 30 minutes' drive), Vancouver
Island's second-largest lake. The 32-kilometer-long (20-mile) inland waterway, called
Kaatza (Land Warmed by Sun) by local Coast Salish, is a popular spot for water sports,
most notably tubing down the river and fishing—the lake and river are well stocked with
kokanee and trout (steelhead, rainbow, brown, and cutthroat). Boat-launching facilities
and excellent campsites are found at regular intervals along the lakeshore. Numerous log-
ging roads, some paved, encircle the lake (75 kilometers/47 miles round-trip) and provide
hikers access into the adjacent wilderness, which includes the legendary
Carmanah Val-
ley
in Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park.
The lakeside village of
Lake Cowichan
(pop. 3,500) lies on the eastern arm of
Cowichan Lake, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Duncan. Campers have the choice of
staying at the local municipal campground,
Lakeview Park
(3 kilometers/1.9 miles west
