Canada's Lesser-Known Park Is A Secluded Island Escape With Mountain Views, Forest Hiking, And Quiet Camping

If you're spending time in Canada and really want to get away from it all, Woss Lake Provincial Park is a good bet. Even by British Columbia standards, Woss Lake is pretty far out there. From Vancouver, you have to cross the Salish Sea to Vancouver Island, most likely by ferry. Then you have to drive 245 miles along the coast, a journey that could easily take 5 hours (minus stops). Highway 19 is a journey of woods and mountains, seascapes and vast expanses of undeveloped land. When you reach the town of Woss, it's just a couple of miles farther to the northern tip of the lake, where you'll find a rustic camping area. In other words, you don't end up in this park by accident; you really have to earn it.

Once you arrive in this lesser-known park, you may feel like you're the first person ever to come here. Woss Lake is undeveloped, meaning there are no structures or established facilities; there's a handy access road, but beyond that, you should treat the park like a full-on wilderness. You can't walk into a visitor center and pick up a map and brochure. Instead, you'll find a secluded island escape with steeply sloped shores blanketed in evergreens. This is a perfect stop on Vancouver's easy soft-roading adventure loop for tourist-free forests and beaches. 

At first glance, this is Pacific Canada at its prime: The forests are composed of fir, cedar, hemlock, and spruce, and the steep edges rises into nearby hills and mountains. The steel-colored waters are calm most of the time, mirroring the frequent cloud-cover above. One of the best ways to experience this lake is to paddle it: You can bring your own kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddle board to a launch on the north end of the lake. Navigate these waters and shores to your heart's content, then step onto shore anywhere you like. The lake is wide open to explorers, and you may not run into another visitor all day. The far-north water is cold most of the year, but high-summer visitors may enjoy a dip.

Hiking is also an option, using a network of forestry roads on the east side of the lake. This route makes up a segment of the Vancouver Island Trail, a 500-mile path that crosses the entire land mass. There is no infrastructure, so hikers should come prepared with camping gear and provisions. If you're really ambitious, you can try to take on Rugged Mountain, which rises 6,105 feet above sea level. True to its name, this mountain is only suited to serious mountaineers; access is difficult and the upper reaches are perilously steep (and largely ice-encrusted). Assume you'll need a small arsenal of climbing equipment and strong backcountry experience. Like British Columbia's third-largest provincial park, this is a secluded Canadian gem with mountain views and camping.

The only realistic way to get to Woss Lake is to drive here; there is no public transit, and even the smallest regional airports are pretty far away. The town of Woss has one established place to stay, the Rugged Mountain Motel. The good news (for avid outdoorspeople, anyway) is that you can legally camp just about anywhere in the provincial park; there are no established sites in the northern half of the lake, even at the camping area, which means you can set up your tent wherever it make sense to do so. At the southern end of the lake, you may find a shelter, some platforms, and a composting toilet, but that's about it. All this freedom means that visitors should observe a "leave no trace" policy.

As a general rule, take extra care in Woss Lake Provincial Park. You may only have yourself for company, and there are no easy ways out if something goes wrong. You're unlikely to cross paths with a park ranger, and the closest general hospital is in Port McNeill, about 40 minutes away from the town of Woss by car. Bring food, weather-ready layers, and a water filter, along with other survival essentials. If you're looking for other extreme getaways on Vancouver Island, its 'wild west coast' is a dreamy adventure with diving, surfing, trails, and rainforests.