Schoen Lake Provincial Park
Shoen Lake Provincial Park is a small Vancouver Island campground tucked away in the Nimpkish Valley, about 140 km (87 miles) north of Campbell River. It is an adventure just travelling the 12 km (7.5 miles) stretch of logging road to get there! You really need a 4-wheel drive or truck with good clearance and top-rate suspension system to navigate around the deep potholes. The campground has only 9 campsites, all within spitting distance of the beach. Once you are there, you are almost guaranteed to find peace and quiet.
Jeanette and I starting out on an adventure!
My husband Bob and myself, and our camping buddies Jeanette and Dennis had a great time paddling around the lake to the different beaches, searching out the creeks and wee brooks.
One of several beaches with creeks trickling into the lake
Schoen Lake has a good reputation for fishing, although we were skunked (no fish caught). There is no boat launch, but small boats can be set afloat from the small rocky beach.
From the rocky beach
I don’t recommend this campground for young families. There are no hikes on this side of the lake, no playgrounds and the water is very cold. There is a pit toilet, but you must bring in your own water.
Bob and Dennis searching for the elusive trail
Several hiking sites and books mention trails around Schoen Lake, but we were unable to find them. The forest and overgrown underbrush has hidden any trace of a fabricated trail. I would love to hear from someone who knows more about the trails and has hiked them!
The thick underbrush where it is rumoured to once have been hiking trails
2017 was a terrible year for forest fires in BC, and northern Vancouver Island had their fair share. While we were camping at Schoen Lake, fires were burning in nearby Mount Cain. Schoen Lake is about 5 km long, and the water-bearing helicopters would hover over this stretch and fill their huge buckets. We sat on the beach at the end of the lake and watched as they glided towards us, and then they would rise with their full buckets, fly over our site, and continue on to drop the water where it was needed most. We would always wave. Didn’t see anyone wave back, and figured the pilots were too focussed on their task to notice us. But on the last fly past, the pilot gently tilted the bucket, lightly showering us and our campsite. The Mount Cain fire was extinguished.
Bear claw marks – we were not alone!
Log jams from years of winter storms cover the shoreline along the campground and a colony of deer mice have taken up residence within the rotting wood. We had no idea of this until that first evening, as we settled down in our beds and all was quiet. Then came the scraping and scampering of hundreds of little feet as they searched our campsite for edibles.
Our campsite with mess of logs on the left side. Perfect mouse habitat!
The next evening the mice were bolder and came out of hiding while we were still up. They tried to explore our vehicles, as well as the grounds, garbage, and anything that was left out. We chased them away from the vehicles, but one stalwart little guy found his way into the walls of the camper van and we couldn’t get him out. I had no idea one mouse could make so much noise! We tried to find him, but soon gave up. In the morning, there were chewed open packages of several dry foods. Fortunately, most of our food was in the cooler. We now put all our food in animal proof containers!
Our little friend ended up travelling back home to Victoria with us, where he was quickly dispatched. We have now added a mousetrap to our camping list. When you commune with nature, nature will commune back!
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