LAKE COWICHAN OVERVIEW

Lake Cowichan is one of those towns that feels like it’s in a world outside of time. I’ve been visiting Lake Cowichan since I was in elementary school, and apart from a few new shops and restaurants, a very nice new rec center / ice rink and a new(ish) grocery store, it still feels much the same as it did 30 years ago. As a lakefront community, it serves as the local shopping and services hub for the folks who live around Cowichan Lake and is also a very popular tourism destination in the warmer summer months. With a population just under three thousand, it has most of what’s needed for daily life, but still maintains a very unique and laid-back small town character. 

Originally founded to serve the local forestry industry, Lake Cowichan has grown over the years to stray somewhat from its blue collar roots, and is now centered around the summer tourism industry and serving the relatively affluent folks who live the many gorgeous waterfront and lakeside properties surrounding Cowichan Lake. There has been a great deal of suburban style development in the areas immediately surrounding Cowichan Lake in recent years too, with hundreds of new single family detached homes, townhouses and condos being built, drawing in a new population of largely retirees and remote workers attracted to the lakefront lifestyle. This development has led to the creation of many new businesses, as while Duncan is just a short (and honestly pretty pleasant) 30 minute drive away, the growing population around Cowichan Lake has required Lake Cowichan to expand the amenities it offers to serve all the newcomers and tourists alike. 

Summer is when Lake Cowichan truly comes alive, as with many other “Tourist” towns, Lake Cowichan’s population swells significantly between May and September, with as many as 50,000 visitors to the Cowichan Lake region each year. Largely drawn by the amazing boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and relaxing available on and around the lake, Lake Cowichan is one of those places where many residents first visited for a summer vacation before deciding to relocate there permanently. There are a number of hotels, motels and AirBnB type lodgings available in the town, and dozens of campgrounds both private and public around the lake. Cowichan Lake is also home to two large annual Country Music Festivals, the Lake Town Shake Down and Sunfest, both held at the nearby (but fortunately not in earshot) Laketown Ranch campground. 

LAKE COWICHAN AMENITIES

As a “Tourist” town Lake Cowichan has amenities far greater than its small population would suggest. There’s a decent sized grocery store, a general store, a hardware store, a few pharmacies, an auto-parts store, some touristy boutiques, some nice local cafes and plenty of restaurants. Some stand out local favorites include JV’s Diner, a kitschy diner serving family friendly pub faire and pizza that’s been operating out of the same location since 1984. Their milkshakes made with Island Farms ice cream are a delightful treat in the summer. Jakes at the Lakes has a very nice patio overlooking the lake and serves great bistro style cuisine and Lakeside Sushi is a fantastic little sushi spot, and might actually be my favorite sushi spot in the whole Cowichan Valley. Perhaps the best little hidden gem in town though is Ed’s Coffeehouse, a funky little coffee shop and cafe run by an actual guy named Ed, operating out of a little hole-in-the-wall spot that features some great local art and occasionally hosts live music.  

For those with school aged children, Lake Cowichan is served by separate public elementary and secondary schools, both located within the town limits, and is also home to the private Lake Cowichan School, though fees do apply. As Lake Cowichan has a sizable senior citizen population, there are also numerous medical services available in the town core, with a walk-in clinic, public health unit, multiple family and specialist doctors offices and numerous pharmacies. There is unfortunately no hospital in Lake Cowichan, but the Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital is only around a less than 30 minute drive away, and the new, much larger hospital currently under construction in Duncan will even be a few minutes closer. 

RECREATION AND ADVENTURE ON THE WATER

Indoor recreation options in Lake Cowichan are somewhat limited, though the new rec center and ice rink is an amazing and modern facility that has quickly become a hub for the local community with it’s extensive programming for kids and families. The Cowichan Rocks curling facility has four sheets and offers classes to introduce new players to the sport. There’s also a charming heritage bowling alley in YouBou a short drive away that is one of the oldest still operating bowling alleys anywhere in Canada that also has Friday night family movie nights. A few local restaurants and cafes like Ed’s mentioned above also host live music nights. There’s also an outdoor pickleball court in town run by the Cowichan Lake Pickleball Club that’s seen a surge in popularity in recent years. 

If I’m being honest though, no one is really choosing to live in Lake Cowichan for indoor recreation, when literally steps away are some of the most amazing outdoor recreation options available anywhere in the world. Cowichan Lake is clearly the star of the show here, and is a truly fantastic lake for boating, wake-boarding, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding, etc., and has many wonderful public beaches for swimming in the warmer summer months. At over 30 KM long and up to 4 KM wide, the lake features literally hundreds of bays and many small islands just waiting to be explored. The many streams and creeks that feed into the lake also offer some exceptional fishing for those willing to head upstream and find a secluded fishing hole. 

The hills and mountains surrounding Cowichan Lake also offer dozens of kilometers of hiking and mountain biking trails, which has quickly made the Cowichan Lake region a globally recognized destination for mountain bikers. Lake Cowichan is also the gateway to the Pacific Marine Highway, a new paved route connecting all the way through to Port Renfrew on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and with many hundreds of KMs of logging roads branching off the highway, there are innumerable options for ATVing, dirt biking and 4x4ing just a few KMs from the town of Lake Cowichan. 

WORKING IN LAKE COWICHAN

Lake Cowichan is a fairly small community, and thus options for local employment are somewhat limited. Outside of retail, construction trades, health services and forestry, there aren’t really many “Industries” in Lake Cowichan per se, but the growing tourism industry does provide some fresh opportunities for folks able to manage the seasonality inherent in tourism. Many locals work in tourism for the summer season, and then pursue other employment the remainder of the year, though this can prove challenging if not properly planned for. Education and medical services are likely the most in-demand reasonably well paid local jobs, as with multiple local schools, clinics and pharmacies, and the ongoing province wide teacher, nurse and doctor shortages, there will likely continue to be ample opportunities for folks moving to Lake Cowichan to find employment in those areas.

There are also some great opportunities for the more entrepreneurially minded in Lake Cowichan, as the town, while offering most of the necessities for daily life, is still small and has not seem a substantial amount of new businesses created in recent years, so folks with a sound business plan and a solid understanding of local market conditions should be able to make a new venture work with sufficient funding and patience. Lake Cowichan is also ideally suited for remote workers, as there is fast internet available to most properties in town and in the surrounding areas, meaning those who are able to bring their remote jobs with them should have no problems staying connected and productive. Lastly, Duncan is only a short 20-30 minute drive away, and does offer greater opportunities for employment, so would be a fairly manageable commute for anyone living in Lake Cowichan. Nanaimo at about 60 minutes away is also a somewhat reasonable commute (though pushing it in my opinion), but Victoria at a 1 hour and 20 minute drive away (and that’s not even factoring in the frequent closures on the Malahat and the infamous Colwood crawl) would very much not be a commute I’d personally recommend. 

SHOULD I CONSIDER LIVING IN LAKE COWICHAN?

Lake Cowichan is first and foremost for folks looking for that lakeside lifestyle. If you’re passionate about boating, fishing, paddling, etc., and are looking for a relaxed small town atmosphere, Lake Cowichan could be the ideal fit for you. Retirees and remote workers are probably the two group of people best suited to relocating to Lake Cowichan, as there are many (surprisingly affordable) 55+ condos available in Lake Cowichan for seniors living on a budget, and people earning “Big city” incomes via remote work, will find Lake Cowichan real estate relatively affordable compared to what you might be used to. Lake Cowichan could also be a good fit for people currently living elsewhere in the Cowichan Valley who already have well established local careers but are looking for a change of scenery and are planning for retirement already, as depending on your working situation it may not be that much more of a commute, and the drive to and from Lake Cowichan is honestly rather pleasant. 

Single working age folks and young families may find Lake Cowichan a challenge though, as a substantial proportion of the housing available in Lake Cowichan is 55+, and family friendly condos or single detached homes will be somewhat more expensive compared to many other Vancouver Island communities that don’t happen to be beside one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. 

If your budget and work situation allows though, Lake Cowichan would actually be a pretty fantastic place to raise a family. It has some great local schools, and has all the amenities you need for day-to-day family life in town, with the expanded shopping and services options of Duncan just a short 20-30 minute drive away, yet has that kind of friendly small town character that’s becoming increasingly hard to find in our modern world. Lake Cowichan is very much the kind of place where you could feel safe letting your kids ride their bikes around the neighborhood and to friend’s houses on a summer afternoon, and offers tons of “Natural” recreation opportunities to keep kids entertained that many other communities will be lacking.   

Overall Lake Cowichan is a truly wonderful community that offers an exceptional quality of life and some absolutely amazing opportunities for outdoor recreation and adventure, so get in touch if you'd like some help finding a property in Lake Cowichan to call home!