Woss Lake Campground is a rustic campsite built where the Woss River leaves the lake and makes its way towards the Village of Woss while heading towards the Nimpkish Valley.
History has it that the village of Woss in British Columbia Canada was built in 1948 by Canadian Forest Products (Canfor).
The logging camp was to be the main headquarters and maintenance yard for the extension of the Beaver Cove railway into the Nimpkish Valley. It wasn’t until the mid 1960’s that road access was built in the area.
It didn’t take the local loggers long to discover the beautiful Woss Lake nestled among the Haihte Range of mountains which contain some of the largest remaining glaciers on Vancouver Island.
Woss Lake Provincial Park
The southern part of the watershed is shadowed by the northern slope of Rugged Mountain which is also the gateway to the Oolichan Trail.
The Oolichan Trail can be accessed in Woss Lake Provincial Park and will hike you through some of the most remote wilderness that Vancouver Island has to offer as you make your way to Tahsis Inlet in Nootka Sound.
The trail was used by the Namgis First Nation to trade with the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation as well as a route to the waters of Nootka Sound.
Within the provincial park there are a few sites with wooden tent pads and a compost toilet.
Overall the best opportunity for a proper campground lies at the other end of Woss Lake near the village of Woss.
Inside The Campground
Woss Lake Campground has two entrances with the first one being the loop road that winds around the campsites past the log cabins and boat launch until you exit back onto Rona Road.
The second entrance allows you to access the top campsite or follow the road down to the boat ramp and loop back to the first entrance.
Top campsite will hold quite a few campers or motorhomes as it is a fairly good size.
This campground offers 24 self maintained campsites with fire rings, picnic tables and pit toilets.
The toilets are in rough shape but usable while a couple are in good shape.
There is a natural sandy boat launch and a dock to park your boat at.
The dock is broken into two sections with no walkway between the two when I was there.
There are holes in the planks on the dock so be careful when walking on it.
The water looks deep enough to fish and although I didn’t toss out a line, I did see trout rising nearby.
The campsite is a little rough but overall I liked the remoteness and obviously there is some history as there are two derelict log cabins by the waters edge that were probably built in the days before road access to the lake.
Possibly trappers cabins or a local who built them I couldn’t be sure as there was no one around to ask.
Woss Lake Geography
Woss Lake is roughly 11 (18km) miles long, 491 feet above sea level, with a surface area of 3447 hectares and a maximum depth of 504 feet.
The lake, surrounding rivers and streams are important salmon habitat with nice resident Cutthroat Trout caught regularly.
Woss River flows from the north end of the lake into the Nimpkish River and from there into the ocean on the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Here are three pdf links to depth contour maps of Woss Lake for you to print or look at to understand the depths and contours of the lake itself.
These are not nautical charts so don’t rely on them for accuracy in navigation.
woss lake lower | woss lake central | woss lake upper
How To Get To Woss Lake Campground
To get to the Woss Lake Campground, you need to drive to Campbell River or Gold River and head north from there.
The highway from Campbell River is paved all the way to the village of Woss while the road from Gold River is gravel and should only be used by vehicles with good clearance and in excellent condition.
Coming up from Gold River will also take you past Muchalat Lake Campground, Klaklakama Lake Campground, Vernon Lake Campground and Schoen Lake Campground.
North of the Village of Woss is the Zeballos Forest Services Road where you can find Anutz Lake Campground and Atluck Lake Campground. East of the turnoff is Bonanza Lake Campground.
So there are plenty of campsites available along the way if you need to spend a night to catch some rest before heading to Woss Lake Campground. Or have to find another place to camp if Woss Lake Campground is full.
The distance from Campbell River to Woss is 128 km using highway 19.
Then the distance from the village of Woss to the Woss Lake Campground is about 3-5 km following Rona Road.
Once arriving in Woss, you will follow the main street of Englewood Drive to Railway Ave and turn left.
Once you cross the Nimpkish River bridge you will stay to your right and end up on Rona Road.
Use the form below to find out how to get to Woss Lake Campground using Google Maps.
Here is a pdf map of how to get to the lake using Rona Road from the Village of Woss after leaving highway 19 as Google Maps will tell you to go the Nimpkish Road way and that will take you another 20-40 minutes out of your way.
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Nice article on Woss Lake. I used to work there in the days when there was only access from Gold River and not Sayward. The lake back then was very good fishing for trout and salmon that made their way up the Nimpkish watershed to spawn. Thanks for the video walk through as I’d forgotten what the campsite looked like. Maybe the wife and I will see you there sometime as I am making plans as we speak to visit either this fall or next spring. Happy Travels!!
Lloyd, glad you like our article and video walk though.
You may see me there in the fall if you show up then as I want to go back and try some fishing and get to the other end to view the wood carvings in the tree in Woss Lake Provincial Park and check out the campsites there also.
Hi is there drinkable water there? Thanks.
Hi Leanne, I didn’t see any potable water when I was there.
Woss is only a few minutes away and there is potable water there.
Thanks for your question.
Is it busy at the campground during juli?
Hi Eva, the campground will be busy in July however, there should be a good turnover also so you shouldn’t have any issues when looking for a site.
How do you get a site?
Hi Chris, getting a site at the Woss Lake Campground is on a first come, first served basis so you just show up.
It is start of September is the camp sites open ? And rates?
Hi Jen, as far as I know the campsite is open year round and last time I was there in September it was free.
Hope this helps.
Is the campground open right now??
Hi Kate, I couldn’t tell you if it is or isn’t. With the onslaught of Covid19 restrictions are being put in place as we speak.
You might want to try contacting the village of Woss for more info. I suspect that it isn’t.
Here is a link with some phone numbers on it: https://www.rdmw.bc.ca/our-communities/woss/
Not sure how far the Woss airstrip is from the campground but I flew my family there in my Piper Tri-Pacer and meet friends who had driven up from Victoria-Metchosin back in the 70’s.. We knew there were bears just waiting to come after any food left out, or inside tents. So we carefully put our leftovers into the provided metal garbage cans, even though they were close to our tents. So I rigged up buckets of water maybe 6 or 8 feet about the cans with a rope tied to one of the lids. After putting out our fire and retiring for the night, in minutes there was a huge crash and bang as the water came down on an very aggressive and surprised bear! It was no-where to be seen as I checked with a flashlight. We had a quiet night after that 🙂
Cliff, thanks for the great story!
May have to try that technique some day. 😉 😉
Do you know if the camp spot at the South end is easy to find from the water and if it has bear caches?
Thanks!
Hi Ian, sorry for the delay in responding to your request.
The camp spot at the south end isn’t too hard to find.
I am not sure if there is a bear cache but you could just take a long rope and make one yourself.
First time heading into Woss, Are there many spots for trailers in the campground?
Hi Trevor, sorry for the delay in responding to your request.
Last time I camped at Woss there was plenty of campsites large enough for trailers.
We are planning of visiting towards the 20th of August, would there be a problem to find Tent Spots
Andre, I don’t imagine there will be a problem but with the covid-19 stage 3 implementation there has been a surge of campers due to not being able to plan their trips similar to last year.
Do you know what the road is like from Woss? No problem for a van? Thanks!
Hi Rob, the road to the campgrounds from Woss is gravel and in good shape.
You shouldn’t have any issues.
Is the campsite open in the winter? Looking for a place to park the trailer as a base camp for access to Mt Cain.
Hi Andrew, sorry for the late reply.
As far as I remember Woss Campground is open during the winter months but nothing written in stone with Covid-19.
Good luck and enjoy Mt Cain it is a beautiful place to ski.
Is the campsite open in the winter? Looking for a place to park the trailer as a base camp for access to Mt Cain.
Edwin, thanks for your question.
I believe there may be one or two spots where a travel trailer that size my fit but I wouldn’t want to try it during the peak season.
Is there first come first serve camping or available reservations available?
Hi Chris, last time I was there it was first come first served only.
You may be able to talk to the camp host if there is one still there.
Is there cell service in this area?
Hi Sander, thanks for your question.
There wasn’t when I was there a few years ago but a lot has changed over the years.
Even Gold River has cell service now so maybe Woss too?
Great article! Just wondering if there is cell service at the campsite? Just for emergencies:)
Hi Fernando, Thanks for the accolades.
There wasn’t cell service when I camped there a few years back but that could have changed.
Let us know when you get back if it is now available.
Hello,
I am planning to cross Canada on my Touring bike, I am flying from Montreal to Vancouver on May 20 and planning to stop around Woss Lake Campground at the end of the day May 23. Can I reserve a tent site
Thank you.
Hi Michael, thanks for visiting our website.
To answer your question, Woss Lake campground is a first come, first served type of recreation site.
This means at the present time there are no reservations.
May 23 is the day after the long weekend so there should be sites open as everyone heads back to work the day before.
You could probably check with the local gas station on your way in for more information or someone to contact about the campsite.
I’ll do a little digging also as it has been a while since I’ve been there myself and I plan to visit this year to update my article.
Check back here in a few weeks or so to see what I’ve found out.
Is there a fee for camping at Woss Lake? Heading there tomorrow and hoping to camp for a night on the way to Little Huson Park.
Hi Katherine, my sincere apologies for the late reply.
Hopefully you discovered it is still free.
I was there a few years ago and there was a camp host but it was free to camp there.
Little Huson Caves are magnificent and I am sure you will enjoy them.
Hope your trip was a special one and you created some excellent memories.
Hi how much is camping at woss lake per night there is no mention of fees thanks.
Hi Leslie, thanks for your question. Camping at Woss Lake was free last time I was there.
I haven’t heard different from anyone recently so you should be okay.
Have fun Woss Lake is a beautiful lake.
Too many 🦟 Outhouses not maintained. People leave their garbage.
Hi L, thanks for the update.
Sorry to hear that no work has been done to improve the outhouses.
Shame that some people still leaving garbage behind in this day and age.
Hopefully this didn’t effect your enjoying the camping trip too much.
Hi, Is the campground open in April and May?
Hi Frank, thanks for your question. Sorry for the late reply. Yes Woss Lake Campground is open in April and May. Enjoy your stay.
Hi Woss Lake Campground,
Just wondering what the typical weather is like at the end of September?, 🙂
Hi Raeanne, thanks for your question. The typical weather for northern Vancouver Island at the end of September is usually damp but the last couple of years it has been dry and warm. However, the weather gods are calling for a damper year this year so time will tell. Hope this helps and have fun on your camping trip.