The Boat
Our 23’ Mastercraft Maristar gives us access to beautiful Sproat Lake. We love cruising the shoreline with a cooler full of cold beverages and maybe some cheese and crackers. Cliff jumping and rope swings are a favourite activity with wake surfing on the way there! Swimming in a remote bay surrounded by mountains and trees is also a great way to spend time with family and friends.
ATV Trails
Directly across the street is an ATV path with access to thousands of kilometers of trails. The trails connect to remote lakes, waterfalls, caves and beautiful view points.
Hiking
There are many mountain trails and trails through the temperate rain forest within a few minutes. Giant cedar and douglas fir trees grow in our forests and are magnificent to see. Popular mountain peaks are Mt. Arrowsmith & Mt. Klitsa which are full day hikes. There are some great smaller hikes close by as well.
Swimming with Salmon
When we are not fishing for salmon we like to go to our favourite lagoon in the river and watch the salmon swimming upstream as they return to their spawning grounds in Sproat Lake and its feeder rivers. Warm water from Sproat Lake pours into Sproat River and our lagoon, which provides an excellent place to snorkel with the salmon and observe them swimming all around you as they travel upstream. There are also a couple of fish ladders in the area where you can see the salmon without getting in the water.
Caving
It's about a 1.5 hr drive to the Horne Lake Caves, where you can get a guided tour of three spectacular caves. It's a great family activity. For the more adventurous try the advanced tour where you repel into the depths for an entire day. There are also numerous abandoned mines and a secret cave that we ATV to.
Fishing
Salmon fishing is huge on the west coast. Port Alberni bills itself as “the salmon fishing capital of the world” and it is only 15 minutes away. Fishing is sometimes better off the west coast where we fish amongst the whales in the open Pacific Ocean. Ucluelet is only 1.25 hrs away and has some of the biggest salmon and halibut in the world. We've had great times catching salmon and halibut with our 18' Double Eagle fishing boat. We like to smoke our salmon and it's a great appetizer for happy hour on the dock. The lake is also full of trout. Only a few minutes away is some of the best steelhead fishing in the world on the Stamp River.
Kayaking
We have 4 kayaks and one canoe to cruise the lake and explore. Our protected swim area is perfect for teaching the kids how to kayak safely. The wind often comes up in the afternoon which is great for small sailboats. For the adventurous there is great kayaking on the Taylor River close by.
Whale Watching
Tofino is a small tourist town on the rugged west coast, a scenic 1.5 hr drive from the lake. Enjoy activities such as whale watching, surfing, wildlife viewing, fishing charters and beach combing. See Grey & Humpback whales as they make their way up the west coast, which is also home to killer whales year round. There are plenty of tour operators that will take you to see these magnificent creatures.
