Ida Lake Campground

What Is Ida Lake Campground

Ida Lake Campground is a beautiful campground with 7 campsites, two pit toilets, picnic tables, fire rings/rock pits and a nice boat launch. It is a free campground open all year but hard to access during the winter months with heavy snowfall. The campsites are well maintained but some of the picnic tables need replacing. Others have been replaced and donated by some local resorts and First Nations.

There are a couple campsites with grassy areas perfect for setting up tents. Most campsites get limited sun during the day but the ones close to the boat launch get sun for most of the day.

The last campsite has a make shift dock from a fallen tree in the water which has lost its bark over the years. When I was there a beat up canoe was on the beach but I didn’t trust it enough to try it out and I had brought my own boat with me.

Ida Lake is a very pretty lake with the Bonanza River entering on the south eastern side of the lake and leaving on the north western side of the lake. From there it joins up with the Kokish River and flows into Beaver Cove. There are trails from the campground following the river to where it meets the Kokish River.

A gravel road crosses over a bridge with a beautiful view of the river leaving the lake with some nice mountain peaks in the background.

The campground was originally managed by Timber West which is now managed by Mosaic and I am not sure if they are still responsible for managing the campground or if it is now a user maintained campground similar to Bonanza Lake Campground.

Where is Ida Lake Campground

To find Ida Lake Campground you have to drive north from Campbell River for km to the Beaver Cove (Telegraph Cove) turn off. Follow the paved road until you get to the Beaver Cove junction and take a left. Then turn right onto the Kokish Main road and drive to the 12.5 km mark.

The road to the campground turnoff was in good shape when I visited with a few potholes but overall quite smooth to drive. You will pass the dam at the 12km mark. At the 12.5 km mark there is a logging dolly at the junction with a sign that says Ida Lake Campground.

Turn right onto the Ida Lake Road and stay to your left for about 1km where you enter the campground. There is no loop in the campground road but if no one is camping in the empty area at the end you can use it to turn around.

The first time I was in the area back in 2021, I took the Branch 80 road across from the Zeballos turnoff of highway 19. It was about 13km to Bonanza Lake Campground from there. I didn’t visit Ida Lake (15km further) at that time however because of time constraints. I have since learned that a bridge had washed out on that road a couple years back and I haven’t driven it to confirm. If you decide to try your luck be prepared to have to turn around if the bridge hasn’t been repaired.

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Tidbits

Fishing At Ida Lake

Fishing is good at Ida Lake for Rainbow Trout but there are strict regulations for the lake. There is a bait ban and single barbless hooks are required for your tackle. I talked to the Conservation Officer while there and was told that crimping your barbs is okay as long as it passes the cloth test. In other words when running a piece of cloth over the barb it doesn’t catch.

Make sure you check the freshwater fishing synopsis before you fish in case the regulations have changed since I fished here.

While I was there I had some luck using a Mepps spinner and Black Fly/Mosquito fly patterns but only got one in the boat. All the others were what I call a long line release. The barbless hooks did what they were designed to do. The Rainbow Trout that I did land was 9 inches and very tasty that night.

The lake is shallow at the campground end around the shoreline but deeper water can be found a short distance off shore. I paddled to the far end where it was deeper and found the same results. Although there I saw a small herd of elk and lots of ducks. I also heard a wolf in the distance talking to its pack but never got to see it or the pack.

While there I hooked about 5 Trout and lost them all. I did have one nice one on for a while and it leaped out of the water on numerous occasions but alas it shook the hook in the end.

I also tried my luck in the river and hooked a couple nice Rainbows which shook the hook but provided an exciting aerial show both times. The regulations for fishing the river are the same for the lake but wild Rainbow Trout cannot be kept and must be released.

There are some nice Steelhead in the river but I didn’t fish for them because I didn’t have a Steelhead tag. I did however see a very large one swimming in the pool below the Kokish River bridge on the main road just before the campground turn off.

Walk Thru Video Of The Campground

Summing Up Ida Lake Campground

My adventure to Ida Lake Campground was very rewarding in the sense that it was a serene experience and the weather was awesome while I was there. The mornings were foggy but warm and when the fog lifted the sun got pretty hot throughout the day.

The wind picked up in the afternoon which made it tough for boating but kept the bugs away and added some relief to the heat stress. The evenings were awesome with perfect views of the universe above and the sound of frogs croaking around the lake.

I kept my campfires small due to the heat and dryness in the area even though there was no campfire ban as of yet. Just didn’t feel comfortable having a large fire and because I was by myself there was no need for one any how.

You can’t go wrong by visiting the Ida Lake Campground as it is a very beautiful place for sure. I highly recommend it if you haven’t been there.

As always please pack out what you pack in and a little extra if you see someone else’s garbage left behind. Take care of Vancouver Island’s campsites and we can continue to use them for generations to come. Not to mention feel good about ourselves in the process.

One last thing, always ensure you are responsible with your campfires. Follow the law and keep a shovel and 20 litre pail of water nearby in case sparks land on the many grasses and pine needles etc that are around the campground area. Never leave a campfire unattended for any reason and ensure it is out before going to bed and leaving for home.

All it takes is one mistake or overlooked step and a forest fire can spring up quicker than you might think. Every year forest fires are started by careless campers who don’t understand the importance or just aren’t educated in campfire etiquette.

For more information on the current status of campfires and bans visit the BC Wildfire Service.

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