Nitinat Lake
Encyclopedia
Nitinat Lake is a large lake
and inlet
on the southwestern coast
of Vancouver Island
, British Columbia
, Canada
. The lake is about 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) northwest by road from Victoria
, BC's capital on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, and about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) southeast by road from the town of Lake Cowichan. The town of Port Alberni is about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) by road to the north.
The southern end of the lake lies in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
, which also contains Nitinat Hill on the lake's northern shore and Nitinat Cone on the southern shore. Hitchie Creek Provincial Park
and Nitinat Lake Ecological Reserve lie on opposite sides of the lakeshore about a third of the way from the lake's northern shore and headwaters, which is fed by the Nitinat River and the Little Nitinat River. On the lake's eastern shore lie Mt. Rosander and the foot of Carmanah Mountain, the eastern part of which is in Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park
.
Nitinat Lake drains into the Pacific Ocean
just north of the Pacific entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
via the Nitinat Narrows, a narrow tidal passage about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long. Tidal bore
s (ocean waves traveling up the lake) occur on the Narrows, the heights of which depend on tide heights, and these can be dangerous. The small First Nations
village of Whyac lies on the southern lakeshore beside Nitinat Narrows and just north of the First Nations village of Clo-oose, also on the coast.
in North America, which attracts windsurfers from around the world.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
and inlet
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
on the southwestern coast
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The lake is about 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) northwest by road from Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, BC's capital on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, and about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) southeast by road from the town of Lake Cowichan. The town of Port Alberni is about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) by road to the north.
The southern end of the lake lies in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a Canadian national park reserve in British Columbia made up of three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. The entire park encompasses 511 km² of land and ocean. The park is characterized by rugged coasts and...
, which also contains Nitinat Hill on the lake's northern shore and Nitinat Cone on the southern shore. Hitchie Creek Provincial Park
Hitchie Creek Provincial Park
Hitchie Creek Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, west of the north end of Nitinat Lake in the West Coast of Vancouver Island region, northeast of Bamfield.-References:...
and Nitinat Lake Ecological Reserve lie on opposite sides of the lakeshore about a third of the way from the lake's northern shore and headwaters, which is fed by the Nitinat River and the Little Nitinat River. On the lake's eastern shore lie Mt. Rosander and the foot of Carmanah Mountain, the eastern part of which is in Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park
Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park
Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park, originally Carmanah Pacific Provincial Park, covers a land area of 16,450 ha immediately adjacent to Pacific Rim National Park Reserve's West Coast Trail on south-west Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada...
.
Nitinat Lake drains into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
just north of the Pacific entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
via the Nitinat Narrows, a narrow tidal passage about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long. Tidal bore
Tidal bore
A tidal bore is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave of water that travel up a river or narrow bay against the direction of the river or bay's current...
s (ocean waves traveling up the lake) occur on the Narrows, the heights of which depend on tide heights, and these can be dangerous. The small First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
village of Whyac lies on the southern lakeshore beside Nitinat Narrows and just north of the First Nations village of Clo-oose, also on the coast.
Recreation
Nitinat Lake has some of the most consistent winds in the world and offers some of the best windsurfingWindsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
in North America, which attracts windsurfers from around the world.