Cameron Lake (British Columbia)

Cameron Lake
Cameron Lake in winter from Beaufort Picnic Site with railway trestle in background
Cameron Lake is located in Vancouver Island
Cameron Lake
Cameron Lake
LocationVancouver Island, British Columbia
Coordinates49°17′30″N 124°37′30″W / 49.29167°N 124.62500°W / 49.29167; -124.62500
Basin countriesCanada
Surface area477 ha (1,180 acres)
Surface elevation184 m (604 ft)

Cameron Lake is a lake in central Vancouver Island located 15 km east of Port Alberni, on the north side of Highway 4. It has an area of 477 hectares and an elevation of 184 metres above sea level. The lake is between Mount Arrowsmith to the south and Mount Wesley to the north. The lake was named by Captain Richards in 1860 for David Cameron, the first Chief Justice of Vancouver Island.[1][2]

The entire southern shore of the lake is incorporated in the Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park[3]

A popular folktale is that a train came crashing down the mountain from the Island Rail Corridor, this however is false.

Reports of peculiar sightings in the lake's waters and the local legend of resident lake monster, nicknamed Cammie, remain popular.

In the summer of 2009, the B.C. Cryptozoology Club was not able to identify the source of earlier sightings of what may have been a large trout or something larger leading to speculation about some sort of sea serpent.[4][5] In February 2016 researcher John Kirk and his team detected something big in the water, however, their underwater camera became detached. Kirk speculates the mysterious lake creature could be a giant sturgeon, a huge eel or a massive salamander.[6]

Cameron Lake, BC at dusk, viewed from the north
  • Cameron Lake
    Cameron Lake
  • View of Cameron Lake from shore
    View of Cameron Lake from shore
  • Aerial view of Cameron Lake
    Aerial view of Cameron Lake
  1. ^ "Cameron Lake". BC Geographical Names.
  2. ^ Walbran, Captain John T. (1971), British Columbia Place Names, Their Origin and History (Facsimile reprint of 1909 ed.), Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, p. 79, ISBN 0-88894-143-9, archived from the original on 2016-03-03, retrieved 2009-10-07
  3. ^ BC Parks.
  4. ^ CTV News (October 4, 2009), What lurks at the bottom of B.C.'s Cameron Lake?, archived from the original on 2009-10-06, retrieved 2009-10-05
  5. ^ CBC (September 20, 2009), Mysterious creature lurking in Vancouver Island lake, retrieved 2009-10-06
  6. ^ CBC News (February 12, 2016), Mysterious creature lurking in Vancouver Island lake, retrieved 2016-02-15