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Striking west into the hills from Hwy 1 north of Duncan, Hwy 18 enters the Cowichan Valley and fetches up at Cowichan Lake, the largest freshwater lake on the island. Rather than drive, however, the nicest way up the valley is to walk the eighteen-kilometre Cowichan Valley Footpath , following the river from Glenora (a hamlet southwest of Duncan at the end of Robertson Rd) to Lake Cowichan Village on the lake's eastern shore. You could do the trip in a day, camp en route, or turn around at Skutz Falls and climb up to the Riverbottom Road to return to Duncan which would be a half-day walk. A road, rough in parts, circles Cowichan Lake (allow 2hr) and offers access to a gamut of outdoor pursuits, most notably fishing - the area is touted, with typical smalltown hyperbole, as the "Fly-Fishing Capital of the World". The water gets warm enough for summer swimming, and there's also ample hiking in the wilder country above. At Youbou on the north shore you can visit the Heritage Mill , a working sawmill (tours May-Sept): this area boasts some of the most productive forest in Canada, thanks to the lake's mild microclimate, and lumber is the obvious mainstay of the local economy. On the road up to the lake from Duncan you pass the Valley Demonstration Forest , another link in the industry's public-relations weaponry, with signs and scenic lookouts explaining the intricacies of forest management. For details of the area's many tours, trails and outfitters contact the infocentre at Lake Cowichan village, 125 South Shore Rd (late May to early Sept daily 9am-8pm; tel 749-3244 or 749-6772). Good, cheap campsites line the shore, which despite minimal facilities can be quite busy in summer - don't expect to have the place to yourself. The biggest and best is at Gordon Bay Provincial Park (summer $18.50, winter $8) on the south shore 14km from Lake Cowichan Village, a popular family place but with a quiet atmosphere and a good sandy beach . There are also plenty of hotels, motels and the like in all the lakeside settlements.
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