Morton Lake Provincial Park near Campbell River offers beautiful lakeside camping with plenty of fishing, swimming and canoeing opportunities.
- Features: Lakeside vehicle-accessible camping; access to two beautiful remote lakes
- Park Size: 74 hectares
- Trails: A short hiking trail found within the campground leads to nearby Andrew Lake
- Suitable Activities: camping, swimming, picnicking, kayaking/canoeing, fishing. hiking
- Accessibility: The change house and pit toilets in the day-use area are wheelchair-accessible. There are also two wheelchair-accessible pit toilets located in the campground.
- Park Use: Day-use park and campground
- Washrooms: Pit toilets
- Pets: As this is a Provincial Park, dogs must remain on a leash at all times
A Bit of History
In July 1938, a devastating wildfire called ‘The Great Campbell River Fire' burned more than 30,000 hectares of forest surrounding Morton Lake. The fire burned for over a month before finally being extinguished, leaving a wasteland of ash. The following year, a massive replanting effort occurred in which 800,000 Douglas fir tree saplings were placed in the ground. The hemlock, cedar and white pine you see throughout the park naturally regenerated.
Morton Lake Campground
The campground provides access to Morton Lake and links to neighbouring Mohun Lake.
Due to its remoteness, the rustic campground provides authentic back-to-nature camping experiences. And among the 24 vehicle-accessible sites, most are situated right beside the lake, giving you true lakeside camping. The large sites are also nicely treed, giving you decent privacy. (I highly recommend sites #3 and 4 for the best lake access).
Reservations are recommended, especially during the busy summer months; However, ten sites are set aside for first-come-first-serve. The park is open year-round, with limited facilities available during the off-season. Winter campers must be completely self-sufficient. The regular season at Morton Lake is from May until October.
Firewood is available for sale from the Park Operator, and each site has campfire rings. There is also a communal ring in the day-use area.
Facilities / Things to Do
The warm lake and sandy shore make this a popular day-use area for picnicking, swimming, and sunbathing during the summer.
Lake fishing is a popular sport from April to June and again from September to October. Anglers fish for Dolly Varden, Rainbow, and Cutthroat trout on Morton and Mohun Lakes. There is a natural ramp available for roof-top boats at Mohun Lake.
The area is part of Campbell River's “lake country,” and Mohun Lake provides a popular access point to the Sayward Canoe Route – a 50-kilometre paddle and portage circuit.
A short hiking trail within the campground at sites #7 and 8 leads to nearby tranquil Andrew Lake. The hike should take no more than 30 minutes.
Getting There
Morton Lake Provincial Park is located 27 km northwest of Campbell River in the Sayward Forest. Park access requires driving on rough logging roads, which are not ploughed during the winter.
- From Hwy 19, turn off at Menzies Main (approximately 10 minutes past the mill)
- Follow this gravel road for approximately 12 km, then take Morton Lake Road.
- Drive for approximately 7 km to the park
While You Are There
Campbell River is a growing seaside town that provides plenty of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. And the wonderful thing about Campbell River is that much of the backroads are on crown land, which means we can freely explore without worrying about locked gates! The Vancouver Island backroads mapbook will help you find many off-road attractions and treasures, including the abovementioned lakes.
- The ocean waters around Campbell River teem with life, providing excellent cold-water diving experiences.
- During the fall, head out on an epic Grizzly Bear tour.
- Check out these beautiful hidden gems near Morton Lake, PP, if you enjoy seeking waterfalls.
- For the art lover, go on a driftwood creations treasure hunt.
This remote Provincial Park was a new discovery for us, and one I was pleasantly surprised by. Morton and Mohun are beautiful lakes worth spending time at, even just for the day.
Have you been to Morton Lake Provincial Park? Let us know about your experience in the comment section below.
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More Provincial Parks
There are over 120 Provincial Parks on Vancouver Island, and I aim to explore them all! For the entire list, please read Vancouver Island Provincial Parks. The ones highlighted in blue link to a full write-up about that particular park.
Any chance you could let me know if road would be okay for my little neon – she old but reliable – low to the ground. Was wondering how bad the roads actually are to get to campsite. Cute blog – clean and nice looking 🙂
The roads are in pretty decent shape around this area, but they are still logging roads and some sections are rougher than others. I’m a little leary to recommend taking a ‘low-to-the-ground’ vehicle out that way, due to the ruts and potholes, however, we see all types of vehicles while driving the back roads. So it’s obviously not impossible. If you do attempt, just make sure to go prepared.