Bald Mountain

April 19, 2025

Distance: 10.3km

Elevation gain: 479m

Time required: 3-4 hours

Bald Mountain is a small peak at Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island. It's located on a narrow peninsula on the lake's east side. The hike is not particularly challenging, but it offers excellent views of the lake and surrounding areas. It's a great one to do if you're visiting the area for a few days.

I spent the Easter long weekend staying at a beautiful house that was situated right on the lake's northern shore, near Youbou. My family, boyfriend, and I had rented this house for the weekend as an early birthday celebration for me and my twin sister. We took the opportunity to do this hike on what was a sunny and warm spring day.

The trailhead is located only a few kilometres west of Lake Cowichan (the town). The first few kilometres of the trail are gently sloping switchbacks that traverse a forested slope before becoming more exposed as you gain elevation. After about 4km, just before reaching false summit, you come to a nice look-out overlooking the lake.

Looking south at Cowichan Lake from the look-out spot

North side of Cowichan Lake and its surrounding peaks

Continuing on past the look-out for another one kilometre leads to the actual summit of Bald Mountain. This section involves a bit of steeper climbing and some overgrown trail, but it's definitely doable for everyone. Our party of five took about 1.5 hours to reach the peak.

South side of Cowichan Lake from Bald Mountain. The small forested hump in the foreground on the left side is a hill named Mesachie Mountain. Below it sits the small Mesachie Lake.

There was lots of flowering wild strawberry along the sides of the trail.

We spent a good half an hour or so at the summit and then made our way back down. All in all, it was a beautiful small hike on a beautiful day.