Powell Lake Lodge - Powell River, BC

Powell Lake Lodge consists of 8.35 acres (3.38 hectares) of gently sloping land with approximately 1,300 feet of lake frontage. The land is under a Crown Commercial Lease with a 10-year term, which commenced on November 9, 2022 and is due to be renewed on November 9, 2032.

The property is improved with five self-contained cedar cabins. Three of the cabins are 800 ft² each with 2 bedrooms that sleep 4-6 people. The remaining two cabins are 450 ft² each with 1 bedroom that sleeps 2-4 people.

Each cabin has a full kitchen with a fridge and stove, a full bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet, and the living and eating areas are fully furnished. The fridge, stove, hot water and lighting are all propane and a wood stove provides heat.

Each cabin also has a lake view and a picturesque view of snow-capped Bear Tooth Mountain. Other outbuildings include a wood-fired sauna and tool shed. The foreshore, dock and floating sundeck are protected by a log breakwater.

Though the property has been used privately in recent years, due to the commercial lease and approved septic field, it would make an excellent tourism-based business. In addition to the attraction of activities on the lake, there is a forest service road that connects the property to the ocean which opens up more adventure tourism possibilities.

Powell River is located on the coast of British Columbia approximately 145 km (90 miles) north of Vancouver and immediately across from Courtenay on Vancouver Island.

Powell Lake is adjacent to Powell River and sits on the low rise of land forming a natural dam between the lake and the Strait of Georgia. The lake is fed by Powell River and features Goat Island, a large mountainous island. It serves as a reservoir for a small hydroelectric generating station which was built to serve the City's paper mill, and it also served as a water supply for that mill.

The civic address of the property is 14065 Powell Lake - Powell River, BC.

To arrive in Powell River from Vancouver means a short ferry trip from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, a scenic 80 km drive on the Sechelt Peninsula, then a second ferry trip from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay, which is a short drive from the centre of Powell River. Alternatively, visitors can travel via West Jet from Alberta to Comox-Courtenay and go across Georgia Strait by ferry directly to downtown Powell River. From the Powell Lake Marina, it is boat or float plane access to the property, which is near Olson’s Valley, 27 km from the marina (30-40 minutes by boat).

With a population of 20,000, Powell River is a friendly seaside town that offers 'big city' amenities and luxury services without the 'big city' parking and traffic hassles. A full service hospital, medical, dental, chiropractic, physiotherapy and massage therapy clinics, health and beauty spas, a newly renovated recreation complex, full banking facilities, marine services, outdoor guides and outfitters, plus a wide range of retail outlets, art galleries, gift shops and fine dining are all within easy access.

The Upper Sunshine Coast, from Saltery Bay to Desolation Sound, boasts approximately 1,900 hours of sunshine annually. Summer temperatures vary from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius (70 - 90 degrees Fahrenheit) while winter temperatures are mild.

The Powell River and Powell Lake area is the jewel of the Sunshine Coast.

Powell River is renowned as the "hot spot" for scuba diving. Hikers, naturalists, fishermen and photographers will find vast areas for exploration. The main centre of town is about a 10-minute drive to Powell Lake.

Powell Lake is ideal for boating, water skiing, wakeboarding, paddle sports and swimming. It has a full scale launch and marina and is home to The Shinglemill Pub & Bistro, which offers lakeshore dining with a gorgeous view. You can also fish for cutthroat, kokanee or rainbow trout year-round, as the waters of the lake rarely experience a freeze in any but the coldest of winters.

Powell Lake has over 300 km of scenic shoreline stretching deep into mountain valleys, and is surrounded by snowcapped mountains, waterfalls and streams. There are two large rivers flowing into the lake, with one connecting to pristine Goat Lake, and over 250 float homes on the lake that are very unique and accessible by boat only. There are numerous hiking trails and the world-famous Fiddlehead Farms is well worth the visit.

Powell Lake is also one of 12 lakes that comprise the Powell Forest Canoe Route, located within the southern portion of the Sunshine Coast Forest District. Kayakers and canoeing enthusiasts can weave through well maintained portages, protected lake waterways and magnificent forest reserves.

Powell Lake was named in 1881 after Dr. Israel Wood Powell, a medical doctor from Ontario who worked for the British Columbia government during the 1800s. A fjord lake, it spans some 50 km in length and is 24 km wide. In 1924, when the Powell River Company raised its dam on Powell River for a second time, the lake level rose to 56 metres above sea level. Although a fresh-water lake, a 1961 study by the University of British Columbia proved the existence of salt water at the bottom of the lake.

There is conflicting historical evidence that a village of the Tla'amin First Nation people was ever located on its shores. However, any evidence will likely be found under the current waters of Powell Lake, since it was only a river system meandering between mountainous valleys before the dam at the river head was built to provide power for the timber mill, and a floating highway to deliver logs from cutting areas in the adjacent mountains. One view is that the original Powell River was a salmon breeding ground before settlement and logging interests dammed the water's use, suggesting ecological, cultural and geographical desirability for native settlements on the life giving river close to the ocean.

However, there is no doubt that at one time Powell Lake was once an ocean inlet, as it contains ancient salt water at its deepest points, some of which are more than 500 metres. Geologists posit that the mouth of Powell Lake rebounded with the recession of glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age, creating a fresh water barrier system, which led to the destruction of its salmon runs and it becoming a fresh water lake. If there were indigenous communities based on salmon runs in that system, that must have been many thousands of years ago.

Please see mapping section, all boundaries are approximate.

50° 6'2.44"N and 124°28'41.07"W

As the area increasingly is being discovered for its natural amenities by tourists, the demand for commercial tourism ventures to capitalize on tourism in this natural playground is only going to increase. An article in Beautiful British Columbia magazine describes the area as a "5,260 square kilometre playground of lakes, forests, alpine hiking trails, saltwater havens and some of North America’s best scuba diving waters."

On-site services, including commercial septic system and spring water gravity fed water system.

Dwellings, outbuildings, dock, floating sundeck, breakwater and servicing infrastructure.

$2,039 (2023)

Resource

Qathet Regional District, Electoral Area A OCP, Bylaw No.500.

Additional zoning information can be found on the Qathet Regional District website (formerly Powell River Regional District).

Commercial Lodge Purposes Lease #244720, File #2404240
Block A of District Lot 4720, Group 1, New Westminster District