Donner Lake
MU 1-9, Vancouver Island
49.7194° N, 125.9017° W
- Surface area
- 391ha
- Maximum depth
- 164m
- 538 ft. Province survey, 1990
- Elevation
- 568m
Open Donner Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.
Donner Lake at a glance
- Region
- Vancouver Island
- Management unit
- MU 1-9
- Species
- Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Cultus Lake Sculpin (last recorded 1988)
- Lake size
- Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
- Ice fishing
- Open to ice fishing, confirmed
- Coordinates
- 49.7194, -125.9017
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Fish on record at Donner Lake
| Species | First recorded | Last recorded | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Cutthroat Trout | 2021 | 2021 | 2 |
| Cutthroat Trout | 1988 | 2021 | 4 |
| Cultus Lake Sculpin | 1988 | 1988 | 1 |
A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.
How to fish Donner Lake
Best times of year at Donner Lake
- May - June
- September - October
Donner Lake fishing regulations
No powered boats. Source: Province of British Columbia
Getting to Donner Lake
Coordinates: 49.7194, -125.9017
Depth chart for Donner Lake
164 mdeepest76 mmean
Donner Lake runs to 164 m (538 ft) at its deepest, by the Province survey, 1990.
The mean of 76 m (249 ft) is read off the same chart, surveyed in May 1990.
The Province sounded Donner Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1990.
The ice year at Donner Lake, modelled
Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.
In the model Donner Lake froze in 63 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 29 November and 6 January, and ice-off between 23 March and 8 May. The median winter freezes on 16 December and opens on 15 April.
the middle half of modelled winters the median ice cover in the median winter
Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 17 January 2025 to 28 February 2025, 42 days.
Donner Lake is open to ice fishing under the regulations on file.
Whether a lake is open to ice fishing says nothing about whether its ice will hold you. Ice conditions vary year to year and across a single lake. Check locally before going out, every time.
Donner Lake climate, 1960 to 2025
Averaged over a year, the air above Donner Lake is 0.7 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.
- +0.7 Csince the 1960s
- 8.6 Caverage year now
- 7.8 Caverage year then
- -8 daysbelow freezing, change
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
This week at Donner Lake
The forecast on this lake's own coordinate, refreshed through the day. The app reads these seven days for fishing and scores each one.
| Day | Sky | High / low | Wind | Rain | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 20 Oct | Overcast | 13° / 4° | 15 km/h, gusts 20 | dry | Steady |
| Wed 21 Oct | Overcast | 11° / 5° | 11 km/h | dry | Falling (-4.6 hPa) |
| Thu 22 Oct | Light drizzle | 10° / 2° | 9 km/h | 1 mm | Rising (+2.0 hPa) |
| Fri 23 Oct | Overcast | 13° / 2° | 6 km/h | dry | Rising (+9.6 hPa) |
| Sat 24 Oct | Overcast | 11° / 4° | 7 km/h | dry | Rising (+1.6 hPa) |
| Sun 25 Oct | Overcast | 16° / 6° | 8 km/h | dry | Falling (-1.8 hPa) |
| Mon 26 Oct | Overcast | 17° / 8° | 5 km/h | dry | Steady |
Trout lakes near Donner Lake
- Star Lake 10 km away
- Drum Lakes 14 km away
- Antler Lake 14 km away
- Buttle Lake 25 km away
- Hawarth Lake 25 km away
All 193 lakes on Vancouver Island, with today's conditions on each.