Surprise Lake
MU 1-10, Vancouver Island
50.1448° N, 125.5673° W
- Surface area
- 50.2ha
- Maximum depth
- 17m
- 56 ft. Province survey, 1981
- Elevation
- 219m
- Campsites
- 8
- At Mr.canoehead rec site
Surprise Lake is a medium-sized lake of 50.2 ha on Vancouver Island. The Mr.canoehead recreation site is on its shore. Depth, elevation, stocking and regulations are not on file for this lake yet.
Open Surprise Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.
Surprise Lake at a glance
- Region
- Vancouver Island
- Management unit
- MU 1-10
- Species
- Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1990), Kokanee (last recorded 1990), Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1980), Coastrange Sculpin (formerly Aleutian Sculpin) (last recorded 1980)The newest of these fish records is from 1990.Species from the province's fish observation records.
- Lake size
- Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
- Coordinates
- 50.14484, -125.567342
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Fish on record at Surprise Lake
| Species | First recorded | Last recorded | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutthroat Trout | 1980 | 1990 | 2 |
| Kokanee | 1980 | 1990 | 2 |
| Rainbow Trout | 1980 | 1980 | 1 |
| Coastrange Sculpin (formerly Aleutian Sculpin) | 1980 | 1980 | 1 |
A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.
Surprise Lake fishing regulations
We have no lake specific regulations on file for Surprise Lake yet.
Getting to Surprise Lake
12.0 km of traced road to the campground by way of Blackwater Main FSR, Blackwater Lake and Lakeview Rd. The road at the end is a rough surface. It stops 290 m short of the campground.
Coordinates: 50.14484, -125.567342
Camping and rec sites at Surprise Lake
- Mr.canoehead
- Campsites
- 8 designated
- To the shore
- 41 m
Access: Boat access only from Amor Lake Rec Site or the Sayward Forest Canoe Route.
Coordinates: 50.151258, -125.56189
Depth chart for Surprise Lake
17 mdeepest8.6 mmean
Surprise Lake runs to 17 m (56 ft) at its deepest, by the Province survey, 1981.
The mean of 8.6 m (28 ft) is read off the same chart, surveyed in February 1981.
The Province sounded Surprise Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1981.
The ice year at Surprise Lake, modelled
Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.
In the model Surprise Lake froze in 62 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 29 November and 3 January, and ice-off between 6 February and 8 April. The median winter freezes on 15 December and opens on 11 March.
the middle half of modelled winters the median ice cover in the median winter
Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 1 February 2025 to 25 February 2025, 24 days.
We have no ice fishing regulation on file for Surprise Lake either way. Check the current BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis before you plan a trip.
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.
Surprise Lake climate, 1960 to 2025
Averaged over a year, the air above Surprise Lake is 1.0 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.
- +1.0 Csince the 1960s
- 5.6 Caverage year now
- 4.5 Caverage year then
- -29 daysbelow freezing, change
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
This week at Surprise 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 21 Oct | Overcast | 12° / 5° | 9 km/h | dry | Steady |
| Thu 22 Oct | Overcast | 12° / 4° | 21 km/h, gusts 51 | dry | Rising (+3.5 hPa) |
| Fri 23 Oct | Heavy rain | 11° / 2° | 16 km/h, gusts 30 | 1 mm | Rising (+8.6 hPa) |
| Sat 24 Oct | Heavy rain | 6° / 3° | 15 km/h, gusts 79 | 40 mm | Falling (-5.6 hPa) |
| Sun 25 Oct | Moderate rain | 10° / 5° | 7 km/h | 5 mm | Steady |
| Mon 26 Oct | Overcast | 16° / 4° | 11 km/h | dry | Falling (-3.9 hPa) |
| Tue 27 Oct | Partly cloudy | 13° / 3° | 4 km/h, gusts 30 | dry | Rising (+5.4 hPa) |
Surprise Lake, in brief
What fish are in Surprise Lake?
Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1990), Kokanee (last recorded 1990), Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1980). Species from the province's fish observation records.
How big is Surprise Lake?
Surprise Lake covers about 50.2 ha, by the province's Freshwater Atlas.
Which management unit is Surprise Lake in?
Surprise Lake is in MU 1-10, on Vancouver Island. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.
Trout lakes near Surprise Lake
- Amor Lake 2 km away
- Comida Lake 3 km away
- Blackwater Lake 3 km away
- Crescent Lake 4 km away
- Brewster Lake 5 km away
All 193 lakes on Vancouver Island, with today's conditions on each.