Getting around Lake Cowichan: walking, cycling and transit times
à portée’s map shows the trip on foot, by bike and by transit from every populated block in Lake Cowichan to the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, school, park and other everyday places. It is free, with no account.
- residents in 2021
- 3,325
- within a 15-minute walk of a grocery store
- 68%
- typical walk to a grocery store
- 12 min
- of 1,000 communities for groceries on foot
- 29th
Travel times across Lake Cowichan
Each block is coloured by the trip from it to the nearest place of the kind you pick, on foot, by bike or by transit. Move the map, or open it in à portée for any address and all 29 kinds of place.
Transit times are for a weekday at peak hours. A free plus account adds a mode and a time limit for each place, and transit at night on weekdays and at midday on Saturday and Sunday.
Getting around Lake Cowichan
The share of Lake Cowichan residents within a trip of each place, and the typical trip, by each way of getting there the free map offers.
| Place | On foot | By bike | By transit, weekday morning peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery store | 46%typical 12 min | 85%typical 4 min | 46%typical 12 min |
| Pharmacy | 29%typical 15 min | 76%typical 6 min | 29%typical 15 min |
| Park | 74%typical 5 min | 94%typical 2 min | 74%typical 5 min |
| Elementary school | 14%typical 23 min | 51%typical 10 min | 14%typical 23 min |
| Place | On foot | By bike | By transit, weekday morning peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery store | 68%typical 12 min | 90%typical 4 min | 68%typical 12 min |
| Pharmacy | 50%typical 15 min | 90%typical 6 min | 50%typical 15 min |
| Park | 84%typical 5 min | 95%typical 2 min | 84%typical 5 min |
| Elementary school | 23%typical 23 min | 80%typical 10 min | 23%typical 23 min |
| Place | On foot | By bike | By transit, weekday morning peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery store | 73%typical 12 min | 93%typical 4 min | 73%typical 12 min |
| Pharmacy | 76%typical 15 min | 90%typical 6 min | 76%typical 15 min |
| Park | 95%typical 5 min | 95%typical 2 min | 95%typical 5 min |
| Elementary school | 42%typical 23 min | 90%typical 10 min | 42%typical 23 min |
| Place | On foot | By bike | By transit, weekday morning peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery store | 91%typical 12 min | 95%typical 4 min | 92%typical 12 min |
| Pharmacy | 86%typical 15 min | 95%typical 6 min | 87%typical 15 min |
| Park | 95%typical 5 min | 95%typical 2 min | 95%typical 5 min |
| Elementary school | 80%typical 23 min | 95%typical 10 min | 80%typical 23 min |
Cycling and transit follow the street network, hills included. A transit trip includes the walk to and from the stops, at the median departure of a weekday morning peak, and is never slower than walking the whole way. Within 15 minutes means under 16: times are rounded down to the whole minute.
Lake Cowichan in numbers
68% of Lake Cowichan residents live within a 15-minute walk of a grocery store, compared with 48% across British Columbia and 45% across Canada.
Residents within a walk of each place
| Place | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min | 30 min | Typical walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery store | 46% | 68% | 73% | 91% | 12 min |
| Pharmacy | 29% | 50% | 76% | 86% | 15 min |
| Park | 74% | 84% | 95% | 95% | 5 min |
| Elementary school | 14% | 23% | 42% | 80% | 23 min |
Within a 15-minute walk, beside British Columbia and Canada
| Place | Lake Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada | Rank among the 1,000 communities with a page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery store | 68% | 48% | 45% | 29th of 1,0009th of 155 in British Columbia |
| Pharmacy | 50% | 48% | 51% | 180th of 1,00021st of 155 in British Columbia |
| Park | 84% | 86% | 82% | 322nd of 1,00058th of 155 in British Columbia |
| Elementary school | 23% | 58% | 55% | 575th of 1,00085th of 155 in British Columbia |
Lake Cowichan British Columbia
Communities of a similar size
The communities closest to Lake Cowichan in population, and the share of their residents within a 15-minute walk of a grocery store. Communities are 2021 census subdivisions (cities, towns, counties and other municipalities), compared within their municipal boundaries.
| Community | Residents | Grocery within 15 min |
|---|---|---|
| Portneuf | 3,329 | 28% |
| Saint-Jean-Port-Joli | 3,329 | 44% |
| Lake Cowichan | 3,325 | 68% |
| Columbia-Shuswap A | 3,325 | 6% |
| Thompson-Nicola L (Grasslands) | 3,321 | 0% |
More places across the Cowichan Valley Regional District census division
The Cowichan Valley Regional District census division has 89,013 residents, 4% of them in Lake Cowichan. The share of them within a 15-minute walk of more kinds of place:
- Convenience store19%
- Café34%
- Bakery12%
- Library9%
- Playground42%
- Childcare23%
- Community centre16%
- Clinic15%
Other communities in the Cowichan Valley Regional District area
Beside each community is the share of its residents who can reach a grocery store within a 15-minute walk.
Shares of 2021 residents of populated census blocks, on foot along the street network. How the walking times are computed
Travel times are our best estimates from open data published October 8, 2026 and can contain errors. Walking and cycling times are rounded down, so “within 15 minutes” means under 16. Check before an important decision, and tell us if something looks wrong.
Questions
Is Lake Cowichan walkable?
One measure is the share of residents within a 15-minute walk of everyday places. In Lake Cowichan, 68% of residents live within a 15-minute walk of a grocery store, compared with 48% across British Columbia and 45% across Canada. On this measure, Lake Cowichan ranks 29th of 1,000 communities.
Can you get around Lake Cowichan by bike?
By bike, 90% of Lake Cowichan residents reach a grocery store within 15 minutes, 90% a pharmacy, 95% a park and 80% an elementary school. On foot, 68% are within 15 minutes of a grocery store. The typical trip to a grocery store takes 4 min by bike and 12 min on foot. Cycling times follow the street network, hills included; they don’t say whether a street is safe or comfortable to ride.
Does transit help you reach everyday places in Lake Cowichan?
By transit at the weekday morning peak, 68% of Lake Cowichan residents reach a grocery store within 15 minutes, against 68% on foot and 90% by bike. These times include the walk to and from the stops and the wait. The typical trip takes 12 min by transit and 12 min on foot. Where transit would be slower than walking, the time shown is the walk.
Is Lake Cowichan a 15-minute city?
It depends on which everyday places you count. Within a 15-minute walk, 68% of residents reach a grocery store, 50% a pharmacy, 84% a park and 23% an elementary school. These figures count each place separately; open the map to see how many residents have all four within 15 minutes, for the places you choose.
How does Lake Cowichan compare with communities of a similar size?
In Lake Cowichan, 68% of residents live within a 15-minute walk of a grocery store; in the communities closest to it in population, the share is 28% in Portneuf, 44% in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, 6% in Columbia-Shuswap A and 0% in Thompson-Nicola L (Grasslands).
Where does this data come from?
Walking, cycling and transit times follow the street network, hills included, from each populated 2021 census block to the nearest place of each kind. Transit uses the operators’ published timetables at the weekday morning peak. Places come from OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps, with health care and schools checked against Statistics Canada’s open databases. Shares are weighted by 2021 population. Data published 8 October 2026. How the times are computed
Lake Cowichan in brief
- Province
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Cowichan Valley Regional District
- Census subdivision code
- 5919016
- Residents in 2021
- 3,325
- Data published
- 8 October 2026
Sources: places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) and the Overture Maps Foundation; census blocks, 2021 populations and municipal boundaries adapted from Statistics Canada under the Open Government Licence – Canada; transit times from the operators’ published timetables; elevation from Natural Resources Canada; province outlines from Natural Earth; links from Wikidata (CC0), Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Figures derived from OpenStreetMap are under the ODbL. Data sources and licences