Strathcona Provincial Park is on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
The Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve, established in 2000, includes three watersheds in the western area of the park.
Although there are no commercial tourist facilities in the park, the nearby Strathcona Park Lodge and Outdoor Education Centre provides outdoors education. Visitor facilities are available in the nearby communities of Campbell River and Gold River.
Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, and the largest on Vancouver Island. Founded in 1911, the park was named for Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, a wealthy philanthropist and railway pioneer.
This area is the traditional territory of the Mowachaht and Muchalaht people of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation. Commander John Buttle, for whom Buttle Lake is named, was the first European to explore the area in the 1860s.
In 1894 and 1896 the area was explored by Reverend William W. Bolton. Bolton's explorations and federal government interest in establishing a national park led BC Premier Sir Richard McBride to set aside a park reserve in June 1910.
The First World War caused elaborate plans for a railway and two hotels to be abandoned. As part of the war effort, there was logging in the Elk River Valley. Over the years which have followed, other industrial uses have affected the park. In 1939 mining and logging became permitted in the park and in 1959 the Westmin Mine was opened. This mine continues to operate in a section of the park called Strathcona-Westmin Provincial Park.
The area around the shoreline of Buttle Lake was logged to accommodate the increase in water levels from the Elk Falls hydroelectric project in Campbell River in 1948 which also raised water levels in the Elk River. The variation in water levels in the lake periodically exposes lake bottom and stumps from this logging and is considered unsightly.
In 1987 the provincial government announced plans to remove large areas from the park for logging and other industrial uses. The Friends of Strathcona formed a blockade which attracted significant media attention and resulted in the arrest of 63 protesters. An independent review of the future of the park resulted in the Strathcona Park Master Plan. Most of the park is designated a conservation area under this plan.
It covers 2,458 km². The Elk River Mountains and the highest peaks of the Vancouver Island Ranges are found here. Some notable mountains within the park boundaries include:
The 6,500-meter-thick Karmutsen Formation is the most abundant rock unit in the park. It is a pile of tholeiitic pillow basalts and breccias. It is also the oldest, thickest and most widespread formation on Vancouver Island found on Triple Peak, Cat's Ears Peak and the Mackenzie Range.
Sub-alpine ecosystem: western redcedar, Douglas fir, grand fir, amabilis fir, western hemlock, mountain hemlock and creeping juniper
Wildlife: Roosevelt elk, Vancouver Island marmot, Vancouver Island wolf, cougar and the coastal black-tailed deer
Birds: chestnut-backed chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, winter wren and kinglet, gray jay, Steller's jay, blue grouse, ruffed grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan
Summer in Strathcona is usually pleasantly warm, while winters are fairly mild except for the higher levels, where heavy snowfalls are the norm. From November through March, snowfalls can be expected on the mountain slopes and alpine plateaus. Snow remains all year on the mountain peaks and may linger into July even at moderate elevations. Summer evenings, as elsewhere in the coastal regions of BC, can be cool and rain can be expected at any time of the year.
The park is 9 km east of Gold River and 41 km west of Campbell River on Highway 28.
There are two points of access for day users: Buttle Lake and Forbidden Plateau.
Buttle Lake, 49.8260°, -125.6130°. Gas and services are not available between Campbell River and Gold River. 2022-06-09
Forbidden Plateau. 2022-06-09
The park is a popular destination for hikers, mountain climbers, swimmers, canoeists, and kayakers. There is an extensive network of hiking trails in the park; visitor facilities are located at Buttle Lake and Forbidden Plateau. The park includes campgrounds, backpacking and cross-country skiing trails, and downhill skiing. There is fishing, in season, for cutthroat, rainbow, and Dolly Varden trout.
Strathcona Park Lodge, 49.89217°, -125.65291°, +1 250-286-3122, info@StrathconaParkLodge.com. Offers weekend camps for tourists with activities such as rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, swimming, etc. 2022-06-09
Campsites are available from April 1 to October 31. There are 161 vehicle accessible campsites, 106 wilderness campsites, 5 marine campsites, 1 yurt. 96 campsites are reservable online , the rest are first-come, first-served. Campfires are banned in all areas of the park except in provided fire pits. Drinking water hand pumps are located at the Buttle Lake 📍, Ralph River 📍 and Driftwood Bay campgrounds.
Vehicle-accessible sites cost $20 per party per night.
Along the Flower Ridge Trail there are isolated pads in the wooded area at the edge of the ridge, but about an hour farther on there is a barren area with approximately five pads on the edge of a cliff with an impressive panoramic view. Some large rocks have been collected near the pads to hold down tent corners as the dirt is not deep enough for stakes and there is no shelter from wind (so please don't throw them off the cliff). The sparse trees are very stunted so animals might be deterred by hanging food off the cliff.
Fires are not allowed in the backcountry.
Backcountry camping is permitted year-round at Buttle Lake Marine, Elk River, Forbidden Plateau, Bedwell and Baby Bedwell. Per night fee (2018): $10 per adult, $5 per child 6-15.
In the backcountry, drinking water comes from a variety of sources. Boiling, treating or filtering surface water prior to consumption is recommended.
Mount Washington Alpine Resort, near Courtenay, offers downhill and cross-country skiing. It is adjacent to the park.
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