Strathcona is Vancouver Island's mountain park. A beautiful road winds inland from the town of Campbell River, climbing to Campbell Lake. This lake and its sister, Buttle Lake, are long, narrow glacial lakes, each 12-15 miles in length.
At the north end of Campbell, the road forks. In all, there are about a dozen trails that start within a short drive of this fork, hikes ranging in length from short day-hikes to multi-day backpacks. Unfortunately, threatening weather forbade us from venturing far into the backcountry, so we opted for shorter day hikes.
Photo: Campbell Lake on a hazy day.
Several large peaks are visible from the road on a clear day. The park service has done a nice job of paving pullouts and posting signs at the instamatic vantage points for windshield visitors, so the road won't get too clogged. Hikers proceed to trailhead parking lots. Some popular backpacks are Jack's Augerpoint Trail, Flower Ridge Trail, Price Creek Trail. The Bedwell Lake Trail connects with a through-route to the Pacific Ocean.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.