Strathcona Park was designated a Provincial Park in 1911 and was the first provincial park in British Columbia. Situated on the central Island, Strathcona Park is a premier wilderness hiking park with some of the island’s highest peaks in it. This park is beautiful.
There are many beautiful lakes and streams scattered throughout the park with trails going to most of them. There is Marble Meadows, reached by trail from the west shore of Buttle Lake, then you can go up to Flower Ridge from the east shore of Buttle Lake, both hikes are difficult but very much worth it. There are many more trails that take you to various areas of the park.
From the Mount Washington Ski Resort, you can head out hiking on the Forbidden Plateau, this is a relatively flat area covered in lakes and full of trails, there are miles of boardwalks in the lower sections that are totally wheelchair accessible, the upper trails can be a bit steeper but still pretty easy going. This is all in an alpine forest setting.
My boys and I come up here quite often, we like to feed the whiskey jacks. There are camping sites, places to fish, and a new fishing pier on Battleship Lake. There is a state-of-the-art composting toilet located here as well. Fishing in most of the lakes here is fairly good, all lakes are stocked regularly. This creates a good supply of fish.
The rest of the park is wilderness, and you should be experienced and well-prepared before venturing here. This is a big park, filled with raging rivers, high waterfalls, mountain peaks, pristine lakes, and huge glaciers. Be safe when hiking out here. Della Falls is the second-highest falls in Canada. It is located in the park and the highest mountain on Vancouver Island, the 2,200-meter Golden Hinde stands in the center of Strathcona Park.
Buttle Lake was named after Commander John Buttle who explored the area in the 1860s and has good fishing for Cutthroat, Rainbow, and Dolly Varden trout. John Buttle was instrumental in the park’s creation.