Trail(s) Hiked: (loop) From the Paradise Meadows trailhead we hiked counter-clockwise beginning on Helen Mackenzie Loop trail to Croteau Loop trail to Hairtrigger Loop trail to Circlet Lake Loop Trail. We returned via the opposite halves of the trrails above along with a 1-mile bushwacking diversion.
Distance Covered: Approximately 14 miles
Outdoortravels.com Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Backpacks
Thumbs Up:
- Snow-capped mountains, unique terrain and sweeping beautiful vistas
- A great distance for a one-night hike
- Lot's of other trail options available off of this loop
Thumbs Down:
- Wood platform camp sites at Circlet Lake might be really nice in wet weather, but we found them to be very uncomfortable.
- Lots of designated sites at Circlet Lake is a detractor if you are seeking solitude
Lessons Learned:
- Although the trails are well marked, you'll still probably need a compass and map
- A general store at the Mount Washington Ski area (near the trail head) can provide supplies if you forget something.
Overnight backpacking permits: Available at the trail head. $5 fee for per person, per night.
Lodging:
If you want to spend the night under roof either before or after your hike, we highly recommend the Riding Fool Hostel in nearby Cumberland.
Riding Fool Hostel - Owner Jeremy is knowledgable of local trails and very friendly. Accomodations were affordable and very nice as was our overall stay. We can't recommend enough! Bunks for singles and private rooms for couples available.
2705 Dunsmuir, Cumberland, BC, V0R 1S0
Phone: 1-888-313-FOOL, Fax: (250) 336-8253, website
Strathcona Natural Park Hiking Log
8/14/03
By Dana Farnsworth
Day 1
Those special POTA (Part of the Adventure) Moments
I have to admit it, the only thing I knew, to date, about Strathcona Park was it was in British Columbia on Vancouver Island. This trip was my wife’s birthday present and to insure Kelli got what she wanted, she had planned everything. I wanted to be surprised so I intentionally asked to be kept in the dark – I didn’t even want to see pictures. Sometime during our two-hour ride on the ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island; it became beautifully obvious we were going to have a great time.
After spending the previous night in the Riding Fool Hostel in the tiny town of Cumberland, we readied our hiking gear, received driving directions and took off for the mountains. The drive to the trailhead was only about 25 minutes. Kelli had planned our loop hike to start and end at the Paradise Meadows trailhead, which is located in the Mount Washington Ski Resort area. Kelli filled out our backcountry camping permit as I completed the last preparations of our gear.
To this point everything had went unbelievably smooth. Anyone who has read any of our other hiking logs on this site should know that this is a rare occurrence – something should go wrong. Well, it did! As I adjusted my pack I realized I had forgotten to purchase fuel for our stove. Damn! Oh! I had also forgotten to purchase a bottle of red wine. Double Damn! We almost always indulge ourselves in this camp-side treat. I was mad at myself. I made Kelli repeat to me that I was “A real BIG DORK!” Further, it would have been at least a 20-minute drive back to any sort of store where we could get these items. As luck would have it, there was a small store at the ski lodge that had wine, but no stove fuel. I decided to take a chance on a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid. My MSR Dragonfly, I remembered, was supposed to be able to burn about anything flammable. I was going to test its ability on the fly. If it didn’t work, we would dine on cold energy bars for dinner. If it did work – spinach and cheese tortelinni with chicken and marinara sauce would be our cuisine. The stakes were high!
Finally! Geared up and ready to go. With snowcapped mountains in the distance, we headed out on a rather busy Helen Mackenzie trail. If you have ever hiked in a busy park before, it is of no surprise that the first mile or so of a popular trail is pretty busy. A lot of people like to go out for a short stroll. This trail was no exception. After a brief stint in the woods, we began a hike on a boardwalk that was built to protect the fragile nature of the alpine prairie vegetation. It seemed pretty touristy to be hiking a long a boardwalk, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t gorgeous! An open field lined with spruce trees, dotted with ponds and framed by snowy peaks in the distance. This was a scene repeated over and over for the next two days.
The “boardwalk hike” didn’t last long at all, perhaps a mile or less. Soon we entered a lush green forest. The trail was meticulously maintained and the crowds were getting thinner by the yard. Pretty soon we arrived at Lake Helen Mackenzie and decided to take a short break. The lake was gorgeous - very large, clear and pretty. It’s a popular hike to the lake as the Helen Mackenzie trail loops back to the Paradise Meadows trailhead, creating a nice easy day hike. This meant that we were not alone at the lake. Several other groups were relaxing on the sunny banks. So, after a few pictures and something to drink, we were off again.
The trail junctions are pretty well marked in this part of Strathcona, but as you’ll see later, I recommend bringing a compass and map. At the lake, we chose the Croteau Lake loop trail, which would continue us south towards another popular spot, Kwai Lake.
In short order, we began a rather long ascent up the side of a large hill. The trail was wet and very rooted. We really had to take our time, as the footing was tenuous. The boardwalk was gone – hello rugged hiking trails! As tough as the trail was, the scenery surrounding it was wonderful! We were hiking through vibrant green forest ripe with giant trees. Brilliant streaks of light filtered through the canopy and painted sections with a chartreuse glow. Thick forest, wet trails and summer in an alpine environment – can you figure out what goes along with this equation? We were about to find out. As we stopped for a break and a photo, we were instantly swarmed by blood sucking MOSQUITOES! They were freaking everywhere. After completing the shortest hiking break on record we slathered ourselves with deet and took off!
After topping the hill, we exited the wooded section and found another rather steep ascent awaited us. As a few giant horseflies gave us an escort, we slogged further up the hill. Now out of the woods, we thought it would be safe to take a break. While resting, we encountered a ranger who was hiking briskly up the trail behind us. After a short chat with him about the weather, he encouraged us with, “The top is just a short distance” and he was off again. Kelli and I both had noticed that he had freakishly big calf muscles. Kind of like Popeye’s forearms bolted to his knees. No wonder he could hike so damn fast!
“Ranger Bulging Calves” was right. It only took us a couple of minutes to crest the mount and find ourselves on an alpine plateau. The views here were the best we had seen so far! We had hiked around, up, and over the smaller peaks that earlier served to block our view of the big snow capped mountains that were now omnipresent. After hiking through some of the best scenery yet, we came upon the ranger cabin at a trail junction. We spotted Ranger Bulging Calves’ distinctive yellow hiking boots outside on the front porch. At the junction, one trail goes southeast towards Kwai Lake; the other option is the route west-southwest towards Circlet Lake. At this point we were 3.9 kilometers or roughly 2.4 miles from Circlet Lake.
Kelli decided to get a snack at this point. It’s only notable because of the promo she cut after trying her first Pria Bar. “Mmmmmmm, this is pretty good, almost like a candy bar, I think I’ll buy more of these in the future (eating),” Kelli said – then topped it off with, “burp”. A fine commercial if I’ve ever heard one. Later I stopped to take a picture and wondered what was stuck to my camera. Chocolate from Kelli’s Pria Bar? No, after a sniff, I said, “It’s POOOP!” Yuck! Somehow I had sat my camera in animal droppings!
We arrived at what we thought was Circlet Lake. It was beautiful, but as it turned out, it wasn’t Circlet Lake. The first view of water is actually a nice pond aptly called Duck Pond. A little further up the trail we spotted Circlet Lake. Gorgeous! A large body of water surrounded by rocky peaks. The camping at Strathcona is all designated sites so we set out to find the best available spot. After a few minutes, we found a nice platform with a nice view. Although we shared this area with at least a dozen other campers, we never really felt crowded. After setting up camp and playing around the lake a little, it was time to test the charcoal lighter fluid in my stove. Believe it or not, it worked! It smelled like a back yard barbecue, but spinach and cheese tortelinni with chicken and marinara sauce were ours to savor with a couple glasses of a nice merlot.
For the first time to date, there was no need for our headlamps. It didn’t get dark until well after 9:00 PM and we were already in our beds asleep. Partially because we were tired, partially because of the omnipresent mosquitoes that buzzed around outside our tent.
Day 2
An uneventful night came to an end as the sun came up and lit up the lake creating a perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains and fur trees. We had a nice breakfast and packed up our camp for the day’s hike out. We had several options for the route back to the trailhead. We chose to take a slightly longer route back that would create a nice loop.
After hiking awhile, and after an odd bit of navigating we had to do (make sure to have a trail map and compass with you), we decided on taking a less traveled path that would add about a mile onto our hike. It looked promising. Our map had the trail listed as a bushwhacking route, meaning that at times, the trail might not be as clear as a well traveled trail. The only real problem we had was finding the trail. We ended up on a little island peninsula in Kwai Lake. While Kelli took a break, I doffed my pack and did a little scouting. Luckily I found our trail. It was behind us. This section of lightly traveled trail was probably my favorite mile that we hiked. The narrow little trail took us down a hill in a dry streambed. The terrain was different than on the alpine plateaus. It was now thickly forested with wild hosta growing along the trail. It really was pretty cool clamoring down the hill on a trail that was no more that a foot wide.
All too soon we came to a junction with Panther trail, where we turned left and headed towards the home stretch. We were getting a little tired, but the thoughts of a cold beer at the end of our hike spurred us along. Over the next mile or so, before we returned to the boardwalk sections near the trailhead, we passed two very beautiful lakes: Lady Lake and Battleship Lake. Back on the boardwalk, about ½ mile from the Paradise Meadows Trailhead, we chatted about how great the hike was. Returning to the car, we de-packed and headed up to the lodge at Mount Washington for a cold celebratory beverage.
