Day Activities

There’s plenty to keep you busy everyday at Strathcona Park Lodge.

Whether you’re staying with us or just stopping by, here are some suggestions for how to enjoy your time. Check out our Amenities Page to read more about some of the activities:

• Sign up for Daily Adventures (see below)
• Hire a private guide to show you around or teach you something new (see below)
• Go for a refreshing swim and play on the beach
• Canoe or kayak on the crystal clear lake (see below)
• Play beach volleyball
• Roast marshmallows on a campfire
• Spot wildlife like elk, deer, bear and bird life
• Enjoy a wood-fired sauna on the beach
• Explore Strathcona Provincial Park’s wilderness
• Marvel at the Milky Way
• Strike a yoga pose as the sun sets across the lake
• Drive through the Vancouver Island mountains
• Savour a drink or meal at Myrna’s

Daily Adventures

Twice a day, all summer long, our talented instructors lead guests on some of our most popular activities. The afternoon sessions are three hours. The after dinner session is free and is just over an hour. Both are beginner friendly and include all the equipment.  This is the easiest way to try activities like zip line, high ropes and rock climbing.  Space is limited for each activity, so it’s best to sign up at the office or by phone before hand. That said, there is often room last minute.

Daily Adventures Schedule

	1:30-4:30 PM	7:00-8:15 PM
Sunday	high ropes	big canoe
Monday	Zip Line and tree climb	bannock making
Tuesday	kayaking	Rock Wall
Wednesday	zip line	Mission Impossible
Thursday	high ropes	kayak soccer
Friday	rock climbing	Bog Walk
Saturday	zip line	Orienteering

Cost

• Adult – $35
• Child (Ages 6 to 13)* – $25

*Children must be accompanied by a paying adult

Minimum Age and Height Requirements for Children:

• High Ropes – height: 48 in (120 cm), age: 10 yrs
• Rock Climbing – age: 8 yrs
• Zip Line – age: 6 yrs

Where minimum age and/or height requirements are NOT met, a Private Guide, if available, can be booked.

Daily Adventures run from July 1 to August 31. Activities are subject to change without notice. Please call us at 250-286-3122 if you have any questions or would like to book your Daily Adventure.

Guidelines for Daily Adventure High Ropes, Rock Climbing and Zip Line Participation.

The following guidelines have been established in order to ensure for the physical and emotional safety of our guests: individuals, families and groups.

• High Ropes: Minimum height requirement of 48 in, minimum age requirement of 10 yrs
• Rock Climbing: Minimum age requirement of 8 yrs
• Zip Line: Minimum age requirement of 6 yrs

Private Guiding

Our multi-talented professional guides and instructors are at your service. They can teach you to rock climb, roll a kayak or lead you to a mountain summit safely and at your pace. They are available for an afternoon, a day or longer. Call or email our office to find out more, 250-286-3122.
Cost: varies with length and program, from $160 for a half day to $400 for a two day overnight hike.

Boats Rentals

A visit to Strathcona Park Lodge is not complete without getting onto Upper Campbell Lake in a boat. The lodge has more than 80 different kinds of crafts, canoes, kayaks, sail boats and motor boats for exploring the lake and nearby waterways. Most are available for rent by the hour or the day and are included in some packages.

Destinations vary from a protected paddle inside our bays, a short trip to Treasure Island, longer day trips for whitewater or lake canoeing and longer paddles to Buttle Lake, the ocean or Brewster Lakes.

If you need to brush up on your strokes and techniques before heading out our guides are all certified canoe and sea kayak instructors.

To reserve a boat or lesson call, 250-286-3122 or email us.

Cost

• Single kayak: $10/hr, $29/half day, $39/day
• Double kayak: $15/hr, $42/half day, $55/day
• 2 or 3 seat Canoe: $10/hr, $29/half day, $39/day
• 4-6 seat Canoe: $15/hr, $42/half day, $55/day
• 8-10 seat Canoe: $50/half day, $80/day
• Sailboat: $40/half day, $60/day
• 14 ft. motor boat: $20/hr OR $90/day (not incl. gas, 2 hour minimum)

Guided activities

To take part in the following activities you must be accompanied by a guide either in a Daily Adventure, an organized package or by hiring a private guide.

Rock climbing

All your worries and thoughts will evaporate the moment you grip the rock on one of our three climbing bluffs. Every muscle, nerve and tendon will focus on getting you to the top of the cliff face. Fear will be pushed to a far corner knowing your guide will catch any slip or fall with the top rope. And when you get to the top stop and enjoy the view across Upper Campbell Lake before stepping off the cliff on rappel.

The climbs are mostly easy or moderate, suitable for beginner to intermediate climbers. Climbers must be at least 8 years old.

High Ropes

Hidden in a stand of towering old growth trees is Strathcona’s high ropes course, a series of challenges strung 15 to 30 feet off the ground. Leap across a gap, walk a narrow wire, unlock the mind and body puzzle of the spider, all while safely tethered to an overhead line.

Designed to challenge everyone, no experience is necessary to enjoy the course, but participants do have to be 48 inches tall and/or 10 years old.

Zip lines

Act like Tarzan: Fly through the trees. We have three zip lines or flying foxes on the property. Each is slightly different, taking advantage of the geography and trees, but they all include a long ride whizzing through the forest safely attached to a wire. Scream, hang upside down or just feel the wind, it’s an exhilarating experience no one should miss.

We’ve had 80 year olds and six year olds love the zip line. Physically it’s one of the easiest and funnest activities on the property. But it can also be mentally intimidating. Letting go and giving it a try is the highlight for many visitors to Strathcona Park Lodge.

Tree climb

Ever wonder what it’s like 50 feet up in a tree? This is your chance to find out. Giant staples have been pinned into the bark of huge Douglas fir trees (they don’t hurt the tree). Using the staples as a ladder you’ll climb up the tree with a rope and harness to keep you safe. The birds eye view from the top is one of a kind.

Self guide and free activities

Anyone can visit the lodge and take part in these activities. For safety reasons we do ask that you sign in at the office first, but otherwise feel free to enjoy these activities at your leisure. Want a guide to show you around? Our skilled and knowledgable instructors are available to lead you through these activities for a fee.

Low ropes course

Test your balance and team work skills on this collection of games and challenges. With a wood chip floor the Low Ropes Course encourages trying. This is a great place for kids to play and adults to try their tight rope walking skills. Find it just below the Whale Room.

Hiking trails

In 50 years of living here we’ve had plenty of time to find the best spots nearby: a fascinating bog, incredible viewpoints and challenging climbs. String all the trails together and you’ve got a fantastic, varied and scenic day hike. Knocking off each destination on its own is equally rewarding. Pick up a map at the office and get hiking to these destinations:

The Sundew Bog: When the glaciers retreated thousands of years ago they left behind depressions like this one. Over the millennia sediment and plants covered the water, but it remains a floating forest with a unique ecosystem of parasitic plants, anaerobic waters and varied wildlife. Jump up and down to see the trees move, hunt for the meat eating sundew plants and listen to the frogs croak.
The bog is an easy and flat 25 minute hike, one way, from the Lodge.

The Ridgeline: The most scenic hike at the Lodge climbs steeply up the hillside, with plenty of views to inspire, to the ridge top. Here it meanders to several more view points, including one that seems to hover directly above the Lodge and boat bay far below, before descending back down. The challenging loop hike can be completed in several different ways and typically takes about two hours.

The Lookout: A spectacular view looking south down the Upper Campbell and Buttle lakes to remote glaciated peaks deep in Strathcona Provincial Park is the destination on this hike. It is a good one to connect with either the Sundew Bog Trail and/or Ridgeline Trail in an extended loop. Keep an eye out for deer tracks as the trail up to the view follows old game trails through a Douglas fir forest. The upper lookout leaves the trail and climbs a little further for an eagle eye view of the Sundew Bog before descending steeply down switch backs to the bog trail. On it’s own the Lookout Loop takes about 1.5 hours.