Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in the province. It was created in 1911. There are multiple access points, camping, and day use sites along the lower elevations. Trail access to the sub-alpine and alpine areas are through various trail systems from the lower elevation sites. One of the most accessible for the sub-alpine and alpine areas though is via Paradise Meadows Trailhead at the Strathcona Provincial Park Wilderness Centre. The trail around Paradise Meadows itself is designated the Barrier Free Centennial Trail. It is a meandering trail consisting of hard packed gravel and boardwalk that is fully accessible to everyone.
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| On the start of the Battleship Lake section as we climb up, looking down at Paradise Meadows and the boardwalk |
With several geocaches in mind including a multi we set off from the Parking lot at approximately 1030. As we traipsed along the boardwalk we stopped at each waypoint and recorded the numbers we would need for the multi final calculations as well as two other geocaches. We only went halfway before heading off towards Battleship Lake on another trail that was somewhat more rustic although wide and well traveled. We would gather the rest of the clues on our return when we rejoined the boardwalk.
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| Battleship Lake |
The others found a geocache that I had found previously so I chatted with a few hiking groups that were on their way in/out of the alpine. Lots of day hikers but also a fair amount of campers taking advantage of the opportunity to get in some backcountry experience.
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| Lake Helen Mckenzie |
We then headed over to Lake Helen McKenzie where we stopped and had lunch and enjoyed the break and the views. No whiskey jacks (Grey Jays) at the lake today to mooch lunch but did have some farther down the trail and I pulled out some seed for some other hikers so that they too could enjoy the jays eating right out of their hands...
The trail down from Lake Helen McKenzie followed a stream for awhile as it traversed the hillside and boggie areas. Here too was boardwalk and stairs to alleviate the stress and wear and tear on some of these high traffic areas.
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| Leafy Aster |
We rejoined the boardwalk and proceeded back towards the parking lot. The round trip with a couple of side trips for geocaches and a lunch stop took us 4 1/2 hours but we had a steady but slow pace.
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| On the Battleship Lake Section looking towards Mt Washington Resort |
