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| Buttle Lake is surrounded by scenic mountains |
by Keith and Heather Nicol
On Wednesday
November 11 with the sun shining we headed for a trip into the main part of
Strathcona Provincial Park. We drove from Courtenay through Campbell River and
then turned off on highway 28 toward Upper Campbell Lake and Buttle Lake. Snow had fallen along the mountain tops which added to the striking scenery. The last time we had been through this area
was about 40 years ago and we were looking forward to hiking some of the easier
trails near Buttle Lake. We had searched out some likely hikes on the Strathcona
Provincial Park web site (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/strath/)
but discovered that at this time of year some signs have been removed so you
need to watch more carefully for trailheads in the offseason. We have also noted
GPS locations to help interested hikers find the trail starting points. Our first hike was to Lower Myra Falls which
is a fine hike for a variety of ages. The trail is well marked and descends downhill from the trailhead at 10
U 0314536E and 5494800N. There are a series of falls here and the main trail
gives views of both the upper and lower falls. Overall the trail is about 1 km
so allow 30 -40 minutes to complete it.
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| Lower Myra Falls is well worth checking out |
The next trail we
walked was the Karst Creek Trail and the trail head is at: 10 U 0317626E
5503853N. You can park your car in the parking lot on the opposite side of the
road. This trail is definitely rougher than the preceding trail but it is still
easy to follow. It is about 1.5 km long and features many aspects of karst
(limestone eroded) terrain. For instance, the trail passes by a sinkhole where
a stream disappears and in another place a stream appears out of nowhere. This
trail also features a small waterfall. Note that you do have to cross a stream
which may be a problem in higher water. Allow about 45 minutes for this walk.
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| Heather walking through the leaves on the Karst Creek Trail |
Our final trail
of the day was the Lupin Falls Trail (10 U 0313036E 5519487N) which is about
600 meters long and features a tall, skinny waterfall. This trail is the easiest
of the 3 trails and would suit a wide range of walkers from young children to
older adults. Allow about 20-25 minutes to walk this loop. There are still some
nice fall colours out there and we noted quite a few other short nature trails
that we plan to do on our next visit to this area.
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| Lupin Falls is striking |
