Strathcona Provincial Park is having a busy summer

By Keith and Heather Nicol

   On Tuesday August 10 we decided to check out the trails around Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Provincial Park. We knew we were likely too late for most wildflowers but we knew we would likely find some interesting plants to look at. Also our daughter Kristie was visiting and she always likes hiking the trails in the park. We decided to hike the Paradise Meadows loop which is 4 km and much of it is boardwalked making it easy for a wide variety of people to enjoy the hike In the photo below Kristie and Heather walk past one of the ponds in the meadows.

 We love the views of the small ponds and creeks backed by sub alpine meadows and you can views of Mt Albert Edward and the Mount Washington Ski Hill. And we weren’t disappointed with the wildflowers that we saw. There were several varieties still out and we liked the King’s Gentian (see below) .This flower likes wetland areas so there are still nice showings of it in many places along this board walked trail. We chatted to host at the Strathcona Wilderness Institute Centre at the entrance to the park and she said that the park had been very busy this year with the main Raven Lodge parking lot quite full even during the week. The centre is a great resource so check it out before you hit the trails. So whether you want an easy family walk along the boardwalk or a more strenuous multiday hike check out the trails in Strathcona Park. For more info see: https://strathconapark.org/