The astonishing variety of terrain in and around the Comox Valley constitutes a hikers' Valhalla. The wildlife is a bonus.
Strathcona Provincial Park, created in 1911, is the oldest and largest provincial park on Vancouver Island. Today it offers a trekker's feast of at least 40 hiking trails. They range from day hikes to backpacking trips deep into the forests for weeks at a time. All lead to stunning beauty and adventure in an unspoiled, untrammelled wilderness.
The great-great-great granddaddy of all hikes comes recommended only for seasoned hikers: the Comox Glacier Trail. The K'omox First Nation knew the glacier as Queneesh, the great white whale. It looms, flat-topped, over the Comox Valley like a headless giant. Hikers and mountaineers have been meeting its challenge since the first ascent of the Glacier in 1922.
Island Alpine Guides offers 3-day-long guided hikes to the Glacier.
Advanced Hiking
The three-day-long, 9k/5.6mi hike is not for the faint of foot. It calls for backpacking gear, maps, compass, ice axe, ropes and a stove. Reaching the Comox Valley Trail in the first place can be challenging, with rough logging roads calling for a 4x4 vehicle. On the Trail, hikers should be on the lookout for bears and cougars. Prudent pilgrims pay heed to the Bear and Cougar Safety Guides. Imprudent hikers can wind up as plat du jour.
Kookjai Trail
An alternate route (rated moderate), the Kookjai Trail, was cleared by the Comox District Mountaineering Club in 2003. The route takes longer, but circumvents the toughest climbing areas and renders the glacier and its lakes, alpine meadows, bogs and snow, more accessible to hikers.
Della Falls
Strathcona's other stellar attraction is Della Falls. At 440m/1443ft high these are the highest falls in Canada, nearly eight times the height of Niagara, and one of the 10 highest falls in the world. The 16k/9.59mi trail (rated moderate) from Great Central Lake across timber bridges and through old-growth forest takes seven hours.
Forbidden Plateau
One popular hike (rated moderate) transports visitors to the Forbidden Plateau. In 1946, the plateau was the epicentre of an earthquake registering 7.3 on the Richter scale, the strongest ever recorded on land in Canada. These days, hikers return not all shook up, but dazed by wilderness grandeur.
Puntledge River Recreation Area
Casual hikers will prefer shorter, easy hikes from Hwy 28 to scenic viewpoints at Lady Falls, Elk River and Lupin Falls. The Puntledge River Recreation Area boasts several trails notable for ease, variety and natural beauty. One favourite is the 4km/2.5mi River Trail East, with a break at Palm Beach and a finish line at Nymph Falls Regional Park. The 5.5km/3.42mi River Trail West offers scenic river views with boardwalks, log bridges and benches for a well-earned breather.
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