BC Parks Visitor Stats

During the summer, data on the numbers of visitors assisted were gathered at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre.

In July, the Centre assisted 1029 visitors (over the course of 10 days staffed); in August, 2540 visitors (over 25 days); and in September, 926 visitors (over 9 days).

For comparison, BC Parks has the numbers that passed by the automatic counter at the Paradise Meadows trailhead. In June, their count was 91 (lots of snow still!); in July, 3070; in August, 4666; and in September, 3297. For October they estimate numbers will be about 3000.

So in terms of percentages, the Centre assisted 33% of the July visitors; 54% of the August visitors; and 28% of the Sept. visitors - quite an achievement!

The percentage is higher than I had guessed, observing on the busy days -  the explanation could be that on the busy days, the Centre can only interact with perhaps 15-20% of all those that use the trails - while on quieter days, the Centre can provide information to almost all of the visitors.

Snow at 1100 Metres

After a week of stormy weather, there is now snow at the 1100 m. level - the elevation of Paradise Meadows & the Wilderness Centre.

Many years ago, Len Rossiter, one of the early explorers of the Forbidden Plateau area, said there are four seasons on the Plateau - July, August, September & winter!

Over the winter I plan to investigate some of the history of this area of Strathcona Park, and will be posting some of the interesting stories regularly on the blog.

Mount Allan Brooks

Mt. Allan Brooks from Lake Helen Mackenzie

Taking advantage of the beautiful day yesterday, the Comox District Mountaineering Club had a hike up Mount Allan Brooks. The name of Mount Brooks was first adopted on Dec. 12, 1939 after being submitted by Eugene Croteau and the Comox District Mountaineering Club in Oct. 1935. Prior to that the mountain was known as Limestone Ridge - a misnomer, although fossils can indeed be found in the Cretaceous sedimentary rock.

The name recognition was for Major Allan Cyril Brooks, 1869-1946, eminent ornithologist & wildlife artist, who spent winters in Comox BC. The Allan Brooks Nature Centre near Vernon BC marks one of his favourite areas. Major Brooks' work inspired artists such as Robert Bateman.

Interestingly the name of the Strathcona Park mountain was changed to Mount Allan Brooks on Nov. 4, 2004 to also honour Major Brooks' son, Allan Cecil Brooks, 1926-2000, an expert naturalist in his own right, who moved to the Comox area in the 1980's.  Ruth Masters submitted the proposed name change with the agreement of the Brooks family & it was endorsed by BC Parks.

A small booklet about Major Allan Brooks & several other notable birdmen of the Comox area by E.J.Brooks is available from the Comox Valley Naturalists Society.

Fresh Snow!

Fresh snow on Mt. Albert Edward & Mt. Regan - winter has arrived at 2000 metres!
At the Wilderness Centre elevation of 1000 m. temperatures have been below freezing overnight for a few nights, but on a sunny day up to about 14 degrees.

Today is the final day that the Parks Facility Operator will be at Paradise Meadows. In the next while BC Parks should have visitor count numbers which will be interesting to compare with the numbers of visitors who stopped in to the Wilderness Centre over the summer.

Thanksgiving Colour

A happy Thanksgiving weekend as yesterday's weather was better than expected! so the Comox District Mountaineering Club had a great hike to Ball Lake, off the beaten track in the Forbidden Plateau area. Here is a link to the trip report and photos.

Summer Visitor Stats

The visitor statistics for the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre this summer have been compiled, here are some of the highlights:

4495 visitors assisted:
Centre staffed 44 days = overall average 102 visitors to the Centre per day.
An estimated 8 to 10x that many people use the trails without stopping in to the Centre.

July averaged 103 visitors per weekend day (10 days)
August averaged 130 visitors per weekend day (10 days) & 83 visitors per weekday (15 days staffed)
September averaged 112 visitors per weekend day (5 days) & 91 visitors per weekday (4 days staffed)

Over 200 visitors to the Centre on the busiest days (BC Day long weekend in August & Labour Day weekend in Sept.) The Labour Day long weekend was the busiest ever seen at the campgrounds by the Parks Facility Operator.

Visitors came from:

Comox Valley/North Vancouver Island: 43%

South Vancouver Island:  25%

Rest of BC: 9%

Rest of Canada:  8%

USA:  4%

UK/Europe/EU/Western Asia: 10%

Other Countries: 1%

Countries represented:
Canada: 11 provinces/territories

BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, PEI, NWT

USA:  19 states

Hawaii, California, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania

Europe/Western Asia: 19 countries

England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Israel, Italy

Other countries: 9 countries

Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, China, Korea, India, Uruguay, Mexico

Kwai & Hairtrigger Lakes

Castlecrag & Mt. Frink approaching Hairtrigger Lake

Trying to take advantage of every moment of autumn colour & sunshine, it was time for a hike to Kwai Lake & Hairtrigger Lake! Both offer great views of some of the key peaks of this area of Strathcona Park: Mt. Albert Edward, Mt. Regan, Mt. Frink, Castlecrag, and the Comox Glacier.

The Comox Glacier is visible from several of the campsites at Kwai Lake.

Part of the hike was a quest to match photos taken many years ago.   At one time a log cabin stood at Kwai Lake,  one of the cabins along the 'Strathcona Trail' of the 1930's.

Today only the clearing remains, but the backdrop is still the same, with Castlecrag visible beyond the trees.

Hairtrigger Lake is one of the most photogenic places on the Plateau - the lake seems to be an infinity pool reflecting the panorama of mountains on calm days. This photo from years ago is a beautiful arrangement with a series of triangular shapes & relationships. A key element in the composition is the pyamidal rock near the shoreline.

Today the sky was not as blue, but the water was totally calm. This time I tried composing with the rock centred between the peaks of Mt. Albert Edward & Mt. Regan.

Around Croteau Lake, the gray jays must have learned over many generations to visit hikers & campers.

Along the trail through Murray Meadows, between Croteau & Kwai Lake, were more than a dozen amanita muscaria - one of the most poisonous mushrooms and familiar as the 'toadstool' of childrens' tales.

 At this time of year the huckleberry, blueberry & mountain ash leaves appear in every colour of the rainbow.

Back in the meadows near the trailhead, the dark red leaves against the green moss are dwarf blueberry, while the carpets of paler red are bog blueberry.

At the end of the day, tufted club rush almost glows in the meadows. Mt. Regan & Mt. Jutland are visible in the background.

Autumn Hike to Croteau Lake

Often when the weather appears cloudy in the Comox Valley, Paradise Meadows will be above the cloud - which was the case today, with blue skies for most of the day.

Spectacular colours in the meadows & plateau - a good day for a hike to Croteau Lake, in search of photos & history .

Remnant foundations of Eugene Croteau's main cabin at Croteau Lake

Another cabin was higher up on a rise, with a spectacular view of Mt. Albert Edward & Mt. Regan

Friendy gray jays - don't need to feed them, they still visit

Photographers in the meadows

In the late afternoon several flocks of sandhill cranes flew over the meadows - a thrill to see. Often people will mistake the large flocks for Canada geese, but the distinctive croak of the cranes is unmistakeable.

Since the rain in September, the trails can be muddy in places - gaiters are recommended, and waterproof your hiking boots, so that you can walk through the mud instead of widening the trail.

Last Chance to Claim Lost & Found

The Wilderness Centre was closed up for the season yesterday, so anyone who may have lost items over the summer, please contact the Wilderness Centre ASAP. Any items not claimed by Oct. 8 will be donated to a local thrift shop.

With the beautiful weather the past few days, many school classes & other groups are still hiking in Paradise Meadows. Hopefully the good weather will continue so the landscape work can be completed. Several mountain hemlock have been planted outside the Centre, and the final portion of concrete walkway connecting the ramp to the trailhead path will soon be finished.

Stay tuned for the summary of  visitor numbers over the summer!