Strathcona Park Lodge & Outdoor Education Centre

It is indeed absolutely beautiful, and i would certainly like to go back. Ir is primarily an outdoor education centre, with lots of groups coming in and out for the wilderness experience. It is a lot of fun watching their enthusiasm and their pleasure being out of doors.|I did have an unfortunate experience with my room when I arrived, and the staff did everything they could to compensate me and make sure my stay was an enjoyable one. They were extremely solicitous, and a lovely group of people. The owners, Jamie and Christine, are a delight.|There have been comments about the food. I'm not sure what the fuss is about. Every dinner there were three salads, varied each time a non-vegetarian and a vegetarian main dish, and a couple of vegetables. The quality is a bit hit and miss, but more hit than miss. They have to be good to cater to hungry teenagers!

I didn’t stay a night here, but camped down the road and came through a couple times while exploring the park. Also rented a boat for a day. The lodge itself is very nice and the staff are polite and kind. But if you’re looking for advice on where to hike or paddle you should talk with one of their more outdoors-knowledgeable staff, as this is not the front desk’s area of expertise. Similarly, if you require useful outdoor items such as sunscreen, bear spray, etc… Make sure you buy them in Campbell River or Gold River. The shop inside the lodge is small and mostly features branded water bottles, stickers, and local kombuchas. The boat rental was pricey, especially considering that if you have the boat out past 4:30, you can’t return it until the next day and will be charged for that day on top of your first. That being said, it’s a really nice area to paddle and we were well directed by the staff at the boat rental area. Overall the lodge contributed positively to our vacation, and if I were to stay in Strathcona with people who don’t like camping, I would likely stay here.

The Lodge is in a jaw droppingly beautiful area. We stayed in a clean, decent two bedroom cabin with gorgeous lake views. That was the good part.|The simple fact of the matter is for over 350 bucks per couple per night, I expect some basics. Like a hair dryer. Like a decent sized bed. Maybe at that price, a kayak rental shouldn't cost as much as it does in greater Victoria.|Next there was the food. Forty bucks for cold camp food served buffet style. No warming trays. To add insult to injury, our friend was charged an extra 3.50 for a cup of tea. |I felt like I was in an overpriced day camp. Not impressed.

Gorgeous location! The rooms are EXTREMELY BASIC: Small, NO appliances: refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, hairdryer, kitchenware. No amenities except a bar of soap. Meals: breakfasts are buffet & very good, but about the same each day. Dinners were very variable from good to poor. | Warning: Keep a very close eye on billing! We had multiple incorrect upcharges such as such as a ~$80 tip for a ~$60 meal when we charged it to our room (Total ~$140); double charges for same meal: once to our credit card in the restaurant (paid in the restaurant because we became leery of billing it to our room after the previous incident), but they charged it to our room anyway in addition - 2x charge!! They gave some kind of lame excuse that even though we had paid in the restaurant, the charges had to go to the front office for bookkeeping. When we "caught" them, they did make the corrections. We had 3 separate incidents.| It's hard to rate this place! I would rate the location 5/5; the room 2/5 and the bookkeeping a NEGATIVE -5/5!

Just got back from the most incredible stay at this little slice of paradise—an eco lodge run by an amazing couple who pour so much love and care into making their guests feel special. The food? Absolutely next level—fresh, delicious, thoughtful. The property is stunning—a total dream. Every corner of the accommodations is well thought out and cozy without sacrificing style or comfort. There’s a wood-fired sauna right on the beach (yes, please), kayaks and canoes to explore the lake, peaceful firepits, and hikes that’ll knock your socks off. Seriously, every trail felt like it came out of a movies And the hospitality? Bar none. Warm, down-to-earth, and genuine. You can really feel the care and pride that’s gone into their lodge. Thank you so much Tina and Jamie!

The setting is gorgeous and the rooms were very comfortable with beautiful views of the lake. The buffet style meal was very expensive ($40) for what we were offered. On the night that we ate there, only tomato sauce and mussels were on offer. One person in our party was allergic to mussels and only had a very bland tomato sauce to choose from. The pasta was mushy and overcooked. Of the 2 desserts that were offered, one was so dry that no one in our party of 4 ate it and the other pastry dessert was undercooked and inedible. Very disappointing meal!

The location was brilliant. Stunning view of the lake and mountains. Very easy to find and loads of parking. Very easy and available boat rental. All the staff were really friendly and helpful. There was a good variety of food options, particularly for people with dietary requirements. However the food quality was mid and dinner was mind blowingly over priced. We had booked a room overlooking the lake which was beautiful, but we couldn’t enjoy it properly because the sun shines through into the room (adding to the views beauty) from around midday until it sets making it absolutely swelteringly hot. There is no air con (understandable) and no fan in the room and it was borderline unbearable to try and go to sleep in that sauna. This might have been more palatable if there had been a fly screen on the balcony door, but unfortunately there wasn’t so you either get eaten alive or sleep in a hot box.

Many thanks to the staff at Strathcona Lodge for a wonderful few days enjoying the area. The staff are hardworking, friendly and knowledgeable. We found the food tasty with enough variety to meet everyone’s needs. The daily adventures were well run and gave me the opportunity to do things I never would have considered before. If you are looking for an air conditioned, hotel-type stay this is not for you but if you are looking to disconnect from daily distractions and reconnect to your surroundings as well as family and friends, this lodge will not disappoint.

We had our wedding here and have to say the experience was wonderful. What a great rustic back-drop for our alternative, taffeta-free celebration. The staff were great from the beginning of our planning to the end of the wedding weekend. The Barn is such a great space for an intimate party (we had 94 guests). All our guests loved coming up and spending the weekend away hiking and climbing. The only thing I would have done differently was to bring in a chef. The food provided by the lodge is good quality and very affordable but pretty basic as far as flavours go. Everything else, as I have said was just perfect.

We had a family reunion here this summer, and was so pleased with this place. There were about 50 adults and children total. We rented three houses: Cottage 11, Preece Cottage, and Seale House. Each had their own kitchen. Preece Cottage: The largest of the 3 that we rented. There are 3 floors of bedrooms plus a loft. The kids all loved sleeping and hanging out in the loft. Plus side to this house, it's large and accommodates a large number of people. Downside: it accommodates a large number of people. That house was always busy. Beautiful view from the bedroom balconies, though. For parking for this house, our family used the small parking lot next to the house. Seale House: My immediate small family was assigned to the Seale House, and I am so grateful. There are 3 bedrooms downstairs each with their own separate entrance from the outside as well as a closet room that we used as a 4th room. Two of the rooms downstairs had their own bathroom inside the room. The third room (which we were assigned) did not have its own bathroom, but there was wan directly across the hall which was pretty much our own bathroom since everyone else had their own bathrooms. There is a 4th bathroom upstairs that the "bedroom" upstairs used as their bathroom. For parking there is room for about 2 to 3 cars right next to the house, and we parked a 4th car lower (but next to the exterior entrances to the bedrooms). Cottage 11: Smaller of the 3 houses. Close to the water and water activities launch site, but the least favorite set up of the 3 houses for me. I believe they parked up in the lot across from Preece. Activities: There are scheduled activities both in the AM and PM that you can sign up for. Each day is different, so check the calendar for the week. The AM activities usually cost money, but I think all the PM activities were free. We did "zip lining" one morning. It's great for beginners and those wary of heights, but if you are looking for more of a thrill, this is not it. WildPlay (which many of the family did prior to Strathcona) sounded much more thrilling. For this zip lining course, one has to walk across a balance beam and then a tight rope to get to the platform to zip line, and it's just the one line. Other family members did the rope course the next day which looked more fun. Water activities was worth the money. You can rent a canoe (small or large), kayak, paddle board, etc for the whole day (or by the hour). We would rent one or two of each and rotate use throughout the day. I recommend the canoe or kayak and paddling to the smaller islands to explore swim holes, and just the islands. Pack a picnic lunch. We definitely got our money's worth from the rentals. There's also a swimming area and a sand volleyball court. Hiking: There are trails on the property, but most of the family also drove to some of the nearby waterfalls. The favorite was Myra falls (about a 40 minute drive out). The pictures of especially lower Myra Falls was absolutely gorgeous. I wish I had gone to Myra Falls instead of the zip lining. Dining: There is a restaurant onsite, but we never ate there. We purchased breakfast and lunch items from Costco on the way to the lodge, and for dinner, we had prepared stuff ahead of time and had one large group dinner each night. Dinner was held at Seale House one night. Another night we had a BBQ by the pit. The first night we arranged ahead of time for the Salmon dinner. Because of fire warning, they could not cook the salmon over the fire pit as usual. Instead, they baked it in the oven ahead of time. NOT recommended. I think it would've been better cooked in the fire pit. Overall, this was one of the most relaxing vacations I've had. Lodging was great. Scenery was BEAUTIFUL. Weather was perfect (we went last week of July). Plenty of activities (water activities on site, hiking trails on site, and waterfalls nearby). Free WiFi only at the main lodge. No cellphone coverage. If you need to go to the store for something more than what they sell at the general store at the main lodge, you need to go into one of the next towns, which is about 30-40 minute drive either direction. Highly recommend, and would definitely go back!

Stayed here over the weekend for a wedding. The area was great for a rowdy bunch as there are many different areas for the guests to use (I think there were about 60-80 of us) and it was well equipped to make us happy.. I loved the dinner, it was tasty mousse, kale and beef. My father hated it; he's more of a steak and potato type of man and doesn't have a palate for something more earthy. Breakfast was also tasty- and earthy. I would have killed for some bacon, but there was plenty of gluten free , protein filled options which would have been great if we were there for the outdoor activities. the rooms were clean, sheets were all white which we love. A little hard to maneuver if you have accessibility issues, ie wheelchair, crutches, issues with stairs/hills as the whole place is on a hill, and there were 3 sets of stairs to my room. I guess, knowing their demographic when they have a wedding, and catering a bit more to that instead of staying with their roots might make the meals easier, but otherwise they're doing great. I enjoyed myself.