Strathcona Provincial Park is one of my favourite places on Vancouver Island. The Paradise Meadow area is well named, especially in the autumn when the golden and bright red bushes are lit up so prettily by the the golden sunlight. It really is a hiker’s Paradise. The route to Kwai Lake and the Forbidden Plateau goes past multiple alpine lakes; Battleship Lake, Kooso Lake, Lady Lake, Croteau Lake, and then Lake Helen MacKenzie on the way back. There is a bit of elevation gain, but it’s never very steep so it feels relaxing, rather than strenuous. We did the loop clockwise with Battleship Lake first, but I don’t think the direction matters; It’d still be fabulous either way.

Vancouver Island is a 460km long island just off the coast of mainland Canada, a short ferry-ride away from Vancouver. The island is covered by rainforests, mountains and the coastline has incredible beaches.

Map of Forbidden Plateau Loop

Forbidden Plateau Loop to Kwai Lake

Distance: 18 km
Cumulative Elevation gain: 575m
Highest Point: 1260m (the high point of Murray Meadows)
Time: 4-5 hours (We recorded 4.5 hours moving time on strava,)
What to bring: The 10 Essentials
Facilities: There are loos at the trailhead and a lodge when it is open. More backcountry loos at Battleship Lake, Kwai Lake and at the ranger station.
Dogs: Great for dogs, but you should keep them on a lead
How hard is it? Intermediate. It is pretty relaxed with great, easy trails, but 18km is quite long.

Getting started in Paradise Meadows

The trail I’m describing starts at the Raven Lodge, in the Paradise Meadows area of Strathcona Provincial Park. This means that your car will do most of the hard work, as the trailhead starts at an elevation of 1090m. When you get started, there are quite a few possible trails, but there are also maps posted near the lodge.

If you fancy following the route we did, keep left and follow the well maintained boardwalk. This first section of the trail is completely accessible with a special wheelchair called a TrailRider. There are steps, but they have ramps all the way around Paradise meadows.

Once you leave Paradise Meadows the trail starts to climb into the beautiful forest.

The trail slopes up, gaining about 100m in elevation to get to Battleship Lake.

Battleship Lake

3.5km into the hike you’ll reach Battleship Lake. There is a loo (with a magnificent view) As well as some of those Muskoka chairs with views over the emerald-coloured lake.

Further along the lake you can look back at the ski slopes on Mount Washington. We hiked up there the following day; there are spectacular views from over there!

Battleship Lake is long and skinny, and the trail is flat, along the lake shore. After that, continue straight along the boardwalk. You’ll see a knob up ahead (Mount Elma.) If you fancy it, there is a trail up there too.

Kooso Lake and Lady Lake

You’ll go past a couple more beautiful small lakes; Kooso Lake and then Lady Lake.

The Hilly part

This next section gives your legs a little bit of a workout. From Lady Lake, you hike uphill to Croteau Lake, then after that you drop down again into the lovely Murray Meadows full of wildflowers. Then climb back uphill again to Kwai Lake, the furthest point on this loop.

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This is Croteau Lake with the knobble of Mount Elma behind it. 

Kwai Lake

We were blown away by the beauty of Kwai Lake. The best part is, it is possible to camp here looking down on the turquoise waters.

I’ll include more information about camping at Kwai Lake in my next post, but there are lovely spots, all around the lake. Some sites overlook the rest of the lake-covered Forbidden Plateau.

Heading back

Once you have relaxed and spent enough time swimming, or staring at the lovely Kwai Lake, you have a few options to return. You can take a detour to Cruickshank Lookout first, head back the way you arrived, or loop back via Lake Helen Mackenzie.

Murray Meadows Ranger Cabin

We did the loop (we’re always keen to see new views!) From Kwai Lake you need to hike uphill to reach the highest section of Murray Meadows. This area is incredibly pretty, and has a cute Ranger Station. It’s a fabulous location to live through the summer! The rangers were clearing it out for the winter when we visited in mid-October.

From Murray Meadows there is a short climb into the subalpine forest, then you climb steeply down towards Lake Helen Mackenzie.

Lake Helen Mackenzie

This is the largest of the many lakes along this hike. It looks like it would be amazing for swimming, and there is a campground on the northeast side of the lake with 10 campsites, food cache lockers and a toilet. As we visited in autumn, there were no swimmers, but we did see a few people fishing.

After the lake, most of the trail is a pleasant walk downhill back to Paradise Meadows. There is a pretty pond and marsh area just beyond Lake Helen Mackenzie. I loved the edge of the forest with fabulous views out to the surrounding mountains of Strathcona Park.

Once you make it back to Paradise Meadows you’ll get a few gorgeous views of the Mount Washington Ski slopes before you arrive back at the Raven Lodge.

The Forbidden Plateau loop was simply perfect, especially in the autumn when there were no bugs and minimal mud. I imagine in the springtime it would be even more beautiful, but a bit more of a struggle to hike with the melting snow and mud. We absolutely loved the various gemstone-like lakes, the tranquility and the fabulous scenery of Strathcona Provincial Park. If you visit Vancouver Island, do you like the sound of this area?