Snowshoeing in Paradise Meadows

Snowshoeing the Helen Mackenzie/Battleship Lake loop at Paradise Meadows, Mt. Washington

• When – Winter
• Where – Mount Washington Resort
• Why – Beautiful views of valleys and frozen lakes
• How – Snowshoeing
• Difficulty – East to moderate
• Cost – trail pass ONLY = 13.50 + Tax. Trail pass PLUS snowshoes rental = 30.00 + Tax

Directions / location 49.745636 – 125.320096

In the Courtenay area on Hwy 19, turn onto Strathcona PKWY/Mt. Washington road, and continue up towards on the lodge. Turn right onto Nordic drive and follow it to the end, where you will find the Nordic Lodge parking lot. Caution should be taken while navigating roads on the way up as they are icy, slippery, steep. At times there can be several inches of fresh snow that has not been plowed. Snow tires and/or tire chains may be required.

The Hike

Snowshoeing is a Canadian staple, however here on Vancouver Island we don’t see a lot of the fluffy stuff. If you looking for a change in scenery, a break from the rain, an escape to the local mountains may be just what you’re after.

Mt. Washington’s noric lodge also called the raven Lodge, located at the base of the alpine ski hill, it accommodates trail access passes, cross-country skiing, and in our case snowshoe rentals. Once you have purchased your pass and have your gear, the patrolled trails at Paradise Meadows are open to you. There are a few different trails and loops of varying distance around the meadows and lakes to choose from. We opted for the 8km Helen Mackenzie loop.

From the lodge and trail head we headed out through the meadows to the north side of Battleship Lake, where we took our first rest stop near a small dock and picnic table.

From there we continued along the west side of the lake until we found the Helen McKenzie Lake connector, and followed it past the campground to the trail connector leading back to the lodge. This was our next rest stop – right beside the lake – it was an scenic place to enjoy our lunch of trail mix and raman noodles cooked in the Jetboil. (NOTE! Take caution when boiling water in snow… If the water accidentally boils over, it could melt the snow under your stove, creating an uneven surface, potentially spilling its contents onto the ground, and providing a feast for the Whiskey Jacks). Once we had finished what was left of our snack and cleaned up, we made our way out, back to the warmth of the lodge.