The best walks and hikes in Strathcona Park - Ash River Watershed

This beautiful alpine lake can be reached from the Bedwell Lakes Trailhead, and it will reward you with incredible views of the turquoise water and surrounding mountains. The trail to the lake has plenty of rough terrain with some scrambling involved so it's one for more experienced hikers. That being said, it's remote location and difficult approach mean you are unlikely to see many other people while out here.

This is a wonderfully scenic part of the Della Falls hike, as a bridge takes you across Margaret Creek. There's a campground just before you reach the bridge. Beware of the mice here, which have apparently been known to chew through everything from tents to backpacks. It's worth using the bear cache to protect your kit.

A true highlight of the hike to Della Falls, the cable car crossing is not for the faint hearted. You have to manually operated the steel cars, pulling them across the ravine, with white water rushing by below. You're rewarded with a glorious view of the majestic Della Falls halfway through the crossing.

Cascading in spectacular fashion for 440 metres (1,440 ft), Della Falls is Vancouver Island's second highest waterfall. Simply reaching the falls is an epic adventure, with many arriving at the trailhead on Grand Central Lake by canoe or kayak and then having to use a cable bridge to cross Drinkwater Creek.

Unless you have a high-clearance vehicle, you will need to park here. The road up is privately owned by a logging company and only has public access on the weekend. The gate gets locked at 6 p.m., so make sure you allow plenty of time on the return hike to avoid getting locked in.

Century Sam Lake sits below the Comox Glacier, surrounded by Black Cat Mountain and Mount Arthur Evans. Keep an eye out for a hidden trail along the edge of the lake. This trail leads to a beautiful ice cave. Due to the dangerous nature of ice caves, please use caution and do not enter the caves.

Beautiful lake in the subalpine of Strathcona Park. Elevation gain was more like 700m from the trailhead. There are tenting platforms, bear cache and put toilet. Great place to camp. Excellent for swimming and access to Little Jim Mitchell Lake, Cream Lake and beyond.

Excellent hike into Strathcona Park. Can be done as a day hike or the beginning of a multi day hike into other parts of the park.