Flower Ridge Trail

Flower Ridge Trail is a day-hike or backpacking route in Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, following an old track into the subalpine and on to Flower Ridge.

The route is built around a steep climb early on: roughly the first 6–10 km gain over 1,000 m, then the tread rises into open ridge terrain with subalpine meadows.

Once on Flower Ridge, the hiking turns into an up-and-down traverse with numerous bumps and seasonal ponds/tarns, with navigation getting trickier where the ridge line is not maintained.

The ridge is known for wildflowers in late spring and summer, and water can be limited on the upper sections—bring enough for the ascent and rely on the sparse tarns/ponds while filtering when needed.

At the maintained end of the ridge, the terrain shifts quickly toward scrambling/off-trail travel; plan on turning around at a viewpoint spot if you want to stay within the maintained route.

For a one-day push, typical round-trip times run 7+ hours; many parties stretch it to multi-day backpacking to camp near the ponds along the ridge.

The trailhead is accessed from Westmin Road; Ralph River Campground is about 3 km away and works well as a staging area.

More information: Flower Ridge Trail - Strathcona Provincial Park - MB Guiding, British Columbia Flower Ridge Trail - Hiking and Walking, Flower Ridge Hike | Strathcona Provincial Park, BC