Bedwell and Cream Lakes Trip Review (Mt Tom Taylor Approach Trail)

I love mountains that don't fit into the camera frame 😍

(August 2026)

This 22 km, 2-night, out-and-back hike is a lake-hunter's paradise. The Bedwell and Cream Lakes trail is located in the heart of Strathcona Provincial Park and takes you high into the subalpine to search for beautiful glacial lakes, stunning mountain views, and a variety of challenging terrain. If you're someone who's ready to take their island backpacking to the next level, this has to be on your to-do list. Read this trip review for photos, hidden secret perks, and more from the POV of someone who just hiked this trail.

Scroll down to hear about...

• Overview (Trip Rating)

• Getting There

• Accommodation Options

• Backcountry Camping Fees

• Trail Description:

  • Day 1 (Trailhead - Baby Bedwell Lake - Bedwell Lake)

  • Day 2 (Bedwell Lake - Little Jim Lake - Cream Lake)

  • Day 3 (Bedwell Lake - Trailhead)

  • Mt Tom Taylor Approach Trail (Bedwell Lake - Bedwell River)

Picture-perfect Cream Lake - the crown of the entire trail.

Trip Rating: 5/5 STARS

This hike should be on the bucket list of all island backpackers. You will begin your hike through forested switchbacks and ladders until you reach Baby Bedwell, and not long after, Bedwell Lakes. The second leg of the trail crosses Price Creek and takes you up to Little Jim Lake, through beautiful alpine scenery, and finally, down a steep drop to Cream Lake and the base of Mt Septimus. With over 1,000 metres of elevation gain, you'll be route-finding, navigating in subalpine terrain, and searching for the next cairn on your way to the next crystal-clear glacial lake.

Due to that reason, it's incredibly popular, and you will not be able to find an available tent pad if arriving late/on weekends. Some AllTrails reviews suggest day hiking this trail... which would be an impressive feat that would take you between 8 and 12 hours.

For the best experience, camp at either of the designated lake campsites, and take your time exploring the subalpine plateau on your second-day trek. Read on to hear my full experience with this trail.

This trail also serves as a gateway to a major part of island alpine climbing, including approaches towards Mt Tom Taylor, Nine Peaks via Big Interior Mountain, Mt Septimus-Rosseau area, and Flower Ridge linkups via Central Crags. Know that almost all of these mountains require long days of bushwhacking on completely unmarked, cross-country terrain.

Mt Septimus in afternoon light over a large tarn, heading back from Cream Lake.

Getting There:

From Victoria, follow Trans - Canada Hwy/BC-1 N and BC-19 N to Nanaimo, then merge onto BC-19 North (Inland Island Hwy) to Campbell River. At Campbell River, take Exit 144 onto BC-28 West (Gold River Hwy) for about 1 hour. Watch for the left turnoff at the end of Buttle Lake to Western Mine Road, which you will follow until you reach Jim Mitchell Lake Road on your left-hand side. Be aware that the 3km drive up Jim Mitchell Lake Road is a steep gravel FSR requiring high-clearance 4WD/AWD vehicles.

Campbell River: A moderate-sized town which offers many great Airbnb's, hotels, motels, and more for those looking for accommodation. Also, check out the absolutely delicious Freyja Croissants (https://www.freyjacroissant.ca) downtown for a sweet treat at this amazing Scandinavian-style bakery before (or after) your hike.

Driving directions as of early-morning traffic on a weekday. Know that constant traffic lights between Malahat and Nanaimo will increase your time on the road driving in rush hour.

Nearby Accommodation Options:

Comox Valley: While slightly farther away, the Comox Valley hosts three cities (Courtenay, Comox, and Cumberland) all which offer many Airbnb's, hotels, motels, and more. The Comox Valley is about 1.5 hours away from the trailhead.

Campbell River: As explained above, Campbell River is probably the best option for hikers looking for less expensive overnight stays in town. There's even a climbing gym - surprising for the sizes of this town!

Strathcona Park Lodge and Outdoor Centre: A nature-oriented centre located right on Upper Campbell Lake (just off Hwy 28), about 20 mins away from the trailhead. This lodge offers room rentals for min. 2 nights in the summertime and 3 in the winter months. While this option may be slightly pricier, parties interested in exploring other hikes around the area may find this a great option. See the details at https://strathconaparklodge.com/stay/guest/

Gold River: Finding a hotel may be a struggle here, plus you'd have to pack you own groceries, but it's worth looking into. The Gold River Municipal Campground (first-come, first-serve) does offer both campsites and RV sites for parties interested to explore the area bit more. If you are staying at Gold River, you will have to backtrack along Hwy 28 for ~30 mins before reaching the Western Mine Road turnoff.

Bedwell and Cream Lakes Trailhead Parking Lot: The majority of hikers leave their cars here while on the trail, so staying the night in your van and resting up here can be a good idea (there are plenty of spaces down at the turnaround area). Just be prepared that this parking lot can get absolutely packed when in season and on weekends.

Meta's Vintage Rec filter is a new favourite of mine.

Backcountry Camping Fees:

For this hike, standard Strathcona Provincial Park Backcountry Camping fees apply during the summer months (June 15 - September 30). This information is current as of August 2026:

16+ years old: $10

6-15 years old: $5

Under 6: No fee

Learn more about Strathcona Provincial Park's regulations at https://bcparks.ca/strathcona-park/#camping

While camping, please follow standard Leave No Trace principles and use all available food caches (or suspend food from trees, if needed). On this hike there are urine-diversion outhouses located at the trailhead, the Baby Bedwell Lake campground, the Bedwell Lake campground, and Cream Lake. Should you need to improvise a camping bathroom, please stay away from drinking water sources and head at least 200m upslope.

Camp sweet camp 🏕️ 😴 🥹 🫶

Trail Description:

Read on for our day-to-day hike itinerary:

1. Bedwell and Cream Lakes Official Trailhead (Jim Mitchell Lake Road)

2. 0 - 4.4 km: Well-travelled forested path, switchbacks and staircases

3. 4.4 km: Baby Bedwell Lake campground (first-come, first-serve)

4. 4.4 - 6.3 km: Challenging stairs/subalpine climb around Baby Bedwell and down to Bedwell Lake

5. 6.3 km: Bedwell Lake campground (first-come, first-serve)

6. 6.3 - 8.5 km: Faint, rough subalpine path through the forest and along Little Jim Creek (exposed boulder-hopping included)

7. 8.5 km: Little Jim Lake

8. 8.5 - 10 km: Route-finding and subalpine scrambling to the trail's highpoint. Be aware of one exposed, loose traverse.

9. 10 - 12.5 km: Descent through shrubs and tarns to Cream Lake

10. 11.5 km: Cream Lake

11. 12.5 km: Mt Septimus base

    
    

12. Mt Tom Taylor base: Climbers this ultimate alpine climbing/multipitch granite mecca via two main approaches leading from Bedwell Lake. Click HERE to read more details about it.

DAY 1:

Trailhead - Baby Bedwell Lake - Bedwell Lake - Mt Tom Taylor Approach Trail

6.5 km

(best photos at the end!)

Mom and Dad had booked an Air BnB in Campbell River and in the end we were lugging a full car of fishing gear, dog gear, food, and etc. We left the Air BnB just after 5:00 am on a Monday morning (early starts are our backpacking secret!) and reached the trailhead just before 7:00. The FSR, Jim Mitchell Lake Road, was rougher than expected and we were infinitely glad we had rented a 4WD Toyota Grand Highlander for this trip.

The Bedwell and Cream Lakes Trail is one of the most popular hikes on the island, and due to that reason, the trailhead parking gets absolutely PACKED (including campsites on the trail!). Securing that early start is extra important to make the most of your trip.

Early 7:00 am start to the trail, and very cold temps (<4 degrees celsius!). Very many bridges and creek crossings, this is the first bridge of the hike over Thelwood Creek.

Mom crossing the river. I probably had way too much fun rocking this suspension bridge!

Wet, muddy, but relatively steady in terms of elevation gain. Very many of these wood bridges and ladders.

The rainstorm just two days before made this trail a muddy swamp for the most part. (Gaiters may be a little overkill, as there is no physically DEEP mud, but we did run into multiple parties wearing them. Your choice.)

All those switchbacks warm you up quick!

Yet another set of stairs. There’s certainly over 50 of these along the whole trail…Yet another set of stairs. There’s certainly over 50 of these along the whole trail…

The trail began as a very well-marked, simple stroll up forested switchbacks, stairs, and bridges. We were enjoying the cool air until the sun came out from above the valley and illuminated our ascent into the subalpine, cool watching how the flora transitioned from low-lying Pacific Coast rainforest to windblown alpine shrubs.

Pleasant boardwalks crossing the watershed line.

Muddy tarns and quite an abundance of wild blueberries as the trail transitions into the subalpine. Slight distortion in this photo at .5

Our first view of Mt Tom Taylor from the trail nearing Baby Bedwell Lake. This is a popular moderate alpine objective typically accessed through the South ridge, but be prepared for a long day of bushwhacking and informal camping at Oiminitis Lake on the approach (no amenities, bear bag required). The Island Alpine Climbing guidebook lists two available approaches (East/Northeast ridge vs South Ridge), and if this is something you are eyeing up, I HIGHLY recommend (depending on season) taking the right approach trail (East Ridge) versus left (to avoid crossing the dangerous Bedwell River). Ultimately it depends on gear, experience, and objective - the famous Indian Summer route is worth checking out as well.

Exit to the Baby Bedwell campground from the trail. This lake is popular among day hikers, families with kids, and known for its deep shores - great for diving off rocks!

It took us about 2.5 hours from trailhead, with many stops, to reach Baby Bedwell Lake - a picturesque subalpine lake and the first official campsite. Scroll below to see some amazing photos!

Early break on Baby Bedwell’s granite slabs. These reminded me quite a bit of the Stawamus Chief’s Apron… 😉. Overall it took us under 3 hours, with multiple breaks, to reach Baby Bedwell Lake from the trailhead.

Traversing the shoreline of picturesque Baby Bedwell Lake: a crystal-clear subalpine lake surrounded by granite bluffs all around. I wonder what the climbing would be like on some of those…

The trek became even more grueling past the lake, with many ups and downs, but more of an endurance-based challenge less than a technical one. Soon enough we had arrived at the junction marking the viewpoint and the turnoff for a downhill traverse around Bedwell Lake to the second campsite. Don't miss the viewpoint for breathtaking Big Interior Mountain views!

Baby Bedwell from the ridge. The rocky bluffs centre-left in the photo is where the designated campsite is.

After another 20 mins of rooty uphill and staircases, you will reach this junction. Don’t miss the famous picture-perfect viewpoint of island-dotted Bedwell Lake, then take right for another grueling hour of stairs, creeks, and roots to the campsite.

Bedwell Lake and Big Interior Mountain from the spectacular viewpoint.

The Bedwell Lake campsite is located in the trees slightly left off-centre in the photo above.

Zoomed-in Big Interior Mountain shots. Earlier along the trail we ran into a party of 3 saying they bagged Nine Peaks via Big Interior, and I have to say, that’s quite an impressive feat for their 3-day window. Plan for an extra buffer day and long, before/after-sundown hiking days if doing so. (There is a network of higher-elevation ridges connecting the two, but do not expect this to be an easy way to access Beauty Glacier.)

After a long uphill-then-downhill grunt (with many staircases involved!) we reached the shore of Bedwell Lake. Looking out to Big Interior Mountain in this photo.

Mom on the steepest staircase of the trail. Going down this thing was harder than climbing up.

Some really huge trees! (...my legs aren't ACTUALLY that long 💀 sometimes I hate shooting at .5)

By 11:30 we had reached the Bedwell Lake campsite and the next challenge was navigating the complicated maze of the tent pads. There is no map and all campsites are sporadically scattered around the site, so good luck finding available ones. They sure do tend to hide behind the bushes!

The bear cache, finally. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) this is located a 3 minute walk from most of the tent pads, so don’t expect to have your food at hand all the time.

Lunch at our tent pads (SO glad we made that early start to secure a good spot… seeing people camp by the toilet, on the trail, and around other tent pads when it got crowded was not the most ideal situation!). This is our favourite first-day snack, Gnubees Kids fruit shakes.

Pickles!!! I live off these when backpacking, no kidding!

Mom making some sort of eatable wraps out of what we had. Well, it was good…

The Bedwell Lake camping situation gets a little creative at busy times... The site gets absolutely packed on weekends - people are forced to camp somewhere in the shrubs higher up, a long way to both food cache and toilet. We arrived early and were able to secure a nice shaded tent pad.

After lunch we ran into two climbers descending from the South Ridge of Mt Tom Taylor (it felt very special to be recognized from my home gym, Boulder House, in the middle of nowhere in the backcountry 😊🙏), and after chatting about beta, we decided to go check out the first leg of the approach. They warned us of the bushwhacking, but even then… it was a leg-scraping adventure!

Mt Tom Taylor, a mecca for moderate island alpine climbing, can be accessed via two main routes from Bedwell Lake:

#1: Northeast/East Ridge: Take a rather unclear right turn (main trail takes left) at Bedwell Lake and continue up a small creek drainage to a small unnamed lake. Very rooty, bushy, and almost completely untravelled. Summit climb involves 4th/low 5th class scrambling and opportunities for technical trad multipitches such as "Indian Summer."

#2: South Ridge: Continuing past the Bedwell Lake campsite, trek along a faint trail continuing along the left shoreline of Bedwell Lake until you reach a stream, Bedwell River. This part of the trail is bushy, but manageable and fairly simple to navigate. Crossing the stream is highly dangerous in the wet months; tread farther down the outflow to look for shallower, slow-current sections in the summer. From there, briefly gain the challenging Oinimitis Trail as you bushwhack through the forest and up granite slabs to gain Tom Taylor's East Ridge. To bag the mountain from this end, the route passes the false summit and involves crossing the Taylor Glacier.

Wandering farther around Bedwell Lake on the first leg of the Mt Tom Taylor approach.

Spectacular Big Interior Mountain viewed from the faint path to Bedwell River.

All that swampy marsh was not the most ideal with leaking boots… the first leg of the Mt Tom Taylor approach trail is not an easy stroll.

The trail here is, well, not quite enough to be called a trail.

Up to this point the trail was certainly bushwhacking and unmaintained, but still defined enough to locate which direction to head towards next. We didn't have any real trouble re-finding the trail after another drop to a tarn, or circling around another boulder.

We were making good route-finding progress until we reached Bedwell River - a bustling whitewater stream - and it was evident we weren’t prepared to safely cross a creek of that kind. (If this is something you are planning to do, be aware that this stream is almost uncrossable in the early months, but shallower slow-current sections do exist later in the season).

So, change of plans: I had to wave goodbye to my dreams of Mt Tom Taylor and head back in our direction. Bailing out is a part of mountaineering… and a good lesson learned! Some extra research before attempting this could've come in handy. We retraced our steps along the supposed trail and found some excellent swimming slabs along the way.

The Bedwell Lake campsite has some potential for swimming access, but if you want the BEST experience, head along this trail to find completely secluded, empty slabs leading up to the water. A good way to escape the crowds!

This GRAYL water bottle is our best friend in the backcountry. I love the flexibility it gives me with being able to filter water anywhere I am, in less than 2 minutes of effort. What an upgrade from pump systems, purification tablets, and other slower systems.

Back to camp after a long day of hiking - that three-hour bushwhacking detour was totally necessary! 😂

Look up high at the Bedwell Lake campsite signpost to see the Cream Lake route junction sign. Very easy to miss in the network of tiny trails and paths of the campsite… keep your eyes peeled!

DAY 2:

Bedwell Lake - Cream Lake

~12 km roundtrip

Breakfast on day 2. Hot chocolate, granola, and fruit puree!

The approach to Mt Septimus (Cream Lake) is fairly well-travelled up until Little Jim Lake, so route-finding was not an issue. We were making steady progress plodding up a muddy trail through the forest until we gained a viewpoint and all of a sudden, we were above Bedwell Lake and everything seemed so much better.

Bedwell Lake and Mt Myra (far right) seen half an hour into the Cream Lake trail.

Mom in front of Mt Tom Taylor’s true summit (left of the two... still not sure if I trust the map in saying that).

The trail starts off muddy and rooty but fairly steady in terms of elevation gain. The only reason I was able to take this photo is due to temporary break from all the mud puddles... those forced us to find alternate sideline routes to avoid soaking our boots.

Still steep and muddy… not much variety

Tom Taylor selfies

This part of the trail was mentally hard for me. I function best when the summit is in sight, when the terrain is challenging me in different ways and it’s a constant puzzle to move onward. Here, we were plodding up subalpine forested paths in full sun; it was hot and difficult to stay optimistic for me (ironically I’m always on my period when backpacking as well… 😑).

The next available water source between Bedwell and Little Jim Lakes is the Little Jim Creek, which you will follow for a good chunk of the trail. Another reason why attempting this in wet season/after heavy rain will not be the best experience, as you would be walking up a flowing creek for at least a kilometre.

Higher up the trail joins Little Jim Creek and eventually you find yourself scrambling over large granite boulders up over the saddle. A much-needed change of terrain.

Reverse shot of the final section towards Little Jim Lake. Here’s Mom following the creek, sometimes on steep slabs. Know that the valley is also filled with wild blueberry bushes, hence being bear heaven in the summer months - we were warned by 3 groups saying they say a black bear.

Little Jim Lake looked absolutely magical...

Little Jim Lake, 10 am. The trail follows just left of the scree slope in the saddle, with the top of Mt Septimus peeking out from behind.

Stoke levels were high so without further ado we pushed onwards on a pleasant trail around Little Jim Lake. Save yourself some time by walking along the shoreline of the lake as far as possible rather than taking the higher wooded (and far rootier) trail.

Mom looking back on the talus field.

Photo above, the trail winds just around the right-hand side of the lake along the shore after entering a short talus field and up to the saddle.

The trail winds steeply around this bluff here, wandering on loose rock and scree. However it is still clear to navigate due to the amount of traffic this area sees daily.

So glad we didn’t have to cross through this moraine in the saddle!

The trail becomes fainter the further you travel and disappears/reappears intermittently. Ultimately this becomes a game of cairn-hunting. You’ll be able to spot the trail from afar winding between the boulders every now and then. Just head in the general direction of the next trail marker, whatever that may be. When in doubt, follow the most boot-beaten path, and leave flagging tape wherever possible. We had 4 parties trailing ~80m behind us on our tracks.

About to gain the saddle above Little Jim Lake. Views are getting better and better!

Scree slopes are worse without trekking poles...

Photo above: me preparing to cross the one exposed section, the only objectively ‘dangerous’ part of the route to Cream Lake - 5 or so metres of choss over a steep scree slope. If you slip, you’re likely going to down, but careful footing and poles in your hands will certainly get you over safely.

On the saddle and looking ahead to another hour of route finding along the ridge, then down to Cream Lake (the upcoming downhill was so frustrating after gaining all that elevation!)

Strange how the trail enters scarcely-vegetated alpine terrain above Little Jim Lake, reaches its high point on a ridge, then plunges back down to subalpine shrubs and tarns all the way to Cream Lake.

Nine Peaks poking out from behind a shoulder of Big Interior Mountain.

Looking back at Tom Taylor’s pale-coloured ridgeline. This was just after our little off-trail navigation detour...

Sometimes it's easier to navigate in open alpine terrain where you can see far ahead of yourself, an issue that makes subalpine bushwhacking so challenging. We lost the trail earlier wandering through the shrubs along the ridge, due to some confusing evidence: Gaia GPS was stating to head one way while fresh flagging tape, a cairn, and a worn track were headed the other. In the mountains, the general consensus is to stick to the mapped trail - as many false paths leading nowhere do exist - but in this situation we took the risk and headed down the boot path. It was clear people do travel on this path, but we crossed multiple water spurts and bushwhacked through some conspicuous bramble that would not have existed on the main trail. Eventually we were happy to exit on a wider track, clearly the intended route.

So glad to be back on trail.

Clear view of Nine Peaks and Beauty Glacier now.

First view of Mt Septimus, with Mt Rosseau behind. Still many tarns and another downhill before Cream Lake - it’s not as close as might seem!

This part of the trail was more boring than challenging, as route-finding was easy and we were strolling on a slight downhill between tarns and creeks. At least Mt Septimus looming above made for some motivation.

Here’s me soaking my bandana in a tarn to wear around my neck - this is such a lifesaver for hot weather hiking!

Water sources were surprisingly abundant along this trail, even mid-August. Between Bedwell Lake and Cream Lake, we passed numerous creeks, tarns of all sizes, outflows, and even potential to reach snow patches. You won’t be at loss of water here, unless it has been an abnormally dry season.

This absolutely unreal view. Just look at that size contrast 😍 (this is above a tarn, not a lake by the way)

That first view... 😆 😆 😆

I was almost close to giving up, until we turned a corner and a turquoise jewel peeked out from the basin... Backpacking, alpine climbing - really anything - is so much easier when the terrain is interesting and the views are incredible.

We met up with a large group above Cream Lake, and the parties trailing behind us caught up soon. In the end we had plenty of company to scare away the bears while resting above the lake.

Cream Lake… tropical paradise! It looks incredibly special because your first view of the lake is from above, and after seeing the same old tarns and rock, Cream Lake pokes out from the basin like a tiny turquoise jewel. A lake-hunter’s heaven! Many people choose to make this viewpoint be their final turnaround, but the extra ten minutes of downhill is SO worth it to take a dip in water of that colour.

Silt from year-round snowmelt makes this lake so uniquely turquoise it looks like candy.

Most of the people in the other groups decided to make the viewpoint their final destination and headed back before us (...we did not overtake them at Little Jim 😉), but we hung out at the lake a bit longer and made time for that extra ten mins down to the water. In the end, it was SO worth it...

Extra uphill after the lake, back to the main trail? Yes yes yes if it’s this colour. Leave your big bags in the shade at the top and descend for a quick swim.

Dipping a toe into ice-cold water. Very clear but silty, we filtered it through and it tasted absolutely amazing.

Continuing further forwards from the lake access trail, a large prominent cairn marks where the toilet and bear cache is - informal camping at Cream Lake is an available option. When making this decision, keep in mind that lugging overnight gear will make the (already arduous) trek to the lake significantly harder… and the fact that Cream Lake sits in a bowl with very little wind, causing an infamous abundance of mosquitoes!

Found these amazing White Pasqueflowers… but I’m certain they’re miniature Truffula Trees. As the Lorax once said, “…and on behalf of the trees, get out!”

The way back took us faster than in the morning, because once you gain the trail's highpoint on the ridge, it's all downhill from there to Bedwell Lake. I couldn't wait to swim at Little Jim!

4:00 pm and we made it to the lake!

Back at Little Jim Lake after a long day route finding in the sun. This lake is so unbelievably clear it makes for a great swimming option (if the extra downhill to Cream Lake isn’t on the list!)

Filling up on water (and drying bandanas) at the Little Jim outflow area.

This unexplained signpost high on a tree in the middle of the trail back to Bedwell Lake. I guess it’s in case you forgot where you were headed (as far as I’m concerned, the only junctions that may exist in this area are informal mountaineers routes…).

At this section of the trail we passed several groups heading up (not the most responsible decision I must say, considering the position of the sun in the sky and time it takes to get there and back). With conventional backpacking like this, I would always rather not hike in the dark, unless it's a bigger alpine objective that was planned beforehand.

Almost everybody warned us of black bear sightings around the Little Jim Creek area, so we belted out song lyrics as loud as possible on the way down. Maybe the bears thought we were a *little crazy... either way, we didn't see a single one!

DAY 3:

Bedwell Lake - Baby Bedwell Lake - Trailhead

~6.5 km

Breakfast, Day 3. Those wild blueberries made quite an addition to our oatmeal 😋 I feel like my backpacking food system gets better and better with every trip.

Absolutely unreal reflection of Mt Tom Taylor in Bedwell Lake, 9 am and mirror-still water.

Thank you so much for reading my post and making it to end! It means a lot to know someone took the time to read this!

✉️ Email sophia.roukhlova@gmail.com for any questions, inquiries, or collabs!

👇 Drop a comment below to tell me what you think!

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Enjoy your hike!

-- Sophia