Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park Location in British Columbia
Location	Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
Area	347 ha (860 acres)
Established	20 April 1967
Visitors	836,211 (in 2017-18)
Governing body	BC Parks

Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park is a super popular park in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada. It's a big park, covering 347 hectares, which is like 850 football fields!

The park has a two-kilometre long sandy beach. It also has tall, old Douglas fir trees. You can even camp here with 174 spots for cars and 25 walk-in spots.

People love visiting Rathtrevor Beach all year round. It's easy to get to from Highway 19. The amazing sandy beach is the main reason people come. When the tide is low, the beach stretches almost a whole kilometre out into the Strait of Georgia. It's perfect for exploring!

Who Lives Here? Wildlife!

This park is a very important resting spot for brant geese. These birds fly long distances every year. They stop at Rathtrevor Beach from March 1 to April 15. It's like their special hotel during their journey!

Where Did the Name Come From?

The park's name, Rathtrevor, comes from the Rath family. They were the first to settle on this land a long time ago in the late 1800s. The family later started a private campground here. They added "trevor" to the name to make it sound more interesting. In 1967, this campground became the provincial park we know today.

How the Park Was Created

Rathtrevor Beach Park has an interesting story about how it became a park. It's connected to another park called Wells Gray Provincial Park.

In the 1960s, a company called Clearwater Timber Products needed more trees for their mill. The government and the company made a deal. The government wanted the land where Rathtrevor Beach is now. This land was owned by Clearwater Timber Products. In exchange, the company would get rights to cut trees in a part of Wells Gray Park.

The beach land was valued at $186,000. So, the company was allowed to cut trees worth that much from Wells Gray Park. However, the price they paid for the trees was very low compared to what other companies usually paid.

Over time, people wondered if this deal was fair. Some thought the government might have lost money. They believed the value of the trees taken from Wells Gray Park was much higher than the value of the beach land.

Despite these concerns, Rathtrevor Beach officially became a provincial park. Years later, in 1974, the government changed the agreement with Clearwater Timber. The logging in Wells Gray Park stopped.

Today, Rathtrevor Beach is one of British Columbia's most loved provincial campgrounds. It's a great example of how important it is to protect natural places for everyone to enjoy.

Rathtrevor Beach Nature House

Inside the park, you'll find the Rathtrevor Beach Nature House. This is a special centre run by RLC Enterprize. It has cool displays about the local natural history. They also offer fun environmental education programs. These programs are for school groups and anyone who wants to learn more about nature.

Images for kids

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  The beautiful sandy beach

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  The beach at low tide, stretching far out

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  Grass growing in the sand

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  Looking out towards Lasqueti Island and distant mountains

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  Interesting driftwood on the shore

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  Brant Geese resting on the beach