Buttle Lake is a lake on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. It is about long and wide, has an area of , is up to deep, and lies at an elevation of . The lake is located between Campbell River and Gold River in

Strathcona Provincial Park Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rock ...

. The lake is the headwaters of the Campbell River.

History

The lake was named after John Buttle, geologist and botanist from

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

, London, who came to the area with the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

. They mapped the area around the lake in 1865. Buttle explored Vancouver Island as a naturalist under Dr Robert Brown as part of the Vancouver Island Exploring Expedition in 1864. He discovered and mapped the lake the next year. During 1955–1958, the Strathcona Dam was built on

Upper Campbell Lake Upper Campbell Lake is a reservoir on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The lake was flooded in 1958 for a large hydroelectric project, which raised the water level by . Crest Creek and headwaters of the Heber River are diverted into ...

, raising the water level by . The raised water level coalesced Upper Campbell and Buttle Lake, raising the level of Buttle by 5 meters. Prior to the increase, of forest at low-lying areas along the shore was harvested, and in many areas not fully cleared. At times of low water, there exist mudflats with stumps remaining from the forests that formerly stood there.

Travel and activities

The lake is accessed via

which is located almost in the center of

. The main access to the park is via Highway 28, which connects with Gold River on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Highway 28 passes through the northern section of the park and provides access to Buttle Lake. There are multiple campgrounds along Buttle Lake. Hiking, swimming, boating, fishing and bicycling are common activities in the area.

References

External links

Details at B.C. Adventure
* Lakes of Vancouver Island Nootka Land District Alberni Valley Strathcona Provincial Park {{BritishColumbiaCoast-geo-stub

History

Travel and activities

See also

References

External links