British Columbia
Outdoor Discovery on Vancouver Island With Your Grandchild
Program No. 2677RJ
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Participant Reviews
Based on 20 Reviews
SHOWING
The activities, 3 scheduled per day, were fun and challenging. My grandchild enjoyed that as well as the free time to spend with the other kids. The guides were very good and worked well with the kids. So that part of the trip was good.
On the negative side, the food was absolutely terrible for myself and for my grandchild. There were several meals where she did not like any of the food. There were meals where all she had was a plate of rice or just an apple! Totally unacceptable! There were a few dishes that I liked, but not many. Also on several occasions items ran out. For example, there was a bowl of berries one morning. On a couple of other mornings, when I got my turn to dish up I saw an empty bowl of berries with just some juice at the bottom. Fried eggs were served but the eggs were cold. And so forth. Worst food I have ever had on any trip.
Trying to figure out and arrange transportation to get to and from the lodge was complicated.
— Review left August 7, 2026
The Vancouver Island trip was a great adventure with my granddaughter. We especially enjoyed the overnight canoe trip, the ziplining, bog walk and kayaking. The destination is difficult to get to and the accommodations a bit rustic. Our instructors were top-notch, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with the other participants.
— Review left August 2, 2026
Adventure in Canada
— Review left July 20, 2026
Recently I spent a week with my granddaughter on the Road Scholar Vancouver program at Strathcona Park Lodge. I have been quite happy the past two years on other grandparent trips but I was disappointed with this program. It is my understanding that Road Scholar contracts this program out to the lodge and, at no point, was there any Road Scholar representative present on this trip. It appears that the lodge handles a lot of middle school groups over the year along with a few travellers. We had capable lodge staff as guides but it was all a bit odd.
My biggest complaint is the food; it is not kid friendly and after a day outside, the kids are hungry. There are vegan and vegetarian conconctions and we even had tofu as part of the main dish on our overnight camping trip! And no Hershey bars for the somemores but rather vegan chocolate chips to add to the marshmallow. Real marshmallows - hallelujah!! The favorite night was hamburgers; however, there was no ketchup as the owners feel it has too much sugar - yet there was ice cream for dessert. Personally it all felt very food controlling and odd - along with simply not being very good. There was a nice choice of salads but all much too heavily dressed. I saw many a child with rice and an apple for a meal.
Personally I think the cut off age date for this trip should be 12.
Also there was a general consensus among the grandparents that traveling to this beautiful remote place was challenging.
Also, if it would rain the entire week, this trip would really suffer.
— Review left July 7, 2026
My grandson, age 10, and I had a wonderful time on our outdoor adventure in British Columbia. We were challenged but supported and assisted. We made lifelong memories and cherished friends with whom we will stay in touch. It was a great success from our perspective!
— Review left July 6, 2026
Beyond worthwhile. Off the grid, great food, unbelievably helpful and encouraging guides. My grandson and I had fun, challenged ourselves, loved meeting new people and enjoying a beautiful peaceful place.
— Review left July 5, 2026
A fabulous, very active program for you and your grandchild, in a breathtaking location.
— Review left August 7, 2025
We had a very enjoyable exprience with our granddaughter. She loved all the activites included and made nice friends with the other participants. We highly recommend this trip for adventuresome grandparents and grandchildren.
— Review left July 23, 2025
The Vancouver Island Grandparent trip was exceptional. My granddaughter stated it best on our way home when she said: It was a magical trip in and enchanted forest. She was not ready to go home.
— Review left August 22, 2024
Gorgeous lake location at outdoor leadership camp with your grandchild doing lots of fun adventures --together. Prepare to rough it some, to "live on the edge" as you choose (we are still young) and to help out with adventures and tasks, all in the beautiful BC outdoors. Expect weather, bring layers and good attitudes and cheer, and prepare to enjoy a week making memories with your special grandchild(ren).
— Review left August 15, 2024
Enjoy a spectacularly beautiful location while having tremendous fun with your grandchild. Opportunities for the young kids and grown-up kids to play and challenge themselves in the outdoors. Healthy and delicious food at the lodge.
— Review left August 14, 2024
wonderful GP/GC program in the rain forest wilderness of Vancouver Island, BC that exposes GCs to many new activities such as canoeing, rock climbing, high ropes crossing, and zip lining, among others
— Review left August 3, 2024
The program at the Strathcona Lodge was fun, engaging and very well organized. We were busy all the time with outdoor activities. It is a beautiful place, accomodations basic but functional. The food was outstanding. The activities are challenging and push the comfort zone. It is a bit of a challenge to get there so be prepared for planes, a ferry, shuttles, busses, depending on your choice of travel.
— Review left August 5, 2023
The program described is accurate and plenty active and challenging. My 10 yr old granddaughter loved every single part of it, even though we had some rain a couple days! We learned about and became “Happy Warriors “!! Extremely memorable. And such a bonding experience if you have an open attitude and participate as fully as possible!
— Review left July 27, 2023
I you have an adventurous grandchild who loves to be active in the outdoors, this is a super program for him or her.
— Review left July 5, 2023
A wonderful experience for a grandparent and grandchild who love the outdoors to share! My granddaughter has now expressed an interest in learning more of the skills that would allow her to educate others to safely enjoy outdoor activities like kayaking, rock-climbing, camping, etc. This program is a great confidence builder for kids.
— Review left July 1, 2023
This program cannot be beat for gorgeous scenery; testing your self imposed limits and challenging adventure seeking grandchildren!
— Review left July 16, 2022
I highly recommend Outdoor Discovery with Your Grandchild on Vancouver Island! This was my third time doing the program with three of my grandchildren and each time it was challenging and fun. I particularly enjoy the camaraderie that develops with the other grandparents and grandchildren. The leaders are great! They encourage going beyond our limits but are not judgmental of anyone who chooses not to engage in a particular activity. I really like this program because all of the activities take place in one location (no bus travel). The Strathcona Park Lodge is right on the edge of a beautiful lake with a beach and a gorgeous view of snow-capped mountains. Meals are buffet-style with lots of hearty, healthy food. Tables are available both inside a dining room or outside on the deck with the spectacular view of the lake and mountains. There are beautiful wildflowers throughout the property. If you like the outdoors and taking on physical challenges in a safe, supportive environment, you will enjoy this program!
— Review left July 12, 2022
What an adventure it was to participate in this very active program at Strathcona Park Lodge! We had excellent, well trained counselors who taught and monitored safety, inspired trust and encouraged without any pressure. My grandson had so much fun he didn’t want to come home and he loved seeing me stretch myself to try some of the fun physical activities. The food was good, fresh, abundant and well-designed to accommodate everyone’s diet needs. It’s a gorgeous location but a bit remote and challenging to get to. Must be worth it as one set of grandparents was there for the fourth time!
— Review left July 11, 2022
I was impressed wth all of the staff here! They were all helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and capable.
— Review left August 15, 2019














