Twenty minutes by car from the valley floor, Mount Washington is the largest ski area on Vancouver Island and one of the snowiest in the world. The 1,657-metre summit catches the full force of Pacific storms, and the resort routinely measures snow depths of more than 10 metres at the base. Eight lifts service 80-plus runs, with a long top-to-bottom green run that makes it good for beginners despite the steep terrain higher up.
In summer the mountain becomes a hiking and downhill-mountain-biking park, and Paradise Meadows at the base is the gateway for hikes into Strathcona Provincial Park, including the popular trail to Battleship Lake and the longer climb to Mount Albert Edward.