Booking Information

• Group sizes range from 10 to 100. Larger groups are accommodated on a case by case basis (depending on the amount of time the group will be at the Centre, the availability of volunteers, etc.)
• Programs commence rain or shine
• There is a 48 hour cancellation policy
• Please arrange for payment in advance or upon arrival
• All bookings subject to availability
• Group rates do not apply for the Halloween Train or the Christmas Express

Shoulder Group Booking Admission Rates
March 30 to June 30, 2024
September 5 to September 22, 2024

Adults $14.00
Seniors $12.00
Youth (13 to 18 years) $12.00
Children (3-12 years) $10.00
Children 2 and under Free

Summer Season Group Booking Admission Rates
July 1 to September 2, 2024

Adults $16.00
Seniors $14.00
Youth (13 to 18 years) $14.00
Children (3-12 years) $12.00
Children 2 and under Free

CAMP LIFE TOUR
30 minutes long

Your will step back in time when you visit the Heritage logging camp. With a focus on community, discover what camp life was like in the early to mid 20^th century.

See how early loggers lived and worked and how logging camps created the infrastructure necessary to build communities. These actual bunkhouses used on Vancouver Island were generously donated to us by forestry companies.

Visit our 1905 Schoolhouse, the original Westholme Post Office and Caycuse Blacksmith Shop was well.

Opposite the Logging Camp, take a look at our static display of locomotives. You will find the 1924 Mayo Lumber Co. #3 Shay and the 1915 Hillcrest Lumber Co. #9 Climax steam locomotives.  Both were used in the logging industry on Vancouver Island.  Currently under restoration is our 1920 Hillcrest Lumber Co. #1 Shay, expected to be in use in 2023.

Following your tour, step aboard the train. The 2.5 km narrow gauge railway takes you around our 100-acre property, including the trestle over Somenos Lake. The ride is approx. 20 minutes including a 10-minute stop at our lower grounds.

FORESTERS WALK
45 minutes long

Enjoy a leisurely stroll through our mature second-growth forest and get to know the various species of trees on our property.

Your will be immersed in a forest with 400-year-old Douglas-fir, Western Red Cedar, Red Alder and  the Big Leaf Maple trees. We will stop and visit the bald eagles (depending on the time of year, the family may be in residence).

At our lower grounds you will find a wide variety of Antique logging equipment, including Caterpillar dozers, yarders, steam donkeys and logging trucks. Don’t forget to take a look in the Antique Vehicle Shed by the Main Entrance, showing our restored collection of vehicles and trucks.

Following your tour, step aboard the train. The 2.5 km narrow gauge railway takes you around our 100-acre property, including the trestle over Somenos Lake. The ride is approx. 20 minutes including a 10-minute stop at our lower grounds.

STONE TOOL COLLECTION TOUR
45 minutes long

Delve into the history of the local First Nations Peoples with close-up experience as you handle a collection of Indigenous stone artifacts and other lithics.

You will have the opportunity to hold and examine the items in the collection, consider how they would have been used and what they meant to the people who used them. Then, you will take a short walk to get a good view of the site where these artifacts were discovered by Ted Marsh. This collection is returning to public view after a long absence and will eventually go into a new exhibit!

Following your tour, step aboard the train. The 2.5 km narrow gauge railway takes you around our 100-acre property, including the trestle over Somenos Lake. The ride is approximately 20 minutes including a 10-minute stop at our lower grounds.

Forest Ecology Programs

Forest Ecology programs area great way for your students to have fun while learning out in the fresh air. Accompanied by one of our Education Assistants, classes can explore the forest and visit the Bald Eagle’s nest.

You will be introduced to some indigenous plants and trees that we have in our forest. Learn the Hul’q’umi’num’ pronunciation and the uses of these plants and trees in the First Nations culture.

The Forest Ecology Programs are interactive and meet ministry-prescribed learning outcomes for grades K-7.  Programs are offered during the Centre’s operating season (Easter to Thanksgiving) and include a ride on the train.

Each program is 1.5 hours in duration however groups are encouraged to explore the other heritage buildings and exhibits on the site, enjoy a picnic or play on the playground.

Forest Heritage Programs

The Forest Heritage programs are interactive and meet ministry-prescribed learning outcomes for grades K-6.  Programs are offered during the Centre’s operating season (Easter to Thanksgiving) and include a ride on the train.

Forest Heritage programs area great way for your students to have fun while learning out in the fresh air. Your Kindergarten to Grade 7 classes can experience life in the early 1900s logging camp.

Your will also hear about the ethnic experience in the forest industry. Learn about the different ethnic groups who were instrumental in the early logging in coastal BC and their personal stories of inclusion.

Each program is 1.5 hours in duration however groups are encouraged to explore the other heritage buildings and exhibits on the site, enjoy a picnic or play on the playground.

Stone Tool Collection: Indigenous Artifacts Program

The Marsh Collection is an assortment of Indigenous stone tools collected by Ted Marsh while employed at the Somenos Lake Farm (former Cowichan Tribes S’amunu Village, and site of the BCFDC) between 1951 and 1964. 

This interactive program will allow students the opportunity to observe which artifacts are similar, what they were used for, and who would have used them. Cultural characteristics, technical innovations, and their interconnections will also be discussed.

The Marsh Collection: Indigenous Artifacts Program meets the Ministry of Education prescribed learning standards for Grade 3 Social Studies.

Each program is 1.5 hours in duration however groups are encouraged to explore the other heritage buildings and exhibits on the site, enjoy a picnic or play on the playground.

O’ Christmas Tree!

Kindergarten to Grade 3: Combine your students’ enthusiasm for Christmas with the curriculum!

The “O’ Christmas Tree!” education program features a ride on the decorated Christmas Train, a glimpse into the past with historically decorated Christmas trees and a chance for each child to create a keepsake ornament!

The program takes place in the decorated historical 1905 schoolhouse.  Students will experience the evolution of the Christmas tree from candles to modern LED lights, and from homemade ornaments to the brightly coloured glass balls we enjoy today. Students will have fun exploring the different species of Christmas trees and creating a Christmas tree ornament.

Students will have so much fun at “O Christmas Tree!” they won’t even realize they’re learning. The program meets Social Studies and Science prescribed learning outcomes for kindergarten to grade 3. The program can also be customized for high school special needs classes.