Top 7 things to do in Mount Revelstoke National Park

Mount Revelstoke National Park rises straight out of the city of Revelstoke, in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. It is a small park with two very different halves: a road that climbs from the Columbia River valley to subalpine meadows that bloom in one of the finest wildflower displays in the Canadian mountains, and, along the Trans-Canada Highway below, a wet inland rainforest of giant cedars hundreds of years old. These are the seven outings we would put first. The order starts with what the park is known for, then goes by what an outing gives back for the time and effort it takes. Distances are approximate; times are our estimates and do not include stops.

This is black bear and grizzly country: carry bear spray and make noise on the trail. Snow lingers at the summit into July, and storms build quickly on summer afternoons, with lightning on the open ridges. Stay on the trails in the meadows, where a single footstep can crush plants that take years to grow back.

1. Drive the Meadows in the Sky Parkway

The parkway leaves the Trans-Canada Highway on the edge of Revelstoke and climbs some 4,600 feet (1,400 m) in a long series of switchbacks through cedar and hemlock forest, then spruce and fir, to the subalpine meadows near the top of the mountain. Viewpoints along the way look down on the town, the Columbia River and the peaks of the Monashees across the valley. Private vehicles stop at Balsam Lake, and a shuttle bus runs the last stretch to the summit area in summer, or you can walk it. Trailers must be left in the lot at the bottom.

• Distance: 16 miles (26 km) each way
• Allow: 1 hour each way with stops
• Start: the base of the parkway, off the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Revelstoke
• When: the upper road opens from about early July, once the snow has gone, until early fall
• Suits: everyone

2. Walk the summit meadows and see the fire lookout

From late July into August, the meadows around the summit turn red, purple, yellow and white with Indian paintbrush, lupines, arnica, valerian and asters, so thick in places that the ground barely shows. Short trails loop through them from the shuttle stop: the Meadows in the Sky Trail circles the summit, and the First Footsteps Trail leads past interpretive signs. On the very top stands a fire lookout built in 1927, with a view across the Columbia valley to the glaciers of the Monashee Mountains.

• Distance: about half a mile to a mile (1 to 1.5 km) for the short loops
• Allow: 1 to 2 hours
• Start: the summit shuttle stop, above Balsam Lake
• When: late July to mid-August for the flowers
• Suits: everyone

3. Hike to Eva Lake

The park’s most popular hike leaves the summit area at Heather Lake and rolls along the high ground through meadows and stands of subalpine fir to Eva Lake, a deep, clear lake under a rock ridge, with a small backcountry campground and a log cabin on its shore. A short side path visits Miller Lake on the way. Strong hikers can carry on from the Eva Lake junction over a steep pass to the two Jade Lakes, a much longer and harder day, for one of the finest views in the park.

• Distance: about 7.5 miles (12 km) round trip to Eva Lake; about 12 miles (19 km) round trip to the Jade Lakes
• Climb: gentle ups and downs to Eva Lake; a steep climb and descent over the pass to the Jade Lakes
• Allow: 4 hours for Eva Lake; 7 to 8 hours for the Jade Lakes
• Start: Heather Lake, at the summit area
• When: late July to September
• Suits: most walkers for Eva Lake; fit hikers for the Jade Lakes

4. Walk among the Giant Cedars

East of the city, beside the Trans-Canada Highway, a boardwalk loops through a grove of western red cedars, some of them around 500 years old. The forest here is part of a rare inland rainforest, kept wet by the heavy snow and rain of the Columbia Mountains, and its floor is green with ferns, devil’s club and moss. It is a short stop on the drive across the mountains, and one of the most beautiful.

• Distance: 0.3 miles (500 m) loop, with stairs
• Allow: 20 minutes
• Start: Giant Cedars Day Use Area, on the Trans-Canada Highway about 19 miles (30 km) east of Revelstoke
• When: May to October
• Suits: everyone

5. Walk the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk

A few minutes away on the same highway, this level boardwalk crosses a valley-bottom wetland beside the Illecillewaet River, among old cedars and the huge leaves of skunk cabbage. In spring the skunk cabbage pushes up bright yellow flower hoods, with a smell that draws the beetles that pollinate it. Beavers and muskrats live in the channels, and the viewing platforms are good places to watch for birds in the early morning.

• Distance: 0.75 miles (1.2 km) loop
• Allow: 30 to 45 minutes
• Start: Skunk Cabbage Day Use Area, on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Revelstoke
• When: May to October; April and May for the flowers
• Suits: everyone; the boardwalk is level

6. Picnic at Balsam Lake and Heather Lake

Not everyone who drives up wants a long walk. Balsam Lake, at the end of the public road, and Heather Lake, a short way above it, are small subalpine lakes ringed with fir and meadows, with picnic tables nearby and short paths along the shores. On a calm morning they mirror the trees and the sky. They are also the best places to sit and watch for hoary marmots, pikas, and the Clark’s nutcrackers and grey jays that patrol the picnic areas.

• Allow: 1 hour
• Start: Balsam Lake, at the end of the public road; Heather Lake, by the summit shuttle stop
• When: July to September
• Suits: everyone

7. See where Nels Nelsen flew

Revelstoke was one of the birthplaces of ski jumping in North America. On the lower slopes of the mountain, a Norwegian-born local named Nels Nelsen set a world record in 1925, jumping 240 feet (73 m) on a hill built into the forest. The remains of the jump and signs telling its story stand in the Nels Nelsen Historic Area at the foot of the parkway. In winter, the parkway closes to cars and becomes a route for snowshoers and skiers.

• Allow: 30 minutes
• Start: Nels Nelsen Historic Area, at the base of the Meadows in the Sky Parkway
• When: all year
• Suits: everyone

Before you go

This list covers what stays the same from year to year. Closures, parkway opening dates, shuttle times and bear warnings change, and Parks Canada posts them on its own site. The link is on our Mount Revelstoke National Park guide, with the map and how to get there.