Mount Revelstoke – British Columbia

 

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Giant Cedars Boardwalk | Nels Nelsen Ski Jump | Mt Revelstoke summit

Date of Visit: July 24-26, 2019

How we got there: Drove from Banff, AB. About 3.5 hours with minimal stopping.

Lodging: The Stoke Hotel – Super cool recently renovated mid-century motel with nice rooms, great breakfast and hot tub.

Favorites:

  • Meadows In The Sky Parkway – This scenic drive climbs 5,520ft (1,600m) over 16 miles (26km) from the town of Revelstoke to Mount Revelstoke’s summit. Pull outs along the way offer lookouts over the town and surrounding mountain ranges. Bright wildflowers lined the route during our July visit.
  • Nels Nelsen Ski Jump – See the historic hill where Nels Nelsen made record-breaking jumps in the 1920s. At the top is an interactive sculpture called “Nels’ Nickers” that allows you to experience what jumpers saw right before launching over the brink. We climbed up the steep hill from the lower parking area, but you can also reach the jump from the Parkway further up if you don’t want to hike.
  • Summit Area Trails – At the top of the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, a network of trails fans out over the mountain-top. None of them are long, but you can wander around for a couple hours and see the historic fire lookout, several small lakes, First Nations artwork and fine views of subalpine meadows and into the backcountry.
  • Skunk Cabbage and Giant Cedars Boardwalks – Two short, interpretive boardwalks in the rainforest along the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Revelstoke. One through a wetland and the other through and old-growth cedar forest.

Tips: The full Parkway is usually only open from late June through late September.
The nearby Revelstoke Mountain Resort offers year-round activities from mountain biking and an aerial adventure course to skiing and snowshoeing. We took a more-fun-than-expected ride on The Pipe Mountain Coaster.
The Revelstoke Summer Street Fest offers live music every night from late June through late August at Grizzy Plaza.
Remember that Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier parks are in the Pacific time zone, while the rest of the Rockies parks are on Mountain Time.

Local Dining: The Village Idiot

Local Drinking: Rumpus Beer Co, Mount Begbie Brewing

Next time: Hike to Eva Lake, visit in winter for skiing at Revelstoke Mountain Resort.