This guide shares our favorite things to do in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Settled in the 1880s as a Railway town. It’s now blossomed into hub for all kinds of outdoor adventures.
Revelstoke is probably most well known for its ski resort and National Park. But there are tons of other fun things to get into. Such as white water rafting, mountain biking, tasty restaurants, breweries, and more.
Where Is Revelstoke, BC
Revelstoke is located in southwestern British Columbia near the headwaters of Columbia River. The town is nestled between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges.
The Trans-Canada highway passing through the town is the primary way that people reach the area today.
Mount Revelstoke National Park
One of the biggest draws to the area is Mount Revelstoke National Park. This stunning park sits right at the doorstep of town.
And somewhat refreshingly, it doesn’t get quite as busy as some of the other national parks like Yoho, Banff, and Glacier. The most popular things to do in Mount Revelstoke National Park are hiking, backpacking, sightseeing, and driving the Meadows in the Sky Parkway.
The lower elevations of the park feature the world’s only inland temperate rainforest of western cedar and hemlock. And the higher elevations of the park feature subalpine wildflower meadows, and alpine mountain terrain.
Meadows In The Sky Parkway
This scenic drive is the easiest way to access some of the best scenery and hikes in the park. (Open May-October *depending on snow conditions)
This 26km mountain road climbs over 1,300 meters. You pass several lookouts on the way up, our favorites of which were Revelstoke View (km marker 5) and Panorama Point (km marker 24). Revelstoke View (pictured above) is near the beginning and reveals an awesome view of town and Mount Begbie.
Panorama Point is almost at the end of the drive and requires just a 2-minute walk to an incredible, you guessed it, panorama view.
At the top of Meadows In The Sky Parkway, you can park at Balsam Lake and explore the scenery around the summit of Mount Revelstoke. But during peak summer months be aware that parking at the top is limited, especially for RVs.
The most popular short hike is The Upper Summit Trail, which is 3km with 104 meters of elevation change (1.9 miles, 341ft elevation). It takes you around alpine meadows to a historic fire lookout and several awesome viewpoints of the Columbia River, the Monashee Mountains, The Selkirk Mountains, Revelstoke Ski Resort, and more.
If you’re looking for a longer adventure, you can continue on to Miller Lake and Eva Lake. Which is one of the most beautiful hikes around Revelstoke. This trail is 16km with 549 meters of elevation gain (10 miles, 1,801ft elevation).
Both alpine lakes are surrounded by beautiful mountains. If you’ve hiked this far, it’s not that difficult to visit both Miller and Eva Lake. They are both lovely, but if we had to choose our favorite, Eva Lake would win by a slight margin.
One other lake you can hike to is Jade Lake, but by adding another 8 km and 365 meters of elevation (5 miles, 1,200ft), it makes for a pretty grueling day hike. The total stats for hiking all three lakes is 24.3 km and 1,223 meters of elevation (15.1 miles, 4,012ft).
So this one is much better completed as an overnight backpacking trip. You can get overnight camping permits for Jade Lake and Eva Lake.
Or there is also front country camping at the Snowforest Campground near the entrance to the park.
All campsites can be booked on the Parks Canada website.
White Water Rafting
White Water Rafting is definitely one of the most exciting adventures near Revelstoke. We went with Apex rafting, who has been taking people out on the rivers since 1993!
You meet right downtown to get kitted out with wetsuits and all the gear. And then they shuttle you to the put-in location.
We rafted down a very scenic 26km section of the Illecillewaet River. Or “The Illy” as the locals call it.
The rafting season runs from around May to September. You can expect class 3-4 rapids early in the season, dropping down to class 2-3 later in the summer.
And one thing that’s so cool about Apex, is that they send you your trip photos for free right after. So you can focus on enjoying the journey and still walk away with some awesome photos.
Paddle The Lakes Or Rivers
If white water rafting seems a little too intense, there are plenty of chances to paddle on some calmer lakes and rivers.
We also took a guided kayaking tour with Apex rafting on the Columbia River. We started just below the Revelstoke Dam, and leisurely paddled our way downstream past the big eddy and the iconic three bridges entering Revelstoke. And then ended the float right in town.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort
In the winter, this Ski Resort is famous for having the longest vertical descent of any ski resort in North America. But in the summer it’s open for a whole different host of fun activities. Like the Pipe Coaster, Mountain Biking, Paragliding, Hiking, Disc Golf, Aerial Ropes Course, Axe Throwing, and more.
There are a couple of different day pass options here. Some for single activities, like the pipe coaster, or mountain biking, or hiking.
Or they sell a “Play All Day” and “Play All Day Unlimited” passes which grants you access to nearly all the activities. (Upper & Lower Gondola access, Pipe Coaster, Axe Throwing, Disc Golf, Aerial Ropes Couse, and Hiking Trails). The cheaper “Play All Day” pass only recieves two rides on the pipe coaster, and the “Unlimited” pass gets unlimited rides.
And you can usually save money on any passes by booking in advance.
The Pipe Coaster is a thrilling alpine coaster that weaves its way down the mountain. You ride up lower gondola to get to the start of the coaster. You can reach speeds up to 42km/hr (26/mph) and you can control your speed with a hand brake. There are two separate tracks coaster tracks.
If you book a pass with full mountain access, You can ride the upper Gondola up the resort for incredible views, of the town of Revelstoke and Mt Begbie, the region’s most iconic peak. And it’s a great starting point for their alpine hiking trails, downhill mountain biking trails, and even paragliding high above Revelstoke.
And stop into the Mackenzie Outpost for some drinks and one of their delicious hamburgers.
The 9-hole disc golf course and axe throwing are two other fun activities you can try.
Mountain biking is another really popular activity here. With rental shops at the base area and trails for all ability levels.
Explore Downtown Revelstoke
Make sure you take some time to explore the town of Revelstoke. There are tons of great restaurants, shops, art galleries, and more.
Don’t miss the farmers market every Saturday from May to October. It’s a great way to experience the local farms, artists, restaurants, and more. They call it the Farm & Craft Market and the Local Food Initiative Market which take place adjascent to eachother on Mackenzie Street and 1st Street. We were impressed with the number of actual local farms selling their produce.
While wandering the town, my photographer’s eye was drawn to this random alleyway for its nice composition. And then come to find out, local artists felt similarly about this space, turning the alley into little outdoor art gallery.
Another popular spot to check out in town is the Railway Museum. Stop in here to learn about Revelstoke’s rich railway history that helped turn this remote outpost into a bustling town.
Visit The Local Breweries
Revelstoke has two awesome local craft breweries.
The bigger one is Mt Begbie Brewing, located on a beautiful property just uphill from town. They have a variety of well-known craft beers that are sold across Canada. Our favorite is the Full Send Hazy IPA, but they have many other styles too.
Rumpus Beer Company is the other smaller brewery, which is great if you’re looking for a casual place to grab beer downtown. And if you’re hungry there’s a delicious Japanese food truck called Twilight Bite normally parked out front.
Boulder Mountain Lookout
This short hike to a rocky outcropping has one of the best panoramic views of town. And honestly, I think we liked it better than any of the viewpoints in the national park.
The trail is 2.4km with 189 meters of elevation (1.5 mi, 623 ft elevation). It’s a pretty easy hike, except for one tricky spot in the beginning where you may have to climb a short rock face. There’s a rope for assistance.
However, if the water level is low enough, you can walk around the rock face. But be aware the water levels change rapidly, so don’t assume you’ll be able to walk around on your way down.
Try A Local Restaurant
One great cafe and restaurant is La Baguette. It’s a perfect place to come for breakfast or lunch. With food, coffee, alcohol, and more. They serve a variety of delicious pastries, sandwiches, salads, cakes, and of course loaves of freshly baked bread. They also have another location at the base of Revelstoke Mountain Resort.
And locals told us we had to try out some of the food trucks in town. Oddly enough the two most popular both serve Japanese or Japanese fusion.
There’s Twilight Bite, the one we mentioned before that’s usually parked at Rumpus Beer Company, and Tamari-Ba Kitchen.
Tamari-Ba serves more traditional favorites like poke bowls, chicken katsu, and gyoza. And Twilight Bite is a little more on the fusion side, with rice bowls, Pad Thai, wraps, and more. Truly, you can’t go wrong with either food truck. But getting some drinks at Rumpus does provide seating, which Tamari-Ba does not have.
Another great spot we visited is Taco Club, this vibrant and trendy Mexican restaurant serves crazy good tacos andd margaritas. And apparently, they started out as a food truck too, so I guess we have a type.
If you’re looking for a great down-home restaurant, you gotta visit the Big Eddy Pub, this place on the other side of the tracks just feels like that classic welcoming sports bar from your hometown.
It’s a great gathering place for big groups, with a fun atmosphere, and food that definitely exceeds your expectations for pub food. The Poutine and BBQ Brisket Burger were just dynamite after a day of adventures.
Hike To Some Waterfalls
Revelstoke has a variety of easy waterfall hikes nearby. Our three favorites are Mt Begbie Falls, Sutherland Falls, and Moses Creek Falls.
Mt Begbie Falls
Mt Begbie Falls is located just south of town at the Begbie Falls Recreation Site. This hike is 0.6km with 31.7 meters of elevation (0.4 miles, 104 ft). You do have to drive about 2.5 kilometers on a narrow dirt road to reach the trailhead. But if you have an RV or trailer, you can park earlier near the campground and walk from there. The waterfall is very picturesque, plunging into a chaotic mess of boulders and downed trees.
When we were there in August, we saw lots of bright red salmon swimming just below the falls.
And hike a little farther past the falls where Begbie Creek meets the Columbia River. The dunes along the river are very scenic, with great views of Revelstoke Ski Resort.
Sutherland Falls
Sutherland Falls is also south of town, and is another worthy stop too. It’s located at Blanket Creek Provincial Park. It’s only a flat, one minute walk from the parking area. And we also saw salmon in the creek here.
Moses Creek Falls
Moses Creek Falls is located about 10 minutes north of town, and the short trail to get here is a little more muddy and unmaintained. The trail is 0.8 km with 29 meters of elevation change (0.5 miles, 95 ft). As a photographer, this is my favorite type of waterfall for long exposure photography. It creates those perfect thin and whispy light trails.
Dose Coffee
We always love finding the best local coffee roasters when we travel. And Dose Coffee is a legit coffee shop that roasts its beans right here in town. They also have a small but delicious menu of great breakfast items. With some great vegan and vegetarian options too.
Helicopter Tour
Since Revelstoke is one of the best places in the world for heli-skiing, they also have many helicopter tours in the summer. From scenic tours to hiking and biking backcountry trips. And getting an aerial view of the nearby rivers, mountains, and glaciersis no doubt be a jaw-dropping experience.
Two companies offering helicopter experiences are CMH and Glacier Helicopters.
Watch Our Youtube Video Of The Top 10 Things To Do In Revelstoke
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