The outdoor life in the Revelstoke area offers adventure for everyone. Both Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks offer a variety of hiking and camping options. Choose a convenient drive-in campground or head into remote backcountry. Blanket Creek and Martha Creek Provincial Parks offer camping, swimming, playgrounds and more. Endless hiking trails near Revelstoke range from easy, well maintained trails to magnificent heli-hiking in remote alpine. The area's diverse, mountain bike trail network means you can ride all summer - and never on the same trail twice.
Take on the ever-changing terrain while rock climbing Revelstoke's amazing peaks. Or enjoy horseback riding on a short outing or a guided, multi-day packhorse campout. You can also pursue ATV riding on Revelstoke's rugged mountain landscape - guided ATV tours are available. Above ground, take a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft tour of the area's spectacular mountains and glaciers.
Play the 18-hole riverside Revelstoke Golf Club, teeing off against a stunning mountain backdrop.
Built to harness the power of nature, Revelstoke Dam is one of North America's largest and most modern hydroelectric developments. Take a tour, which includes an elevator ride to the dam crest lookout located atop the massive 175-m (574-ft) high structure. From the two-storey Visitor Centre you can enjoy views of the main powerhouse gallery, the circuit breaker gallery, the tailrace area and the control room.
Revelstoke's Downtown Revitalization has restored approximately 24 of the 60 Victorian-era heritage buildings in the city. Pick up a brochure at the Revelstoke Museum or at the Visitor Info Centre to take a self-guided walking or driving tour past some of these stunning historic buildings. You can also take a horse-drawn carriage tour past some of Revelstoke's finest heritage buildings.
Stop in at the Revelstoke Railway Museum, a tribute to the railway workers and machines that tamed the most treacherous section of terrain on Canada's first transcontinental railway. Visit Craigellachie to see where, on a cold November day in 1885, Canadian Pacific Railway director Donald Smith raised his hammer and struck the Last Spike, completing the transcontinental mainline.
Celebrate local area history at the Revelstoke Museum, housing an extensive collection of period items and artifacts. Share in the community's fire-fighting past at Revelstoke's Firehall Museum, where a fully restored 1923 International Bickle Fire Engine is on view. The BC Interior Forestry Museum is dedicated to the hearty workers who helped forge BC's top industry - forestry.
Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre is home to the Revelstoke Public Art Gallery and gift shop, displaying the work of over 60 local artists.
Revelstoke Dam is one of North America's largest and most modern hydroelectric developments. Visit the two-storey Visitor Centre with its large exhibit area to see how the dam was built and gain some insight into various aspects of power production. Visit the nearby community of Craigellachie to see where the Last Spike on Canada's first transcontinental railway was driven in 1885. Then stop in at the Revelstoke Railway Museum to learn more about the railway workers and machines that tamed the most treacherous section of terrain along the transcontinental railway route. Other notable museums include the Revelstoke Museum, Revelstoke's Firehall Museum and the BC Interior Forestry Museum.
Discover the remains of a fascinating pioneer community at Three Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town, featuring more than 25 rescued and restored historic buildings. Take a self-guided tour through Beardale Castle Miniatureland, featuring tiny villages and working trains. Climb one of BC's tallest tree houses at The Enchanted Forest, where you can see a giant cedar stump house and over 350 hand-crafted Folk Art figurines.
Set in the spectacular Selkirk Mountains, Canyon Hot Springs span 81 ha (200 ac) of natural beauty between Glacier and Mount Revelstoke National Parks. Also within easy driving distance of Revelstoke is beautiful Halcyon Hot Springs, surrounded by magnificent alpine peaks and crystal-blue lakes and rivers. Nakusp Hot Springs is a hidden gem located in a narrow canyon of the Kootenay Rockies.
The Revelstoke Arts Council presents musical concert series -ranging from classical to folk- through fall and winter. For a little night music, the council also stages the Summer Street Festival in July and August, featuring live free music in Grizzly Plaza every night. Take in all the drama as the Revelstoke Theatre Company stages two annual plays at the Mackenzie Playhouse.
Catch all the fast-paced Junior "B" Hockey action as you cheer on local favourites, the Revelstoke Grizzlies. Or check out the Revelstoke Aquatic Centre with its waterslide and climbing wall, where you can follow the current as you float down the Lazy River. All pools are salt water.
Explore the rugged beauty of Mount Revelstoke National Park. Getting there is part of the adventure. You'll drive the Meadows-In-The-Sky Parkway through old-growth rainforest, up through sub-alpine forest, leading into rolling alpine meadows and tundra. Surrounding you are the majestic peaks of the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains. The park's Giant Cedars Trail takes you through a stand of old-growth western redcedars, some more than 800 years old. The Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk Trail leads through fragile wetland where you'll spot the large-leafed skunk cabbage marsh plant.
Glacier National Park protects unique stands of old-growth cedar and hemlock. This is a critical habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife species such as the caribou, mountain goat and grizzly bear. More than 400 glaciers are sculpted into the park's mountains. While at the park, visit Rogers Pass National Historic Site, marking the development of Canada's first major national transportation route.
Recall the glory days of heritage farming at Blanket Creek Provincial Park, which encompasses an orchard-farming area known as the old "Domke homestead." Enjoy easy access to camping and to scenic Sutherland Falls. Great fishing, a wharf, a paved boat launch, sandy beach, campsites and an adventure playground attract visitors to Martha Creek Provincial Park.
Three hot springs resorts will restore your body and spirit near Revelstoke. Canyon Hot Springs is a 15-minute drive east of Revelstoke, spanning 81 ha (200 ac) between Glacier and Mount Revelstoke National Parks in the spectacular Selkirk Mountains. Drive south to Shelter Bay to board a free 20-minute ferry to Galena Bay. From here, continue south for 15 minutes to reach the alpine peaks as well as the crystal-blue lakes, rivers and streams of beautiful Halcyon Hot Springs. From Halcyon, drive another 30 minutes south to Nakusp Hot Springs, a hidden gem located in a narrow canyon of the Kootenay Rockies. Relax in a soothing mineral pool as you take in the enchanting mountain landscape.
From fly-fishing in alpine lakes to deep-water trolling, Revelstoke offers a bounty of big rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. Popular fishing spots include Arrow Lake for Gerrard rainbow and bull trout, whitefish, burbot as well as kokanee.
Dip your paddle into one of the Revelstoke area's many lakes and rivers. Great canoeing and kayaking can be enjoyed at Upper Arrow Lake, Lake Revelstoke and Goldstream River. Or take a guided trip down Illecillewaet River for exhilarating whitewater rafting. Three outstanding hot springs, Canyon, Halcyon and Nakusp, are also within an easy drive of Revelstoke.
Revelstoke's long snowy winters create ideal conditions for winter play. With a perfect balance of climate, topography and moderate temperatures, the winter season runs from November through May. The snow is deep and reliable, with an average snowfall of between 12 and 18 m (40-60 ft). The family-friendly Revelstoke Mountain Resort offers skiing for all skill levels on Mount MacKenzie. For groomed cross-country ski trails, head to Mount MacPherson.
The Durrand Glacier and the Mount Moloch area boast 24 scenic peaks accessible for ski touring. For snowmobilers, Boulder Peak and Frisby Ridge are just two of Revelstoke's fine snowmobiling areas, each with approximately 50 km (31 mi) of trails. Guided tours are available, and are highly recommended due to the risk of an avalanche.
Skiers and boarders can enjoy incredible cat-skiing and heli-skiing with one of the many operators near Revelstoke. Big alpine terrain, seemingly endless soft powder, glaciers, tree-skiing, and thousands of vertical metres make for an epic adventure.