One Family's Commitment to Responsible Travel: Taking the Haida Gwaii Pledge
For travellers of all ages, the Haida Gwaii Pledge helps build a more personal connection with the unique culture and environment of Haida Gwaii.
Travelling between Golden and Revelstoke on Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway, the views out your window include towering mountains and stunning glaciers. Being surrounded by so much natural beauty will make you want to get out and explore.
1. Rogers Pass Discovery Centre
The Rogers Pass Discovery Centre, at the summit of Rogers Pass, is in the heart of Glacier National Park. It is a national historic site offering interpretive programs and access to excellent hiking and camping. The discovery centre itself is a replica of a historical railway snowshed, with displays and educational sessions daily.
2. Loop Brook Trail
Hikers will want to take time to explore the Loop Brook Trail, a 1.6-km (1-mi) round-trip trail that leaves from the viewpoint just east of the Loop Brook Campground. This trail, part of Rogers Pass National Historic Site, highlights stone pillars that once carried the railway track across the valley. It does have some short and steep sections, so be sure to wear appropriate footwear.
Explore the stone ruins of a mountain resort once reached by horse-drawn carriage; picnic among giant old-growth cedars; ski tour along deep powder trails; see black bears and mountain goats, and experience the unfolding of Canada’s past at Rogers Pass National Historic Site, the cultural epicentre of Glacier National Park.
3. Hemlock Grove Boardwalk Trail
On a cold April day in 1987, Rick Hansen climbed the 840-metre (2,755 foot) western approach to Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park in his wheelchair. He was only a month away from completing his two-year, 40,000-km (24,855-mi) trip through 34 countries – the Man in Motion World Tour.
After Rick’s visit to Mount Revelstoke and Glacier national parks, the Hemlock Grove Boardwalk Trail was developed as a legacy of the Man in Motion World Tour visit. This 400-m (1,312-ft), barrier-free boardwalk offers a rainforest experience to people with mobility issues, visual impairments and other limitations on movement.
4. Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail
Old-growth forest of the Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail in the Mount Revelstoke National Park. Photo: -JvL- via Flickr
The Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail in Mount Revelstoke National Park is a favourite for all who venture west. Follow the trail through an ancient forest, among cedar trees that may be more than half a millennium old. There are interpretive signs along the way telling visitors about the importance of functioning ecosystems. The trailhead is at the Giant Cedars Picnic Area, 30 km (18 mi) east of Revelstoke.
5. Meadows in the Sky Parkway
Indian Paintbrush at Mount Revelstoke National Park. Photo: Phillie Casablanca via Flickr
Mount Revelstoke National Park offers you the extraordinary experience of driving a paved road from an elevation of 470 m (1,542 ft) on the Trans-Canada Highway to 1,500 m (4,921 ft) at Balsam Lake. Winding 26 km (16 mi) uphill, the Meadows in the Sky Parkway takes you through forests of cedar and hemlock, spruce and fir to the park’s renowned subalpine wildflower meadows.
During the brief snow-free season (usually early July to late September), the Summit Shuttle Bus transports visitors between the parking area at Balsam Lake and the summit. The summit offers rare mountain-top hiking, strolling, picnicking and photography opportunities. A historic fire tower crowns the summit.