Revelstoke

A mountain town on Highway 1 between Vancouver and Banff, home to one of North America's biggest-vertical ski resorts and Mount Revelstoke National Park — a popular overnight stop on road trips.

Revelstoke lies in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, on the Columbia River between the Selkirk and Monashee mountains. This mountain town on the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) sits between Vancouver (about 570 km) and Banff (about 280 km) and is an important stop on the Canadian Pacific Railway, making it a common overnight stop for road-trippers. The town grew up around the railway: Mackenzie Avenue in the historic downtown keeps its early-20th-century brick buildings, and the Revelstoke Railway Museum tells the story of building the line across the mountains. What to do depends on the season. From December to April the town is famous for deep powder, and Revelstoke Mountain Resort boasts the greatest vertical drop in North America (1,713 m); the area is also a base for heli-skiing and cat-skiing. In July–August you can drive the Meadows in the Sky Parkway to the summit of Mount Revelstoke for alpine wildflowers and lakes, or ride the gondola and mountain coaster at the resort. East along Highway 1 are the Giant Cedars Boardwalk, the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk and Canyon Hot Springs; to the west are the Three Valley Gap ghost town, the Enchanted Forest and the Last Spike site of Canada's transcontinental railway; to the south are Begbie Falls and Williamson Lake. Plan on 1–2 days, plus an extra day for hiking in summer. Getting there: the nearest airport is in Kelowna (about 2.5 hours' drive), and long-distance buses also stop here; sights are spread out, so driving is best. In winter, the Rogers Pass section of Highway 1 is often closed temporarily for avalanche control — check DriveBC before setting out and fit winter tires.

Top sights

• Meadows in the Sky Parkway, Mount Revelstoke National Park – A 26-km switchback road climbs from the town straight to the top of Mount Revelstoke. Alpine meadows are carpeted with wildflowers, and tra…
• Revelstoke Mountain Resort – A ski resort with North America’s largest vertical drop of 1,713 meters, known for deep powder and challenging runs. In summer, a gondola t…
• Pipe Mountain Coaster – A track-based mountain coaster at the foot of the resort, where you control your own speed as you dive about 1.4 km through the forest. Sui…
• Giant Cedars Boardwalk – A boardwalk through an inland temperate rainforest beside Highway 1, winding among western redcedars more than 500 years old. It takes abou…
• Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk – A gentle boardwalk across wetlands in the national park. In spring the ground is covered in bright yellow skunk cabbage flowers, and it is…
• Revelstoke Railway Museum – Tells the story of the Canadian Pacific Railway crossing the Selkirk Mountains. Visitors can climb aboard Engine No. 5468 and a private rai…
• Downtown Revelstoke & Grizzly Plaza – Century-old brick buildings line MacKenzie Avenue, with cafés, restaurants, and outdoor gear shops. Grizzly Plaza hosts free summer evening…
• Three Valley Gap Ghost Town – A restored pioneer town on the shore of Three Valley Lake, with more than twenty relocated old wooden buildings, a railway engine house, an…
• The Last Spike, Craigellachie – The Canadian Pacific Railway's last spike was driven here in 1885, completing the transcontinental railway. A monument by the road is free…
• Enchanted Forest – A family fun park in an old cedar forest, with hundreds of fairy-tale figure sculptures, the tallest treehouse in the province, and a high…
• Revelstoke Dam – A concrete gravity dam about 175 m high on the Columbia River, north of town. Viewpoints in the dam area overlook the canyon and Lake Revel…
• Canyon Hot Springs – An outdoor hot spring pool surrounded by mountains beside Highway 1, with a hot pool and a large warm swimming pool, a good place to soak a…
• Begbie Falls – A waterfall in the forest south of town, about a 15-minute walk from the parking lot. The area has a network of mountain-biking and hiking…
• Blanket Creek Provincial Park & Sutherland Falls – A provincial park on the shore of Upper Arrow Lake, with a short trail to Sutherland Falls, a man-made lagoon good for summer swimming, and…
• Williamson Lake – A shallow lake just south of town, with relatively warm summer water, a beach, a floating dock, and a campground. It is where locals go to…
• Crazy Creek Waterfalls & Suspension Bridge – A privately run waterfall beside Highway 1, where a suspension bridge and boardwalk bring you close to a waterfall about 30 m high. It is a…

Where to eat

• Village Idiot Ski Bar – A classic downtown ski bar known for its specialty pizzas and BC craft beer, ranking near the top of Revelstoke's resta…
• Quartermaster Eatery – A contemporary Canadian restaurant inside the century-old McKinnon Block, with a seasonal menu built on small BC farms…
• Taco Club – A lively taco spot on Mackenzie Avenue where the crispy sweet potato and avocado tacos are the most popular, with plent…
• La Baguette French Bakery Café – A French bakery café founded in 2009 by two Quebec chefs, with praised croissants, crêpes and house-made Italian gelato.

Itineraries

• Vancouver to the Rockies via Okanagan – A one-way traverse of BC, traveling from the coastal city through wine country and mountain passes to Calgary.
• BC & Canadian Rockies Grand Loop – A round-trip loop from Vancouver, passing through Whistler, Wells Gray, Jasper, Banff, and wine country.
• Kootenay Hot Springs Circle – A loop from Calgary exploring the western slopes of the Rockies, Kootenay Lake, and Revelstoke.