I visited Mount Revelstoke National Park for the first time in 2024 and had a great time exploring the park. Revelstoke is one of 6 National Park in close proximity in BC and Alberta. It’s one of the smaller National Parks in this area, but it offers some beautiful sights. I’ve also created guides for Yoho, Kootenay, and Banff National Parks, if you want to check out any of those.

Getting There

Mount Revelstoke National Park is located just outside of the town of Revelstoke (very popular for skiing and mountain biking) along Highway 1. If you’ve ever made the drive from Vancouver to the Rockies, you’ve likely driven right past it. If you’re like me, you never made the time to stop in the park along the way. While it’s a large park, it’s not hugely accessible. From the town of Revelstoke, you can take the winding Meadows in the Sky Parkway up to the top of the mountain, exploring trails and viewpoints along the way. It’s the only road in the park, so it’s pretty straight-forward.

Where to Stay

There are 3 main options for where to stay and they really depend on what type of experience you’re looking for. The easiest option is to get a hotel in the town of Revelstoke. There’s lots of cute shops and restaurants in town, so it’s a good option if you don’t want to camp or forget to plan in advance.

The other options are camping, either frontcountry or backcountry, both of which are discussed below. Camping reservations are released by Parks Canada on reservation.pc.gc.ca. These can be somewhat challenging because the entire season releases at once early in the year, often between January and March, depending on the park. It’s easier to get reservations on weekdays, but if you want to camp on a weekend, be prepared to book when the sites release.

Frontcountry Camping

There’s only one frontcountry campground in the National Park: Snowforest Campground. Frontcountry camping is essentially drive-in camping, so you can take everything that you can fit in your car and the sites are easily accessible. Snowforest Campground is located at the base of Revelstoke Mountain, so it’s very close to Revelstoke town. There’s 62 campsites available for booking, so it is a pretty small campground in comparison to Banff and Jasper National Parks. There are flush toilets and hot showers available.

Backcountry Camping

Backcountry camping is my favourite way to visit a park, but it’s very different than frontcountry. It requires hiking and carrying a backpack with everything you need for your trip. If you decide to backpack in Mount Revelstoke National Park, you will be in remote wilderness terrain and must be prepared to be self-sufficient. If that sounds like your cup of tea, there are 2 beautiful backcountry campsites to explore and both can be visited on the same trip.

Eva Lake – Eva Lake is the first of two campsites connecting trails along the top of Mount Revelstoke. It’s an 8km hike each way from the Balsam Lake parking lot to the campsite at Eva Lake. There are 4 tent pads and a 100 year old ranger cabin that can provide shelter for eating. 

Jade Lake – Jade Lake is the second of two campsites connecting trails along the top of Mount Revelstoke. It’s a 10km hike each way from the Balsam Lake parking lot to the campsite at Jade Lake. Alternatively, if you’re hiking from Eva Lake, it’s a 5.5km trail. There are 4 tent pads. This campsite is located on the other side of a mountain pass, so it is the more challenging trail.

Backcountry Huts

In researching for this guide, I discovered that there is one backcountry cabin available for camping at Mount Revelstoke. It’s called Caribou Cabin and is only in use in the winter, from December to April. It’s a 9km hike up the mountain along the summit trail, or a 20km hike along the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, which is closed in the winter. It’s definitely a bit of work to access this one, but potentially an incredible experience!

Hiking

Compared to the larger National Parks, hiking is more limited in Mount Revelstoke, but there are still lots of good trail options around the park. Parks Canada has produced a comprehensive guide to the trails around the mountain, which you can view here. I’ve shared some of the highlights below.

Short Summit Trails – If you have limited time in the park, my recommendation is to drive to the Balsam Lake parking lot at the top of Meadows in the Sky Parkway and explore some of the shorter trails. There are two short hikes from the parking lot around Balsam Lake and to Eagle lake. But the best trails are 1km further at the top of Upper Summit Road. You can either hike 1km to the top, or you can take the summit shuttle. From there, you can access the Fire Lookout, Koo Koo Sint, Heather Lake, and First Footsteps trails. These are great for viewing alpine wildflowers in late July/early August.

Short Lower Mountain Trails – If you don’t want to drive to the top of the mountain, there are lots of hiking trails along the lower part of the mountain that can be accessed from Snowforest Campground. This includes Inspiration Woods, Sorenson, and Nels Nelson, among other trails.

Eva/Jade Lakes – If you’re looking for more of a challenge and to really experience the alpine environment, you can day hike or backpack to Eva, Miller, and Jade Lakes. They are all located along the same trail, totaling ~24km if you want to do all three. If you are visiting for a day, I recommend hiking to Eva Lake and Miller Lake, but just hike to the top of the pass, saving ~5km of hiking to and from Jade Lake.

Mountain Trails – Another option for a challenging hike is to hike up the mountain from bottom to top along the Lindmark or Summit Trails. 

Boardwalks – If you’re just passing through or are looking for an accessible trail, there are two boardwalk trails located along the highway: Giant Cedars and Skunk Cabbage boardwalks. 

National Park Pass

Before visiting, make sure you get your National Park Pass. If you’re visiting in Summer 2025, these passes are free as part of the Canada Strong Pass. Traditionally, they are $10 per person, per day, or you can get the family pass for the whole year for $145, which is applicable to all National Parks. Park passes are needed to park your car and can be picked up from the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre, or from the Parks Canada Administration Office in Revelstoke (which has an automated machine for after-hours).