Revelstoke Sites

The Enchanted Forest

The Enchanted Forest is a fairytale world that is not captured in any of the BC Interior Forestry Museum's exhibits. Artists at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre would certainly be in awe of this attraction’s 350 handcrafted life-sized folk-art figurines. BC’s ‘tallest grandest tree house’ and a giant cedar stump house add magic to this world in the Monashee Mountains' old growth forests. Since 1960, visitors have driven through Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park to walk through this children’s wonderland. After a day in the forest, one can return to experience the magic of Revelstoke’s restaurants and shopping. Visions of life-sized fairytale figurines may continue to dance in the heads of hotel guests as they relax back in their room.

Skytrek Adventure Park

After hiking Mount Revelstoke National Park or caving in Glacier National Park, climbing from tree to tree is another intense form of outdoor recreation. Skytrek Adventure Park has found a use for Revelstoke’s old-growth forests unlike any that are recorded at the BC Interior Forestry Museum. Visitors may push themselves to the limit on obstacle courses of ladders, nets, suspended bridges, and swinging logs; different levels of courses ensure that the whole family may test their mental and physical abilities. It may be necessary to relieve aching muscles with a visit to the Albert Canyon Hot Springs before returning to the hotel for a restaurant meal. Skytrek Adventure Park is located only a half-an-hour drive West of Revelstoke on the Trans Canada Highway.

Last Spike at Craigellachie

The ‘Last Spike’ ceremony in Craigellachie, BC in 1885 brought to life what had before been just a dream: a young and rugged country bound by 3,000 miles of steel rails in the form of a transcontinental railway. Lord Stanley drove the Last Spike to complete the railway; but Lord Revelstoke’s financial help allowed it to tunnel through Rogers Pass and bypass a longer Columbia River route to the Pacific Ocean. The Craigellachie Canadian Pacific Railway Station, 45 kilometres West of Revelstoke, is a reminder of the ceremony that built a nation. Craigellachie’s Last Spike monuments provide a welcome rest-top for those traveling the Trans Canada Highway through the BC Interior’s rugged terrain.

3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town

The 3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town is very much alive with over 25 pioneer-era buildings that were rescued from various parts of BC. The ghost town is located about 19-kilometres West of Revelstoke in what was once a railway community later abandoned in the early 1800’s. Visitors may take all the time that they require to wander the town’s dusty streets or walk an approximately 1-hour guided-tour. One stop along the way is the Hotel Bellevue, a hotel that was partly destroyed in the 1960’s when the Trans Canada Highway was being built. Other buildings on the banks of this Three Valley Lakes settlement include: the Craigellachie school house from the site of the ‘Last Spike’ ceremony completing the railway, a Saloon and the C.B. Hume and Company General Merchants store. The 3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town offers an opportunity for visitors to learn about 19th Century BC pioneer life from early Spring to late Fall.

Revelstoke Dam

It took 175-metres of concrete to create the 130-kilometre resevoir of water that is known as Lake Revelstoke: since it’s completion in 1984, the Revelstoke Dam has been a major contributor to the area’s reputation as an outdoor recreation playground. The Dam itself is quite an attraction, and it is worth taking a short drive North of Revelstoke to get a close look at this engineering feat. Visitors may take a tour and learn how the Columbia River’s waters have been turned into energy as well as a fishing and boating paradise for water-lovers. The Dam is a mountain in itself, and an elevator ride to its summit reveals a world of land, water and sky surrounding Revelstoke. A picnic area near the Dam provides a restaurant patio of sorts on which tourists may feast on food and scenic views. After lunch, the nearby BC Interior Forestry Museum offers an opportunity to learn about Revelstoke’s Enchanted Forests.

Rogers Pass

Lord Revelstoke financially-saved Canada’s railway, but Albert Rogers is the reason why it could be built through the BC Interior’s rugged mountains. Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park is the point at which Major Rogers determined that it would be best to build a railway route through the mountains. Prior to its completion, navigating a much longer route on the Columbia River was the only way to get from Alberta through the BC Interior and to the West Coast. Today, the Trans Canada Highway’s route through Rogers Pass winds through five tunnels that were bored through the mountains. Travelers may stop at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre to learn about the history of Rogers Pass and go hiking on one of several trails.

Beardale Miniatureland

A tiny treat awaits young and old about 40-kilometres West of Revelstoke at Beardale Miniatureland: a world of miniature model villages, trains and cars. A self-guided tour of the grounds reveals that Beardale’s miniature fantasyland is a lively one: moving railways, cars and characters go about their daily business in settings that include a Canadian prairie town and Japanese temple and garden. A Last Spike Heritage Display captures the 1885 Last Spike ceremony at Craigellachie which marked the completion of the trans continental railway. Beardale’s 15-acres on Perry River includes a nature trail on which hikers may find themselves admiring life-size, and very real, deer, moose and other wildlife. Perry River flows into Eagle River which is a popular spot for salmon fishing, swimming and tubing.