7 Best Things To Do In Revelstoke, BC (2026 Guide)

Another BC mountain town, another gondola ride up into the alpine. The gondolas here don't just ferry the mountain bikers to the top; they take up sightseers and hikers too.

Revelstoke Mountain Skybridge

The Skybridge is the main draw once you're up top. It's a huge metal bridge built straight into the mountainside, and from the bridge itself and the viewing platform above it, you get sweeping views down into the Columbia River Valley and across to the mountains on the other side. Getting there is only about a 10-minute walk from the gondola station along a well-maintained gravel path. I'd call it a walk rather than a hike. It winds through some nice forest along the way, and the views at the end are worth every step.

Hiking Trails

Once you've done the Skybridge, there's plenty of hiking to fill out the rest of your time up there. The easiest and most popular is Split Rock Falls, a 1.2 km round trip with barely any elevation gain that takes about 45 minutes. 

The payoff is a small waterfall pouring down the cliffside and under a wooden bridge. I'll be honest with you, though: we went in mid-August during a dry spell and had to squint to see much more than a trickle. If you want the falls at full force, go earlier in the season or right after a good rain. 

What we did get, just past the bridge, was huge swathes of purple wildflowers running up and down the slopes, which more than made up for the underwhelming falls. If you want something with more elevation and effort, Revelstoke Mountain Resort has a full hiking guide worth checking before you go.

Pipe Mountain Coaster

Then there's the Pipe Mountain Coaster, which was the highlight for my inner child. You've probably seen something like it before on Instagram: single-seat pods mounted on a rail that snakes down the mountain, gravity doing the work while a joystick brake is your only real control. 

They run you through a safety briefing, strap you in, and send you down the track. Speed builds fast, but you can slow right down whenever you want. I took it easy since I'm not much of an adrenaline chaser, though the group of kids ahead of us had clearly ridden it a dozen times that day and looked like they were closing in on the sound barrier by their tenth run. Plenty of adults line up for this one too, so don't worry about looking out of place.

This one tripped me up at first because I hadn't realized Revelstoke Mountain and Mount Revelstoke are two different places. Revelstoke Mountain is home to the ski resort. Mount Revelstoke is the national park.

There's no gondola here, just a scenic road that takes you most of the way up. Since it's a national park, you'll need a valid park pass, with one exception. Under the Canada Strong initiative, all national parks are free to enter between June 19 and September 7, 2026, which means no pass required if you're visiting in that window.

After September 7, you'll need one to get past the small toll booth near the base of the road, where a park officer checks passes before waving you through.

Once you're at the top, there's a big selection of hikes and walks to choose from. We'd already done some hiking on Revelstoke Mountain the same day, so we kept things short up here, but seeing the trailheads for the longer routes has moved them up our list for next time. We stuck to three short walks.

Balsam Lake Loop is right next to the parking lot, flat, and small enough that the 500-metre loop only takes 10 to 15 minutes. It's a pretty lake from every angle, so even at that length it's worth doing.

Upper Summit Trail is a short, easy climb, about 100 metres up from the parking lot to the true top of the road, taking around an hour round trip. The road itself is closed to vehicles past that point, and there's no parking up there. 

The trail is a nice forested path with a steady incline, though for us it was more about reaching the top than enjoying the walk itself. We actually came back down along the road instead of the trail, because in mid-August it was lined with hundreds of wildflowers.

Koo Koo Sint was the highlight for me. It starts at the Upper Summit Lodge, where the Upper Summit Trail ends, and it's a welcome break from all the climbing: a 1 km loop with gentle rolling hills and several stunning viewpoints down into the valley and the Columbia River below. It only takes about 20 minutes with 28 metres of elevation change, so there's no excuse to skip it.

If you want something more serious, there are a few longer hikes that also start from the upper summit parking lot.

Miller Lake

This is the easiest of the longer options. The trailhead starts at the upper summit and the first stretch, a bit over 5 km, follows the Eva Lake Trail. You'll hit a clearly signed junction, and taking the path to the right carries you the rest of the way to the lake.

Eva Lake

Only a bit longer than Miller Lake, but there's more reason to make a day of it. There's a designated backcountry campsite here if you're staying over (permits required), plus a neat 1920s warden cabin nearby worth a look.

Jade Lakes

This is the toughest hike on the list, and it'll take you all day even if you're in good shape, but the extra elevation is well worth it for the views. Once you're up high, the views open into a proper 360-degree sweep of the surrounding landscape. There's a backcountry campsite here too (permits required), and technically two lakes to take in: Upper Jade Lake and Lower Jade Lake.

The town itself is small, but it packs in a surprising number of businesses for its size. It's a solid spot for shopping if you need outdoor gear, and there are several good cafes and restaurants scattered around. 

The town is small enough that you can just wander around and pop into whatever stores catch your eye, but just as a starting point, here are a few of my favourite spots in town:

• Tamariba Kitchen is my favourite place to eat in Revy. It is a food truck that serves up amazing Japanese bowls. They don't have a seating area, so everything is given in to-go containers. My routine is to take them down to the picnic tables by the river at the start of the green belt path across the street from Centennial Park.
• Spilt Milk is the spot I never skip, even if I'm just passing through on the way to the Rockies. The coffee is top tier, and their tofu sandwich lives rent-free in my mind.
• The Taco Club puts together an incredible burrito, and they have a great patio right along the main downtown stretch.
• Wearabouts is a fun outdoorsy clothing store. They often have some really good sales, and they carry a huge selection of the most popular adventure brands.
• The Roxy Theatre is a great rainy day option. It's a tiny little movie theatre that only shows one movie at a time.

One of my favourite low-key spots is the Greenbelt path just outside town along the river, where a handful of small picnic areas are tucked along the riverside.

The Greenbelt path is more of a casual walk than a hike. It's a mellow flat pathway that follows the Columbia River and has incredible views of the surrounding mountains. 

The full path is about 7km and takes about 2 hours to complete, but it's an easy one to just walk for a little while and then turn around when your cup is full. 

There is free parking at Centennial Park where the pathway begins.

If you're up for a short drive, head 25 minutes up the Nakusp Mica Creek Highway (Highway 23) to Blanket Creek Provincial Park. The falls are only about a 5-minute walk from the parking lot near the campsite, on a flat, well-maintained trail. 

One thing worth knowing: there was a bear hanging around the falls when we visited, so make some noise as you walk and carry bear spray even for a walk this short.

At the end of the short trail, there is a little fenced area where you can view the falls from. You can tell by the unofficial trails that have started forming here that lots of people are going past the fence to hike right up to the waterfall. These are not trails maintained by BC Parks, so if you choose to go past the fence, it is at your own risk. 

In my personal opinion, the view from the viewing platform is ideal, so it's not really worth the risk.

If you want to get out on the water, Revelstoke has a solid half-day rafting trip through type 2 and 3 rapids. No experience is needed since your guides walk you through everything before you're on the river.

You'll meet at the Regent Hotel in downtown Revelstoke, where the outfitter kits you out with a wetsuit, wetsuit socks, and a splash top, plus extra fleece layers if you want them on a cooler day, though you likely won't need those in summer. They also have a big stock of used running shoes to borrow, and I'd actually recommend taking a pair rather than wearing your own, because you have zero chance of coming out of this dry.

Once you're geared up, they shuttle you to the river access point below Albert Canyon, hand out life jackets and helmets, and you're off. The route covers about 25 km of rapids and takes between 2 and 2.5 hours depending on how fast the river is running that day. The rapids themselves are a blast, but even the calm stretches are worth it, just floating along and looking up at the edges of Mount Revelstoke National Park around you. There's no guarantee of wildlife, but the guides mention river otters, bears, deer, moose, and plenty of birdlife pass through the area regularly.

The shuttle picks you up at the other end and brings you back to the hotel, where you can have a soak in the hot tub if it was a cold one out on the water. There's also a photographer along for each trip, so you can watch a slideshow of your run once you're back.

If rafting isn't hands-on enough for you, Revelstoke also runs a canyoning trip. This one's not for anyone with a fear of heights, because you will literally be dangling off the cliffs.

You'll hike out to some of the more secluded rivers and waterfalls around town, then, with a guide and a canyoning instructor, learn how to descend the waterfalls yourself using ropes and harnesses, and in some spots by sliding down natural waterslides. You're kitted out with a wetsuit, neoprene socks, a harness, and a helmet, then shuttled to the creek where they run through all the basics before you take on the canyon.

Between the two mountains, the rafting, the canyoning, and a downtown small enough to wander but stocked with great businesses, Revelstoke earns way more time than most people give it on their way through. A night here almost always turns into two or three once you see how much is actually on offer.

If Revelstoke is a stop on your way out to the Rockies, it pairs naturally with the next leg of the drive. Check out our guide to Banff for what to do once you get there.

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