Canadian Road Trips: Glacier and Mt. Revelstoke National Parks

Traveling west from Calgary on the Trans Canada Highway, you’ll drive straight through the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, a contiguous assemblage of no less than four of Canada’s most spectacular National Parks, with three of British Columbia’s Provincial Parks thrown in as a bonus. This is one of the most wonderfully scenic areas on the entire planet, 75,000 square miles of beautiful forests, colorful lakes, rushing rivers, and jagged, ice-clad peaks, a bucket list destination for travelers from all over the world. You’ll leave the UNESCO site when you cross the boundary of Yoho National Park, but that shouldn’t be the end of your road trip.  There are still two more Canadian National Parks right along your way, right there on the TCH, and even though they’re not included in the World Heritage site, they are absolutely worth a visit. (Headed east on the TCH from Kamloops? Make these two parks your first stop!) 

The town of Golden, British Columbia, is just 17 miles west of Yoho, and if you drive 36 miles beyond Golden, you’ll crest Rogers Pass in the majestic Selkirk Range, and you’ll enter one of Canada’s best kept secrets:

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Canada’s Glacier National Park was founded several decades before the U.S. National Park of the same name. They bear no direct relation to each other, and they are certainly not connected, but, if spectacular mountains, rivers, lakes, and slowly flowing sheets of ice are taken into account, they bear more than a passing resemblance. Canada’s Glacier, about the same size as Yoho, consists of soaring peaks and beautiful valleys, all centered around Rogers Pass, a notch in the Selkirk Range that provides a crucial route through the great wall of the Rockies. The discovery of the pass in 1882 made possible the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, a historic achievement that opened up the Province of British Columbia to economic development. The completion of the Trans-Canada Highway, which pushed through that same pass in 1963, was also a historic achievement, opening up the area west of the Selkirk Range to <<drumroll, please>> tourists!

Glacier N.P. is a wonderland for hikers, with fabulous trails at every level of difficulty, ranging from the barrier free Hemlock Grove Boardwalk, a trail for everyone that winds through a forest of ancient Hemlocks, to the Bald Hills hike, a four day back-country adventure rated as ‘difficult,’ best enjoyed by the experts. There’s a trail called The Meeting of the Waters, another called the Rock Garden, both short and easy hikes, suitable for families, kids, and seniors, along with many more day hikes and even multi-day hikes to entice the hard-core enthusiasts. The relative lack of crowds makes any hike in this area a true wilderness experience, of the sort that’s increasingly difficult to find these days.

Not a hiker? If you’d prefer to stay in your car, the TCH travels right through the middle of Glacier National Park, and even if all you do is make the drive, you’ll enjoy stunning mountain views in every direction. Be sure to stop at the top of Rogers Pass to check out the monument, and when you get to the bottom, take a good look backwards, to marvel at where you’ve just been! Most of the lodging in the area is in or near Golden, east of the park, or Revelstoke, just west of the park, though there are numerous excellent campgrounds within the park.  

MOUNT REVELSTOKE NATIONAL PARK

Some folks say that the most interesting attractions in Glacier National Park are actually in Mt. Revelstoke National Park. That is most definitely a matter of opinion, but the two are only 30 miles apart, in very similar terrain, so for a first time visitor, it’s easy to get confused. At a mere 100 square miles in total area, Revelstoke is the smallest of the mountain parks, and even though it’s been around for more than 100 years, it’s almost as if people never got the word about it. This little old park gets just a fraction of the visitors that you’ll see at Banff and Jasper. That makes it a more intimate experience in every respect, and to my taste, that alone makes it well worth the time required to see the best of it.

The centerpiece of Revelstoke is it’s namesake mountain, and the most popular activity is the drive up the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, a twisting, turning roller coaster of a road that climbs all the way to the top of the mountain. It’s only 16 miles long, and it’s paved the whole distance, but you’ll gain more than 4,000 feet in elevation, and there are enough hairpins to satisfy the needs of an old-fashioned beauty pageant. Give yourself plenty of time for the drive, and enjoy the heck out of the views! From the top you’ll see the Selkirk Range (of Rogers Pass fame) rising to the sky off to the east, and the majestic valley of the Columbia River curving away toward the northern horizon. Meadows in the Sky is more than just a catchy name for the road. The slopes and meadows near the summit are carpeted with blooms throughout the warmer months, and they will add a gorgeous chromatic counterpoint to your photos of the spectacular landscape.

There are a number of fine hiking trails accessible from the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, many rated as ‘easy’ and requiring no more than 30 minutes to complete. This is a small park, so there is limited access to camping.

Tip: When you come back down from the top of any mountain, mind your brakes on the downhill drive. Even (or especially) if you have an automatic, downshift from drive into a lower gear, and let your transmission slow you down. If you keep your foot on the brakes, you risk heating them up to the point where they won’t work when you need them most.

There is, of course, more to Mt. Revelstoke than just the mountain, and once you’re back down on the TCH, you’ll find  several standout activities that are right there near the highway, and easy to get to.  About 19 miles east of the town of Revelstoke you’ll come to the Giant Cedars Picnic Area, and the start of the half-kilometer long Giant Cedars Boardwalk. This is an absolutely gorgeous stroll through a stand of Giant Cedars that are as much as 500 years old, following a boardwalk made of cedar planks that almost seems like it’s a natural part of the forest, surrounded by lush green undergrowth kept pristine by the railings (which stop visitors from walking where they shouldn’t).

Close by the Giant Cedars Boardwalk is the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk. This doesn’t sound all that enticing, but don’t let the name put you off. The boardwalk passes through a fascinating swampy ecosystem that’s alive with unusual plants and insects, the giant skunk cabbage being one of the larger examples. You might even spot a muskrat or a beaver, as there are plenty of both in the area. The skunky aroma for which the ‘cabbages’ are best known happens when they’re blooming, or when you crush the leaves. (So whatever you do, don’t crush the leaves!)

Note: if you’re coming from the west, and travelling east on the TCH headed for Banff and Calgary, these two “extra” Canadian National Parks will be right along your line of travel. Now that you know about them, you’ll have no excuse not to slow down and take a closer look!

If you live in Calgary or Edmonton, or even Vancouver, a road trip in the Canadian Rockies is simple to arrange. For the rest of us, it takes a bit of planning, but it’s well worth the trouble. You’ll come away with memories that will last a lifetime!

For more specific information on the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks–and a LOT more photographs–check out the rest of my Canadian Road Trip series:

Unless otherwise noted, the images in these posts are my original work, and are protected by copyright. They may not be duplicated for commercial purposes.

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Canadian Road Trips

A few years ago I wrote a book about road trips in Arizona and New Mexico that's a lot like this website, packed with interesting information, and illustrated with beautiful photographs. Check it out! You can find it on Amazon, and at all other major booksellers.

A few years ago I wrote a book about road trips in that area that’s a lot like this website, packed with interesting information, and heavily illustrated with beautiful photographs. Check it out! You can find it on Amazon, and at all other major booksellers.