With spring here it is time to think about penciling in some backpacking vacation time into the Calendar. Soon I will have my schedule posted here so individuals can email me the dates in which they may be able to join us on. I made an inquiry about Mount Revelstoke hiking and camping by emailed one of the national park employees for the area and he kindly emailed back with the following;
Eva Lake is great place to take a group camping on Mount Revelstoke. There are about five tentpads, a small cabin, an outhouse and a bearpole. There’s a paved road to the top of the mountain so you can start hiking in the meadows. Since you start hiking at the top of the mountain, you have already gained most of your elevation. The hike to the lake is relatively easy for fit hikers (it would be a good hike to take people who haven’t done a lot of hiking). If you are hiking at a relaxed pace, making a few stops, the hike may take about 3-3.5 hours (it’s about 2 hours at a steady pace). The best time to hike the Eva Lake trail is mid-August -September. With the big snowfall we’re getting this winter the snow may not be off the trail till August.
The wild flowers at the top of Mount Revelstoke are phenomenal — they would certainly be a highlight for those interested in that type of thing. The mountain flowers are at their peak about mid-August.
If you are staying more than a night, you could take your group on a day hike up to Jade Pass (probably about 1.5 hours from Eva Lake — some may find it steep if they aren’t fit — 360m elevation gain). Jade Pass overlooks the Jade Lakes on the other side of the pass — there is a trail down to the upper Jade Lake (maybe an hour — 335m down). There are tentpads by the upper Jade Lake as well. Unless your hiking group is very fit you probably wouldn’t take them down to Jade Lake (as you have to hike up again), but the pass is a nice destination — a nice panoramic view. Depending on how fast the snow melts you possibly may encounter steep snow patches toward the Jade Lakes Pass.
In the summer you can get updated trail reports at the Parks office in Revelstoke (250-837-7500). Also they can tell you what the Park fees are. You can also request information pamphlets that they will send to you.
If you Google Eva Lake, Jade Lake, or Miller Lake, you will find some pictures. I noticed someone has posted some vacation pictures of the areas I’ve described. Miller Lake is near Eva Lake and is another nice destination — the trail up to Jade Pass overlooks Miller Lake.
Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks of Canada together represent the Columbia Mountains Natural Region within Canada’s system of national parks. The Columbia Mountain ranges (Purcells, Selkirks, Cariboos, Monashees) form the first tall mountain barrier east of the Coast Mountains. They are geologically and climatically distinct from the Canadian Rockies, found east of Glacier National Park. Mount Revelstoke National Park lies entirely within the Selkirk Range of the Columbia Mountains.