Columbia-Rockies

The Columbia-Rockies region is a mountainous area in British Columbia.

Map of the Columbia-Rockies travel region

Cities

• 1 Revelstoke — a railway town that has become a tourist centre for exploring the mountain parks and skiing
• 2 Golden — a year-round destination for adventure sports: skiing, snowboarding, whitewater rafting, hiking, mountain biking, and hang-gliding
• 3 Field — a cozy, small town in Yoho National Park

Other destinations

• 1 Mount Revelstoke National Park — drive up to the sub-alpine meadows
• 2 Glacier National Park — home of the famous Rogers Pass
• 3 Yoho National Park — Canada's second National Park
• 4 Hamber Provincial Park — straddling the Great Divide on the provincial boundary with Alberta, the park is surrounded on three sides by Jasper National Park

Understand

This region is composed solely of mountainous terrain. The mid-level Monashees mark the western gateway, and the majestic Rocky Mountains mark the east.

Get in and around

Revelstoke

By plane

The nearest airports with scheduled flights are in Castlegar, Cranbrook, Calgary, and Kelowna. Calgary's airport is the largest of those and Kelowna is the next largest.

By car

The region is bisected east-west by Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), and for many people, this stretch is the most scenic of the highway's entire length. Exploring by car is the only reasonable way to enjoy this region.

By bus

• Rider Express, toll-free: +1-833-583-3636. Multiple days per week service along the Trans-Canada Highway from between Calgary and Vancouver with stops in Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Golden, Revelstoke, Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Sorrento, Chase, Kamloops, Merritt, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Surrey. In Salmon Arm, this service provider offers some trips with timed connections with its route between Salmon Arm and Kelowna. In Calgary, this service provider has routes that reach Edmonton. The service provider also has routes that allow travel as far east as Winnipeg. (updated Apr 2022)

By public transit

BC Transit (Revelstoke Transit System), ☏ +1-250-837-3888. Operates several bus routes within Revelstoke. (updated Apr 2022)

See

Trans-Canada Highway at the top of Rogers Pass

• Rogers Pass is an important connection between British Columbia and the rest of Canada in Glacier National Park east of Revelstoke. The Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway both pass through this 1330-m-high gap in the Selkirk Mountains.

Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park

• Takakkaw Falls, Canada's second tallest waterfall, in Yoho National Park.

• Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge, in downtown Golden, is the longest covered, free-span timber-frame pedestrian bridge in Canada

• There is lots to see in the region for rail fans. The Revelstoke Railway Museum in Revelstoke, and The Last Spike, at Craigellachie (25 east of Sicamous and 45 km west of Revelstoke, listing under Sicamous) tell the story of the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway to the region, and the importance of this trans-continental railway in uniting Canada. At the Spiral Tunnels viewing spots about 10 minutes from Field, you can watch the trans-Canada train spiralling through the mountain.

• Three Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town (west of Revelstoke) has many abandoned buildings that have been preserved.

Do

Galcier National Park

There are ways to enjoy the mountain scenery for people of all abilities. There are scenic drives, like the Meadows-in-the-Sky Parkway in Mount Revelstoke National Park, boardwalk walks, short and long trails, and backcountry hikes.

Go skiing, snowboarding or snowmobiling from the Revelstoke Mountain Resort near Revelstoke, or from the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden.

White-water rafting along the Kicking Horse River, which is known for having one of the longest stretches of class four rapids in the world. Three companies operate from Golden.

There are horseback riding opportunities in the area surrounding Golden.