Surrounded by mountains, lakes and rivers on all side, Revelstoke, BC is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. With so much vertical terrain, you might wonder if there are any easy hikes near Revelstoke. We’re happy to report that there are an abundance of easy Revelstoke hiking trails for you to enjoy!
Within this list of the best easy Revelstoke hikes, there’s a wide variety of terrain, scenery and distances. Given many of these Revelstoke hiking trails are close together, to help you make the most of your day, we’ve sorted the easy Revelstoke hiking trails by area. You’ll enjoy easy hiking around the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, the summit of Mount Revelstoke National Park, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, the Columbia River and around the Arrow Lakes.
We hope our list of the best easy hikes in Revelstoke helps you enjoy your time hiking the area!
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The 11 Best Easy Hikes in Revelstoke
Easy Hikes in Mount Revelstoke National Park
When you are planning your Revelstoke itinerary, be sure to save a day to explore Mount Revelstoke National Park. Located just minutes north of Revelstoke, Mount Revelstoke National Park has a lot of easy hikes and fun things to do with kids.
The drive up the Meadows in the Sky Parkway is quite long, but you can make it fun for your kids by stopping at the many excellent roadside viewpoints. The summit area of Mount Revelstoke National Park is famous for its abundant wildflowers, but they are often abundant around the viewpoints as well.
Also, keep your eyes peeled for Mount Revelstoke National Park wildlife while driving the Meadows in the Sky parkway. While driving to the summit area, we saw a black bear run across the road in front of our car. Watching a bear suddenly emerge from the trees onto the road was an excellent reminder for us all to follow the speed limit and carry readily accessible bear spray in a proper bear spray holster on the hiking trails.
1. Giant Cedars Boardwalk
If you are looking for a super fun easy hike in Mount Revelstoke National Park, we highly recommend a visit to the Giant Cedars Boardwalk.
There’s something magical about a boardwalk which all hikers love and especially brings kids alive. The Giant Cedars Boardwalk is no exception – in fact with many fun staircases and gigantic cedar trees all around, kids are bound to love the Giant Cedars Boardwalk in Mount Revelstoke National Park.
The Giant Cedars Boardwalk winds through this ancient cedar forest, giving visitors a chance to look way up and marvel at the massive size of these trees – many of these giant cedar trees are over 500 years old. Even small kids will notice the remarkable size of these giant cedars. Regardless of your age, it’s a lot of fun to try to wrap your arms around one of the giant cedars.
Only 300m in length, the Giant Cedars Boardwalk is the shortest easy hike in Revelstoke, making it a quick thing to do with kids in Revelstoke. It’s about 30 minutes outside Revelstoke so, if possible, try to stop at the Giant Cedars Boardwalk on your way to or from Revelstoke.
Giant Cedars Boardwalk trail map
2. Broken Bridge Trail
We enjoyed the easy hikes in the Mount Revelstoke summit area (listed below) so much that we decided to do another hike on the drive back down the Meadows in the Sky Parkway down to Revelstoke. We had considered hiking the Inspiration Woods trail, as it’s a popular easy hike in Mount Revelstoke National Park, but it’s so close to Soren Sorenson (one of the best easy mountain biking trails in Revelstoke), that we decided the scenery would be too similar.
So, we decided to give the kid-friendly Broken Bridge trail a try. Located about halfway up the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, this 1km easy Revelstoke hike runs through a beautiful Douglas Fir and Cedar forest to the site of a broken bridge (thus the name of the hike).
The Broken Bridge Trail is a short section of the former Hamilton Creek trail. Despite being only 1km from the Meadows in the Sky Parkway parking area to the Broken Bridge, the hike is nearly all uphill, gaining approximately 115m of altitude. It’s not a strenuous hike by any stretch, but it may get your heart pumping a little. The amazing views of Revelstoke and beyond you’ll enjoy on this easy hike in Mount Revelstoke National Park will help take your mind off the incline.
The Broken Bridge itself is in a very deep & dense part of the forest; you’ll notice it gets noticeably darker as you approach the mountain stream. The area around the broken bridge is fenced off, but you can still see the huge support beams (one intact and one that snapped) and many of the wooden slats which used to make the walking surface of the bridge. It’s a cool sight and definitely one of the fun things to do in Mount Revelstoke National Park.
The Broken Bridge trail is located in a dog-friendly part of Mount Revelstoke National Park, so feel free to bring your dog on this fun easy hike.
3. Nels Knickers
Perhaps the most fun thing to do with kids in Mount Revelstoke National Park is to visit the Nels Knickers attraction. Located at the top of an old Revelstoke ski jump, the Nels Knickers attraction is now a National Historic Site of Canada.
To get to the upper Nels Knickers attraction in Mount Revelstoke National Park, you need to walk 400m downhill through a very beautiful forest with towering Douglas Fir and Cedar Trees. The Nels Knickers attraction is very original, and so much fun. It’s one of the most interesting and enjoyable attractions we’ve seen in any national park anywhere in the world.
Situated at the very top of the former Revelstoke ski jump, visitors can literally stand in Nels Knickers – a sculpture made of steel in the shape of Nels Nelsen’s old ski jumping outfit. The sculpture has you standing on a pair of skis, leaning forward in the classic forward-leaning ski jumpers’ stance, looking way down the slope of the old ski jump. Standing in Nels Knickers is a ton of fun for kids of all ages!
Even though Nels Knickers are adult sized, we were impressed by the thoughtfulness of the artist, who put in two sets of eye holes for kids to be able to see through and enjoy the unique experience too.
Nels Knickers is a really fun easy hike near Revelstoke. If you are visiting Revelstoke with kids, Nels Knickers is one of the most fun things to do in Mount Revelstoke with kids.
Note, there are two Nels Knickers attractions within Mount Revelstoke National Park:
- The Nels Nelson Historic Area is the lower one of the two. This is located at the bottom of the historic Revelstoke ski jump, looking up at Nels Knickers.
- The easy Mount Revelstoke hike described above is in the Nels Nelson viewpoint. Parking is along the side of the Meadows in the Sky Parkway.
There is a hike between the two Nels Knickers attractions, but given the steepness of the hiking trail, I wouldn’t describe it as an easy Revelstoke hike. This Nels Knickers hiking trail map shows both hikes.
Easy Hiking Trails in Mount Revelstoke Summit Area
Given the Meadows in the Sky Parkway is one of the main attractions within the Mount Revelstoke National Park, try to drive the full length of the Meadows in the Sky Parkway as early in the day as possible. This gives your family the best chance of getting a parking spot in the very popular Mount Revelstoke National Park summit area.
Once you you’ve enjoyed the best easy hikes atop Mount Revelstoke National Park, you can enjoy a leisurely drive down the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, and who knows, perhaps enjoy one of the easy hikes on the way down too!
Note, dogs are not allowed beyond the Columbia viewpoint, and are therefore not allowed on any of the easy hikes in the Mount Revelstoke Summit Area.
4. Upper Summit Trail
There are many easy & kid-friendly hikes which leave from the Mount Revelstoke summit area parking lot. We began our day of kid-friendly Mount Revelstoke hiking with the Upper Summit Trail. This 1km easy hike to the Upper Summit area is on a groomed gravel hiking trail. The Upper Summit Trail is an uphill hike, but the slope is gentle enough that almost everyone will manage.
There are many open meadows along the Upper Summit Trail, providing an abundance of space for the famous Mount Revelstoke wildflowers to grow. The plethora of wildflowers along the Upper Summit Trail are just a taste of the wildflower display you will see along the easy hiking trails in Mount Revelstoke National Park.
5. First Footsteps Trail
Upon reaching the Mount Revelstoke Upper Summit, the first easy, kid-friendly hiking trail we enjoyed was the First Footsteps trail. There are plenty of fun things along the First Footsteps trail to keep kids happy and interested.
All along the First Footsteps trail, you will learn about the traditions of the Okanagan, Secwepemc and Ktunaxa First Nationals through interpretive signs, artwork and sculpture.
Our kids especially enjoyed the Coyote Rock sculpture at the First Footsteps trailhead (we all thought it was a bear until we read the interpretive sign), but they also enjoyed the sculpture of the first nations person greeting the morning sun.
We felt the First Footsteps Trail in Mount Revelstoke National Park was a fun way to educate our kids on the special connection Canada’s first nations people have with nature.
Another fun thing to do with kids on the First Footsteps trail is to look for the Icebox. This unique location in Mount Revelstoke National Park is a spot wedged in-between a cleft in the rock, where you’ll find a deep patch of snow, even in the dead of summer.
6. Koo Koo Sint Trail
Upon completing the First Footsteps trail, you can take a short walk along Heather Lake to find the Koo Koo Sint trailhead.
The Koo Koo Sint trail celebrates the life of David Thompson, the renowned Canadian explorer. David Thompson was known to the Aboriginal people of the mountains as “Koo Koo Sint” – ‘the man who looks at the stars.‘ There’s even a metal sextant along the trail for kids to play with (and perhaps even learn a thing or two about early exploration).
As with all the other kid-friendly, easy Mount Revelstoke hiking trails, there’s an abundance of wildflowers along the trail.
There are also excellent views along this hiking trail, although thick forest fire smoke obscured our view.
Koo Koo Sint trailhead location
7. The Fire Lookout Trail
You can complete your loop of the Mount Revelstoke Upper Summit area easy hikes with a hike along the Fire Lookout Trail. There are several viewpoints along this easy Mount Revelstoke hiking trail, which eventually arrives at a historic fire lookout hut.
The Mount Revelstoke fire lookout hut is at the highest point in the area at 1,938m (6,360 feet) above sea level. The fire lookout is almost 100 years old and is situated on a site which provides excellent views in all directions.
Combining the Upper Summit trail with the First Footsteps trail, the Koo Koo Sint trail and the Fire Lookout trail resulted in a very enjoyable 4.6km easy hike though the Mount Revelstoke National Park upper summit area. There was only 130m of elevation gain over the entire length of these hike-friendly hikes. It took us approximately 2 hours to complete this circuit of easy Mount Revelstoke National Park hikes around the summit area.
Mount Revelstoke Fire Lookout location
Mount Revelstoke National Park Hiking Map (pdf)
The Revelstoke Waterfall Trifecta Hikes
Once you’ve had your fill of the excellent easy hikes around Mount Revelstoke National Park, why not try this series of three easy Revelstoke hikes to waterfalls. The three easy “Waterfall Trifecta” hikes are within easy driving distance of each other and can all be done in a single day.
The series of three easy waterfall hikes near Revelstoke includes Begbie Falls, Moses Falls and Sutherland Falls.
8. Sutherland Falls
We began our day of hiking the Waterfall Trifecta with Sutherland Falls, a very enjoyable easy hike near Revelstoke. Located within the Blanket Creek Provincial Park, the 5 minute walk to Sutherland Falls is an enjoyable stroll through a lush forest with a mossy floor and lichen growing on the trees.
This short & easy hike near Revelstoke pays off with a beautiful view of the tall and powerful Sutherland Falls – an amazing slice of natural beauty for very little effort.
Note, the mosquitos were particularly bad the day we hiked Sutherland Falls. Be sure to bring insect repellent with you just in case.
9. Begbie Falls
Our second easy Revelstoke waterfall hike of the day was to Begbie Falls. At 6km (return) in length, this is the longest of the three easy waterfall hikes near Revelstoke.
The hike to Begbie Falls winds its way through Begbie Bluffs, a popular area for rock climbing near Revelstoke. Begbie Falls is a fun hiking trail which gently winds its way through many of the rock climbing areas without ever getting too steep.
The forest which surrounds the Begbie Falls hiking trail is especially beautiful, with a moss carpet and countless enormous trees.
Kids will enjoy this Revelstoke waterfall hike if they like balancing on fallen trees. Or, if your kids love critters, they’ll love finding all the huge slugs making their way slowly across the trail.
The Begbie Falls are quite beautiful and are worth the longer hike to get there. A large tree-covered rock splits the river at the top of Begbie Falls, creating a beautiful double waterfall. The dual falls converge halfway down, creating a wider second waterfall below.
For those who don’t wish to hike 6km, it’s possible to drive to a parking lot much closer to the Begbie Falls, reducing the round-trip hiking distance to roughly 1.5km. But if you have the capability, we recommend the full length of the Begbie Falls trail as it’s an especially beautiful easy & kid-friendly Revelstoke hike.
10. Moses Falls
Moses Falls was the last of the waterfall trifecta hikes in our day of easy Revelstoke hiking. We almost skipped this hike as the mosquitoes were pretty bad on the first two hikes, but given Moses Falls is a very short hike we decided to tough it out, and we’re glad we did.
The short hike down to Moses Falls is a bit challenging. The hiking trail is steep downhill with some difficult steps down over tall rocks, slippery tree roots etc. But assuming you and your kids have the ability to overcome these obstacles, Moses Falls is well worth the effort.
There are multiple levels to the cascading Moses Falls. The top waterfall is nice, but the bottom section of Moses falls is very beautiful. Several distinct streams of water gently trickle down many levels of rock on its way to the river below. With a lush forest filled with towering trees surrounding Moses Falls, this Revelstoke waterfall is a magical place. We felt Moses Falls was the nicest waterfall of the Revelstoke Waterfall Trifecta hikes.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort Easy Hikes
11. Bottoms Up Hiking Trail
One of the most popular easy hiking trails in Revelstoke is the Bottoms Up trail at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort. It’s an exciting hiking trail for anyone staying at the Sutton Place Hotel or coming for a day of fun at the resort as it passes many of the fun, kid-friendly activities at Revelstoke Mountain Resort along the way.
The 4km (return) Bottoms Up hike trailhead is just south of the Sutton Place Hotel. The trail begins uphill through a charming cedar forest with a few small switchbacks to contend with. The Bottoms Up hike is mostly uphill for the first 2km, but the slope is never really that hard.
Emerging from the cedar forest, the Bottoms Up trail passes by the Aerial Adventure Park, the Pipe Mountain Coaster track and the disk golf course. This kid-friendly hiking trail passes the Revelstoke mountain coaster track several times and it’s always fun to hear the sounds of laughter and shrieks of excitement from the lucky passengers.
The Bottoms Up Trail winds its way up Revelstoke Mountain to the Revelation Lodge. The hiking trail alternates crossing through the open ski trails (which are filled with wildflowers in the summer) and the patches of forest which separate the ski trails. The forest sections are so dense, hardly any sunlight reaches the forest floor – it gets so dark, it’s amazing!
There are several little bridges which cross over charming little mountain streams on the Bottoms Up Trail. If you keep your eyes and ears open you may just see a few little mountain critters, like little lizards on the forest floor, in-between the huge pine cones.
Another fun element of hiking the Bottoms Up Trail with kids is that is passes near the 5620 downhill mountain biking trail on several occasions. Young kids will be too little to try the extreme downhill mountain biking at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort, so to get to see the mountain bikers doing jumps and tight berm turns at high speed on the 5620 trail is quite the thrill.
We were hoping to treat our kids to some ice cream at the Revelation Lodge, but we discovered that it’s not open in the summertime. No biggie – there’s ice cream for sale down below in the Revelstoke Mountain Resort village though!
If you plan on doing a lot of hiking in Revelstoke with your kids, take a moment to check out our Tips for Hiking with Kids and the Best Hiking Gear for Kids. The miles will go faster and you’ll all have more fun with these hiking songs for kids.
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Dan Brewer is an intrepid family travel blogger with a passion for exploring the world's most captivating destinations. With 58 countries under his belt and a sense of wanderlust that knows no bounds, he has made it his life's mission to share his travel experiences and insights with fellow families who love to travel.
When Dan isn't traveling with his wife and kids, he's either out enjoying the Canadian Rockies he calls home or working on one of his three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Travel Banff Canada and Ultimate Sports Road Trip).