Revelstoke Trail Running Guide

Why Run in Revelstoke?

Revelstoke offers a wide array of running experiences. The area’s trails lead you through the rare, layered ecosystems of British Columbia’s interior rainforest. At lower altitudes, you’ll run through a riot of greens in hemlock-cedar forests draped with moss and epiphytes. As you climb, the trails travel through dark woods of stately spruce and fir. Higher still, you’ll emerge into rocky, open alpine terrain for sublime views of the high, snowy Monashees and Selkirks. Knowing these mountains are the home of charismatic megafauna—such as caribou, moose, wolves, wolverines, lynx, and grizzlies—adds a wild magic (and perhaps some nerves!) to every run. And the ski town has plenty of offerings for your pre-run fuelling and après: cool cafés, farm-to-table restaurants, and breweries abound.

Riverside Runs

Illecillewaet Greenbelt

Distance: Variable

Elevation gain/loss: 0 m

Trailhead location: Access and parking at Centennial Park Greenway, Kovach Park, or the Illecillewaet Bridge

Trailforks route  

Highlights: River and mountain views, birdwatching, easy in-town access, flexible routes

The Illecillewaet Greenbelt sits beside town along the Illecillewaet and Columbia rivers. It offers up a criss-crossing network of multi-use trails that runners can mix and match for the length of their choice. The footing is non-technical and fast on a variety of surfaces, including paved and gravel paths, packed dirt doubletrack, boardwalks over marshy areas, and sinuous singletrack. You’ll run through leafy groves of alder and cottonwoods, which turn blazing yellow and orange in the fall, and open grassy fields with big views of the water and surrounding snowy mountains. In the summer, local plants like fireweed, yarrow, Indian paintbrush, and salmonberry add splashes of colour. Look for bald eagles, kingfishers, and great blue herons along the shorelines. When planning your route, keep in mind that river levels can change and some trails visible on the map may be covered in water.

Rainforest Runs

Mount Macpherson Trails

Distance: Variable

Elevation gain/loss: Variable

Trailhead location: Park at the Macpherson Lodge (2135 Clough Rd, Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S1)

Trailforks route

Highlights: Vast trail network, flexible distance and vert, cedar-hemlock forest, views over Mount Revelstoke and Mount Mackenzie

Just southwest of town off Highway 23, a large, dense network of trails sprawls over the lower flanks of Mount Macpherson. It’s perfect for a choose-your-own adventure trail run where you can select the distance and rack up as much elevation as you wish, either with a few big climbs or many little ups and downs. The trails wind through a lush, dense forest of cedars, hemlocks, fir, and paper birch. Clearcuts and powerlines open up views of Mount Revelstoke and Mount Mackenzie. The multi-use trail system is a popular cycling area, so stay alert for mountain bikers.

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Soren Sorensen Loop

Distance: 5 km (option for 7 km)

Elevation gain/loss: 63 m (200 with optional spur)

Trailhead location: Nels Nelsen Historic Area parking lot

Alltrails route

Highlights: Interior rainforest, non-technical trail, Coeur d’Alene salamander

The Soren Sorensen Trail in Mount Revelstoke National Park is a rolling multi-use loop through verdant, mossy interior rainforest. The trail is mostly wide and relatively smooth—an excellent surface for a fast-paced run. Keep your eyes peeled for common garter and western terrestrial garter snakes, non-venomous denizens of the area, as well as the rare Coeur d’Alene salamander.

For more distance and vert, continue onto the Inspiration Woods Trail at the loop’s far side for a combined 7 km outing with 200 m of climbing.

Alpine Runs

Miller Lake Trail to Eva Lake

Distance: 14.2 km

Elevation gain/loss: 465 m

Trailhead location: Upper Summit Shuttle Bus stop

Alltrails map

Note: Dogs aren’t allowed on this trail.

Highlights: Turquoise alpine lakes, subalpine-to-alpine transition zone, big mountain views, marmots and pikas

This high-country run starts just below the summit of Mount Revelstoke (which can be reached via the Meadows in the Sky Parkway). It mostly stays above 1,800 metres, following ridges and mountainsides to two turquoise lakes. The well-maintained trail lets you find your running flow and soak in the big mountain views. Much of the route is in the liminal area between the subalpine and alpine zones, so you’ll traverse sometimes thick and dark, sometimes sparse forests of mountain hemlock, subalpine fir, and Engelmann spruce that peter out into flower-speckled meadows and rocky alpine terrain. Look and listen for marmots and pikas.

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Miller Lake Trail to Jade Lakes

Distance: 18.8 km

Elevation gain/loss: 714 m

Trailhead location: Upper Summit Shuttle Bus stop

Strava route

Note: Dogs aren’t allowed on this trail.

Highlights: Jade Pass panorama, Jade Lakes, high alpine terrain

This route follows the previous one to Miller Lake and then heads over Jade Pass to Jade Lakes. This alternative takes you higher (nearly 2,200 m) and up into the alpine zone for more views, rocks, and alpine plants. After a somewhat steep but non-technical climb, Jade Pass offers superb 360-degree views of the Selkirks and Monashees.

Mount Cartier

Distance: 30.3 km

Elevation gain/loss: 2,253 m

Trailhead location: on Airport Way, 6 km south of the airport

Alltrails route

Highlights: Grueling summit climb, rope-assisted scramble, historic 1920s fire lookout, panoramic Selkirk and Monashee views

This is a massive climb for the fittest trail runners. Mount Cartier’s trail starts along rushing creeks in lush rainforest and then climbs through Douglas fir and spruce. Eventually, the trees give way to krummholz at the edge of the alpine. Beyond the timberline, open meadows spread out, bright with wildflowers, with patches of snow sometimes lingering into late summer. The path is relatively smooth but narrows and grows exposed as it climbs. Arrow Lake spreads out below, a reservoir of the dammed Columbia River. The final push is a rope-assisted rocky scramble followed by a traverse along an exposed ledge, with a cable for safety, to reach the peak. An old stone fire lookout built in the 1920s sits at the summit, the highest of its kind in Canada. From the top, a panorama of countless white summits gives you that on-top-of-the-world feeling.

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Practical Information

Permits

Sorensen, Miller and Eva Lake, and Jade Lakes all sit inside Mount Revelstoke National Park, so you’ll need a valid Parks Canada day pass: $12.25 for an adult, $10.75 for a senior, and free for youth (an annual pass runs $60.50/$51.50 if you’re planning multiple visits). The same pass also covers Glacier National Park next door. Mount Cartier and Mount Macpherson sit outside the park, so no pass is needed for either.

Note: Through the Canada Strong Pass program, admission to Mount Revelstoke National Park is free from June 19 to September 7, 2026.

High Country Access

Alpine trails are generally open from mid-July to October.

Bears

Revelstoke is home to both black bears and grizzly bears. See Revelstoke Bear Aware’s site for advice on recreating in bear habitat.