Road Cycling

Revelstoke offers wonderful cycling on several quiet roadways that are highlighted by stunning views and little traffic. Warm up on Airport Way, enjoy the amazing scenery along Highway 23, then test your climbing legs on the longest hill climb in Canada.

Airport Way – 32 km return trip

Dust off the cobwebs on a mellow ride along Airport Way. Cruise along the east side of the Columbia River, enjoying stunning views of the Monashee Mountains, including Revelstoke’s iconic Mount Begbie. It's a beautiful pedal with little elevation gain and minimal traffic once you get out past the airport.

Westside Road - 17 km return

This quiet road starts at the Trans-Canada Highway and heads north along the west side of the Columbia River. It starts off fairly flat before ascending in a series of climbs to the top of the Revelstoke Dam. If you’re on the right bike, you can continue another 25+ km along the unpaved Frisby Creek Forest Service Road.

Highway 23 S (Revelstoke to Arrow Lakes Ferry) – 52 km one way

A paved highway takes you along the west side of the Columbia River valley, with the towering Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges on either side. The highway is quiet except for ferry traffic, which passes by every hour. At the Shelter Bay Ferry Terminal, Shelter Bay Provincial Park offers camping and a place to jump in Upper Arrow Lake. Twelve kilometres further south down a dirt road, Eagle Bay Rec Site offers lakeside camping with beautiful morning sunrises, mountains and forest to explore, and water-based recreation opportunities.

Highway 23 N (The Road to Nowhere) – 150 km one way

Highway 23 North used to be a rough dirt road that was part of the Trans-Canada Highway. In the early-60s, the TCH was routed through Rogers Pass, but the road was kept open and eventually paved to facilitate the construction of the Mica Dam. Today, it is 150 kilometres of paved bliss, with almost no traffic to speak of and incredible views. Numerous short climbs and descents will get the legs pumping and the adrenaline flowing. There are a number of recreation sites along the way, making for great spots to have a break and cool off in Lake Revelstoke, or extend the ride overnight.

Meadows in the Sky Parkway (Mount Revelstoke National Park) – 26 km one way

Start downtown and wind your way up the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, a 26 km paved route that climbs 1,500 m to Mount Revelstoke’s 2,000 m summit. Canadian Cycling Magazine dubbed it the best hill climb in Canada. Your journey begins at the Revelstoke Railway Museum and takes you through the world’s only inland temperate rainforest, past old-growth stands of cedar and hemlock, and culminates in stunning wildflower meadows–from the glacier lilies and marsh marigolds of early summer to the red Indian paintbrush, yellow arnica and purple lupine that leave the fields awash in colour by August.

Photo credit: Kellen Viszaugh in a time trial, Revelstoke BC.