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Revelstoke
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REVELSTOKE
, the only community within striking range of the park, sits just outside the western boundary, but in its promotional pitch chooses to ignore its scenic appeal in favour of a somewhat unimpressive claim to be "Home of the World's Largest Sculpted Grizzly Bears" (they stand at Mackenzie Ave at the entrance to downtown). Like many mountain towns, it's divided between a motel-and-garage strip along the Trans-Canada and a dispersed, frontier-type collection of houses to the rear. The river and rugged scenery round about redeem it, and the downtown area also has a nice feel, having been spruced up as a placatory measure following the disaster at the dam site
. If you're without your own vehicle, it's a good twenty-minute walk from the strip. In downtown, you might dip into the small but polished
Revelstoke Railway Museum
(May, June, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; July & Aug daily 9am-8pm; $5; tel 250/837-6060), which has a steam engine, snowploughs and assorted memorabilia relating to the building of the stretch of the CPR between Field and Kamloops. If you want to relax close to town, try warm-watered
Williamson Lake
, a favourite swimming spot for locals with mini-golf and campsite 4km south of town east of Airport Way.
Seven daily Greyhound
buses
stop at the town of Revelstoke between Kamloops and Calgary; the terminal is at the west end of the strip, just after the big blue Columbia River bridge (tel 250/837-5874). The
infocentre
is 200m beyond on the left at 204 Campbell Ave (daily: May & June 10am-6pm; July & Aug 8am-8pm; tel 250/837-5345, fax 837-4223). Between May and September there's a small additional office where the Trans-Canada and Hwy 23N meet (tel 250/837-3522; same hours). Get park information at these offices, or visit the
Park Administration Office
on 3rd Street next door to the
post office
(park office: Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm; tel 250/837-7500, fax 837-7536) or the Rogers Pass visitor centre. The park office also has a store for the Friends of Mount Revelstoke National Park (tel 250/837-2010) which is useful for
maps
and guides. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Canada,
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