Revelstoke National Park, B.C.
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Eva Lake Revelstoke National Park, B.C. |
July 19, 2018
I finally will have some company on the trail today, on my third hike on this
northern bucket-list trip. The obvious choice for my first visit
to this park is at the end of a long, 5,200-foot gradual uphill on the delightfully
smooth Meadows in the Sky Parkway.
Actually, I cannot go all the way up, because the final half-mile has been
closed off at a big parking lot, requiring the use of a shuttle bus from here.
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Balsam Lake
Red Mountain Heather
Mountain Laurel
A sign at the shuttle stop says, "Closed – Ferme", which means, I hope,
that service merely has not yet begun for the day. In fact, the first listed
arrival-time is nearly an hour from now; but there is an alternative.
Following the lead of several other hikers, I opt for an additional walk involving an extra 300 feet of climbing, rather than fighting the mosquitoes around here while waiting for the bus.
It's not that much extra distance
At the trailhead
The trail is very well-maintained, as expected
Glacier Lily
Scarlet Paintbrush
Bigleaf Lupine
Western Anemone
There are some longer 'just-get-there' stretches
My first snowdrift of the trip
White Mountain Heather
Those heather aren't as pretty as the ones back home, because the little red tops aren't as brightly colored.
The trail becomes more interesting
I hear pleasing sounds ahead. At another creek crossing is a
photo-op in both directions.
Above the footbridge
Below the footbridge
At a trail junction I am torn, but only briefly. Having already walked a long way, I nevertheless turn left toward Eva Lake. Perhaps I will visit another one later.
Eva Lake was the planned destination, so that's what it will be
There is quite a bit of smog
After nearly five miles of trekking, the objective comes into view.
Eva Lake
A group of five women already is here. After a brief stop, I continue along the shoreline so as to give those guys back their 'space', should they care.
Carmine is working on his tan
There appears to be a big dropoff at the other side of the lake
I must head over there and see what there is to see.
Views from the other side
Yes, there is a big dropoff over here, although a trail seems to continue.
That big cascade is miles away
High mountains to the north
Eva Lake's outlet
Looking back now, I see something that I didn't know was there —
a cabin on the hilltop.
Where did that come from?
View from the cabin's porch
Inside the shelter
Next to the trail register is a box of dull or broken pencils; fortunately, there also is a little sharpener that saves the day.
There are many such extraction points around
Starting back
Somewhat inexplicably, I forgo the detour over to Miller Lake, even though it would set me back only another half a mile.
Back at the cascade
The lighting is a bit better this time
Back on the talus slope
Even in this jumble, the trail has been made quite friendly by the placement of big, flat rocks.
Those stones accommodate a muddy area
The trail gets much better near the finish
Bless the maintenance workers who keep the trails nice for us
I still am not sure whether the shuttle is operative; but judging from the numbers of hikers on the trail, it must be.
End of the line — or is it?
Two people have laid out some trinkets for sale on the orange table.
When I ask about the shuttle, the woman points to a bus on the far side of the
parking lot. I scurry over there just as it is about to leave, grabbing the
last available seat. My total wait-time is zero. What a deal.
§: Well, I finally did a hike in Revelstoke, and it was nice.
In retrospect, though, I wish that I had ventured over to see the much bigger Miller
Lake as well; after all, I will not visit this park again. Of course, when it
comes to mountain lakes, bigger usually is not better.
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Google Earth Map
After the hike, it's back to Revelstoke again, where it is 103°
in the shade and the motel spa is non-functional. Bummer. This heat
needs to let up sometime.
Coasting back down the hill for sixteen miles
This entreaty is new to me. I like it.
