Tiny houses in Revelstoke

Revelstoke was built by the railway and still feels like it — the town sits where the Canadian Pacific line threads the Columbia River valley between the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains, close to where the Last Spike went in at Craigellachie in 1885. A-frames and cabins line the forest roads above town and toward Mount Mackenzie, many built specifically for ski access, since Revelstoke Mountain Resort claims the biggest skiable vertical drop in North America at close to 1,713 metres. Mount Revelstoke National Park rises right behind downtown, and in summer the Meadows in the Sky Parkway climbs 26 kilometres of switchbacks from the valley floor to subalpine wildflower meadows at Balsam Lake — one of the only places you can drive into true alpine terrain.

Revelstoke gets buried in snow most winters — 15 to 25 metres at higher elevations isn't unusual — which is exactly what draws heli-skiers, cat-skiers and backcountry riders from November through April. The Meadows in the Sky Parkway itself is only open to vehicles roughly May to October, once the road crews clear it of snow. Access is by car: about 4 hours east of Vancouver or 4 hours west of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway, which climbs through Rogers Pass — a spectacular stretch, but one where avalanche control can close the road for short periods in winter, so it's worth building in buffer time.