Wildlife viewing

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Mount Revelstoke National Park of Canada is home to many mammals including black bear, grizzly bear, wolverine, mountain goat, moose, pine marten, coyote, a variety of bats, and several species of shrews, voles, and mice. Most of these animals are secretive and widely distributed, so that you would be very lucky to see one. Black bears are commonly seen in spring at the base of Mount Revelstoke or along the Trans Canada Highway and Meadows-in-the-Sky Parkway.

Columbian ground squirrels can be seen in the meadows at the summit of the mountain.

Columbia ground-squirrels are commonly seen at the summit of Mount Revelstoke during July and August. Hoary marmot and pika are commonly seen and heard in the summer on rocky slopes along the trails to Eva, Miller, and Upper Jade lakes. You will hear the scolding calls of American red squirrels along any trail through park forests all year. In winter, you will see the tracks of pine marten, snowshoe hare, and mule deer along the cross-country ski trails at the base of the mountain.

The Steller's Jay, the provincial bird of British Columbia, is commonly seen along the Trans Canada Highway.

The park is well-known for its birdwatching opportunities. May and June are the best months for variety. July and August are the times to look for high-elevation specialists such as golden eagle, water pipit, and rosy finch. Following are some of the species you may see and some places to look for them:

  • Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk Trail. Steller's Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Western Tanager, American Dippers, Magnolia Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Rufous Hummingbird, Yellow Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Merlin, and several species of Empidonax flycatchers.
  • Meadows in the Sky Parkway. A drive up the Parkway in July will reveal species characteristic of the major life zones, including the grand-slam in chickadees: Black-capped, Mountain, Boreal and Chestnut-backed. Others include: MacGillivray's Warbler, Blue Grouse, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Black and Vaux's Swifts, Three-toed Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Fox Sparrow, Northern Hawk-Owl, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Water Pipit, Rosy Finch.
  • The foot of Mount Revelstoke, in the Nels Nelsen Historic Area, is home to Nashville Warbler, American Redstart, Calliope Hummingbird, Varied Thrush and Western Tanager.

For more information on the wildlife and ecology of Mount Revelstoke National Park, read our Natural Heritage page.

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