Box Canyon Bridge concept based on easier tourist trail attraction

The hefty figure of $750,000 for a bridge over Box Canyon is just a considered guess from the city’s community economic development director Alan Mason.

Box Canyon is a striking natural feature on the Illecillewaet River at the eastern edge of Revelstoke, marking the river’s entry into the city. The concept is in very preliminary stages, but the idea is to create a tourism feature that attracts those who enjoy the outdoors but are looking for an easier access point.

“Not everybody wants to do the kind of steep trails over at Mount Macpherson,” Mason said. “Some people are looking for more recreational riding and walking. There’s a big demand for that everywhere, I think in Whistler most of the bike uses are in the valley bottom there.

“It would be nice for us to have a few more trails that aren’t that difficult to do.”

Mason based the $750,000 figure off the city’s previous bridge project across the Illecillewaet River which came in at about $800,000.

Rapids near the lower end of Box Canyon. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer

“It would be an expensive project,” Mason said. “We’ve got to make the trails up there and bridges are not cheap. I’m not an engineer, [but] there are some cliffs there so you would be having to run the bridge into [them].”

The idea was discussed at a recent Tourism Infrastructure Committee meeting, which was looking at possible projects to use the Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funding, which is about $650,000 annually.

The Box Canyon bridge idea, along with potential trail links to Revelstoke Mountain Resort, will be referred to Parks and Recreation and the Public Works departments to be considered when compiling the city’s master trail plan. That is expected to take about a year.

“Once the draft plan is drawn up, I’m sure there will be some public input into the plan to get the public’s opinion,” Mason said.

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