Giant Cedars Boardwalk reopens with more work still planned

The Giant Cedars Boardwalk and Day Use Area is open and partially restored after 2021-2022 winter storms brought down numerous trees onto the boardwalk and caused regional flooding. Extensive damage to the area and aging infrastructure dragged out repairs for years, shuttering the key revenue source for the park.

“It’s one of our signatures of the park,” Mark Schmidt, visitor experience manager for Mount Revelstoke National Park, Glacier National Park and Rogers Pass National Historic Site told Revelstoke Mountaineer. 

Initial investigations into the damage on the boardwalk stoked fear that an entire replacement would be necessary, but a more thorough evaluation of the park found nearly 75 per cent could be repaired and kept to park standards, shortening the timespan needed to open the walkway.

“That buys us some time to plan a more significant replacement for the future,” Schmidt said. 

Current updates to the Giant Cedars Boardwalk have not made the entire trail accessible, but Schmidt said Parks Canada is considering increased accessibility in future replacement plans. Maintenance to the trail has been focused instead on bringing the path as close to original standards as possible to meet average guest levels. That means there are still stairways and trail points not suitable for wheelchairs, walkers or other mobility aids.

“I’d rather have something open now that a lot of people can use while we plan for long term replacements,” Schmidt said. 

The Giant Cedars Boardwalk and Day Use Area brings in an average 200,000 guests from May long weekend to the end of October. The draw of seeing old-growth Western redcedars up close has made the Giant Cedars Boardwalk a prime visitor attraction for Mount Revelstoke National Park.

Guests were eager to get back to the site for the August long weekend, with the boardwalk officially opening back up Friday, Aug. 2. Parts of the trail are still under repair, and the walkway no longer operates as a loop but instead an in-and-out trail. Guests who get to the end of the trail can actually see some of the remaining damage and fallen trees from the 2021-2022 winter storms. 

Schmidt is hopeful the entire boardwalk will once again be open to guests by the start of next year’s season. While he can’t predict what stressors this year’s winter might bring, he thinks current maintenance and updates to the remaining 75 per cent of the trail could help it weather the coming seasons and welcome guests back for the 2025 May long weekend.